Six Markers on the Trail of Trials

Foreign [Music] foreign [Music] okay [Music] try again thank you [Music] thank you foreign well good morning church good morning hey I missed you all last week I'm glad you all feel that way hey we did have a great time thank you so much for praying for safety for us as we traveled we drove straight through from here to Beckley West Virginia and then we drove straight through back from Yorktown Virginia back home and so we just couldn't wait to get back to our home our church family missed y'all last week I'm sure that y'all had a great Father's Day and Austin you just did a fantastic job this past this past week didn't he guys he did a fantastic job and it's a it's a blessing from the Lord you know it wasn't that long ago that you know we were we would have to scramble for people if it was a problem but you know the Lord has blessed our church with equipped men that can come up and handle God's word rightly dividing it whether it's an elder or a minister and so I'm just thankful for what God's doing in our church amen now a couple of things firstly if you're new here Welcome to our church if you've got prayer requests or anything like that you can fill out one of these Next Step cards they should be in the chair in front of you fill that out drop it in the offering plate it's a great way for me to be able to pray for you or if you are just new and you want to connect that's a great

Way for me to kind of start that process now we've got a couple of things that are coming up and we got Vacation Bible School that's right around the corner it is VBS time guys and we're gonna have hundreds of children in here that are ready to hear about the love and the power of Jesus Christ they're going to hear about the death the burial the resurrection the theme this year is twists and turns it's all about relying on the Lord in the midst of a crazy time and how appropriate it is for the world that we live in now you should have received an email if you were a volunteer you should have received an email from heathergarten regarding the thing like information about vacation Bible school if you did not we have copies of that email that are down in the church office and so just walk down there grab one they're they're two-sided so make sure that you read both sides it's got things like contact information changes in seating all that kind of stuff if you want to be involved in that I think that it's still possible for you to if you are over the age of 18 you do need a background check so you really need to let us know like now if you want to serve because we got to run that background check now if you've got kids register them and get them all squared away it's going to be huge in US knowing how to prepare everything from food to game supplies to craft supplies and all that kind of stuff registering your kids really really really helps us we got a group of children I should say youth that are going to Kansas City tomorrow and we're excited to send those kids on a mission trip with Austin and it's going to be a fantastic time of service of worshiping the Lord of studying the word of God and it's going to be just a super time if you want to pray for them on the back of the bulletin you've got all their names

And you can take that and pray for those kids this week some of them they may feel called to Ministry some of them they may get saved you know on a mission trip it happens and be sure to just be praying for those kids and those chaperones because they'll don't need it amen hey after service today is children's ministry luncheon so go to gerbs grab something if you forgot potato salad Fried Chicken whatever you got bring it on over here because we're talking about some super important things regarding the children's ministry there is a men's prayer breakfast that's this upcoming Saturday so if you're a dude and you love breakfast come on man we want to have you there and that's going to be starting oh what's the time is it eight o'clock time's not in the bulletin what time is it Nathan eight o'clock eight o'clock there we go that's what we're going with all right also Joy group that's just older youth they've got their fourth of July celebration that's this upcoming Thursday sign up today or sign up tomorrow after that you can't sign up okay Angela's I think it's catering is that right where's Pat It's Pat here hey Pat hey Pat hey Angela's is catering right yes okay awesome and so you can you can talk to Pat over there and she'll get you all signed up for Joy group and all that kind of stuff it'll be great so all right praise the Lord hey it is good to be together in the house of the Lord and maybe you see someone that maybe you're not quite familiar with or maybe you haven't seen their face in a while why don't you just stand up go hug their neck say welcome to First Baptist Church there you go foreign three times thank you

[Music] foreign well good morning First Baptist Church it's good to be here together today amen at this time I've come to the part of the service where we like to just take a moment for you to prepare your hearts and your minds for worship for us to prepare our hearts and Minds for worship this is just as much for us on stage as it is for you in the congregation so I'd invite you to Bow your heads to close your eyes if you're here with your family maybe you know pray with them just take a moment to ask God to help prepare you for corporate worship today thank you Lord I pray that you would help us to put aside the distractions Lord help us to lay any anger or resentment at your feet Lord help us to put aside those those things that we're hanging on to the wrongs that have been committed against us and Lord let us instead rejoice in the great good that's been given to us through Jesus Christ living the perfect life that we could never live dying the death that we deserved bearing the punishment reserved for us so that we in turn might take on his righteousness in your eyes Lord help us to rejoice in the Gospel this morning together in one voice and in one spirit as the body of Christ it's in Jesus name we pray amen I'd invite you now to stand with us and join us as we sing together [Music] you made the starry host you trace the mountain peaks you pay the evenings guys the Earth it is your throne from Desert to the Sea all major testifies yours slander praise the Lord praise the Lord sing his grace

All creation praise the Lord Raise Your Voice you hides and all you dance [Music] the Lord [Music] you reached into the dust in love your spirit breathed you formed us in your very life to know your wondrous Works to tell your Mighty needs to join to join the Everlasting [Music] praise the Lord praise the Lord sing his grace all creation to praise the Lord [Music] praise the Lord [Music] the funnies ReSound let drums and choirs ring out all Heaven hear the sound of worship let every nation bring its honors to the king harmonies [Music] praise the Lord praise the Lord [Music] create [Applause] your voice [Music] let everything that has breath praise the Lord God praise the Lord praise the Lord sing his greatness all creation praise the Lord Raise Your Voice you hides and all you dance from vertices to rest you distant burning stars of creatures near and far from the sky to see the shore Sing Out forever everything that has breath praise the Lord [Music] How firm our foundation these Saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word one more can he say then to you he has said to you before Refuge to Jesus have fled fear not I am with thee Oh Be not

Dismayed for I am thy God I will still give thee I'll strength [Music] my grace [Music] I never know never know never foresee [Music] that's all though all hell should Endeavor to shake I never know never no never forsake you may be seated as our ushers come forward to take the offering let's pray Father in Heaven as we come before you this morning we ask Lord that you would help our minds to be just really focused on you and the things that you would have us to listen to this morning to say in prayer and worship father father is this part of our service of giving is a part of worship we pray Lord that as we worship you with a portion of what you've given us that you would use these these monies Lord to further your kingdom here in our area and around other places where we reach out and give brother you'd use these things in Jesus name amen thank you [Music] and Wars [Music] spend and worth less now compared to this knowing you Jesus knowing you there is [Music] you're my joy my righteousness and I love you Lord now my heart's desire is to be found in you and known as yours to possess my faith what I could not earn all surpassing gifts of righteousness knowing you knowing you there is no greater than you're my all you're the best you're my

Joy my righteousness and I love you Lord [Music] my life between your sufferings to become like you and your dad my Lord so if you to live and never die knowing you Jesus [Music] no here there is [Music] you're my joy my righteousness and I love you Lord [Music] you're my all you're the best you're my joy my righteousness and I love you oh Lord [Music] love you in the Lord [Music] Deliver us from evil Lord we sojourn in a broken World though evil hands give rise to war remind us this is not our home we look to you we look to you Sovereign king of all the Earth we look to you we look to you in your strength we will endure foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] look to you we look to you Christ the Conquering Son of God we look to you we Look to You Lord complete what you begun [Music] thank you [Music] Deliver Us from Evil Lord the devil seeking to divide with trembling Hearts we hear his Roar but your strong arm will crush his power we look to you come and end his Earthly rain we look to you we look to you Deliver Us

We look to you we look to you will come against [Music] thank you foreign [Music] War remind us this is not our home we look to you we look to you Sovereign king of all the Earth we look to you we look to you in your strength we will endure and do in your strength we will endure Lord help us to endure in your strength Lord help us to remember that it's not up to us Lord help us to remember to rely on you Lord you are Mighty you're bigger than any of our problems Lord help us to seek you every minute of every day it's in Jesus name we pray amen well we're in this series today that we're calling Victory in Jesus and today we're looking at First Peter Chapter 4 verses 12 through 16. We're almost through yet another book of the Bible yeah praise the Lord and so after we get finished with this we will go through Esther and so that'll be a fun series to go through learning all about Esther and so that'll be a fun Old Testament book I've never preached through Esther before but that's where we're going next and then who knows where so today we are looking at six markers on the trail of Trials six markers on the trail of Trials and in my Bible starting here in verse 12 it has a caption over it that those captions aren't inspired it's not like you know that's part of the Bible it just kind of helps segment that out so that way you can follow the thought but for mine my Bible has suffering as a Christian as the caption right and over the past several weeks it's been good to see some of God's good and holy and Sovereign purposes even in the midst of tremendous suffering amen

That your suffering is never arbitrary your suffering is never just something that happens According to some Mystical Force in the universe there's a purpose in your suffering there's a purpose in the trials and in the hardships I once heard about a Shipwrecked man who made it to an uninhabited Island and as he was getting up onto the shore he realized that there were very few resources there and so he gathered some Salvage and he built this Hut and for days upon days he is just trying to survive one day he goes out searching for food on the island and to his horror everything that he had in this little bitty Hut that he had created was just up in flames and he was just so heartbroken so devastated that was a to him death sentence and so he fell asleep that night weeping in the morning he came to and there's a boat out on the horizon and eventually a smaller boat comes out and a captain is on that smaller boat and he goes how on Earth did y'all find me he said well we just followed the smoke we that's all that was and what was once for him the worst trial that he was going through almost a death sentence at that point was actually the means of salvation for him there is never an arbitrary thing that occurs someone's watch going off I'm sorry no okay well we'll just push through it okay someone's like it's not me I promise you yet by divine mercy God he had a purpose even in that maroon man losing all of his possessions in order for him to be rescued now trials oftentimes they work out for our benefit and yet many times we can't see the forest for the trees pain and hardship they have a way of

Consuming all of our attention but that shouldn't be the case for the believer and today we're going to see how God uses trials for us to know him and to glorify him and so let's stand in honor of God's word as we read and we learn together a little bit from First Peter Chapter 4 verses 12 through 16. God's word says this 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 in so far as you share Christ's sufferings 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 Christ rests upon you but let none of you suffer as a murderer or 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 let's pray and so Lord we spent a little bit of time praying to prepare our hearts for corporate worship we spent some time praying over offerings right now Lord we ask that you would prepare our hearts for your word and I just pray and plead Lord that this would be your words not mine that we would walk out of here knowing what your word has to say not that people would remember funny anecdotes or stories or anything like that but that we would be able to rightly apply this passage to our lives God help us we ask that you would be with us in Jesus name amen well our passage today begins with an identity statement beloved you are in Christ beloved in the Lord that is who you are that word is acapetos which comes from that Greek word which Austin pointed out last week about Agape that self-sacrificial

Self-giving never giving up always and forever kind of love that's what agape love is and that is who you are because of Christ the love of Christ you are the object of that love you are beloved that means that God saw you and in spite of your sin not because of your sin but in spite of your sin he looked down on you in your dead and sorry state me right there with you and he revealed his love to us you were you were cherished and you are highly valued by the Lord says 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 this first marker on a trail you're familiar with Trail markers if you're not careful you could get lost markers on the trail help you to stay on the path and one of the things that happens is that when Trials and sufferings come we oftentimes think woe is me no one's ever gone down this path ever in the history of anyone but we all walk that path this is an ordinary path for us as Believers every single believer will walk the path of suffering you're suffering is terrible for you and I know that it is those emotions those feelings the hardships all of that is very real but it's not unique to you your brother your sister that's sitting next to you in those pews or chairs we got chairs now they have walked the trail of Trials too they've been there their bodies have failed their children have wandered they've had hardships and heartbreaks they've been fired

They've been hired they've had all those different things happen and so it's in fact it's very normal for Christians to experience trials in our lifetime and we know that this is an ordinary path firstly because Peter says that we urge not to be surprised When Trials come it's it's not supposed to be shocking to us and secondly we're instructed not to view it as a strange thing that's happening we all go through it in fact life it will get hot it will get difficult not to see God doesn't allow these trials into our lives to see if we would fail that's not God's heart or intention behind it at all he's a good father you know what he does he puts us he puts us through those trials to test us not to see if we would fail but for us to prove the faithfulness of Christ for us to see the value of our Salvation to provide evidence to the world as the hope that Christ brings to each and every single one of us all Christians must walk this ordinary path of Trials it's not an option and we thank the Lord that we go through it with other believers but more importantly we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit of God So within every single believer is the power and the capacity to Faithfully endure under the hardest and harshest of pressures now we don't suffer all the same way we talked about that a little bit your cancer it's different than a rebellious child that getting passed over for a job is tough that believer that loses a friend because of their personal faith in Christ is tough but in the midst of all of these trials and all of these afflictions one of the

Best things that we have is Brothers and Sisters in Christ that can encourage us to endure more and more as we see the day of Christ approaching and you can grow in that you grow in that by getting in a community group and building relationships sorry yeah you do that by joining as a member you do that by serving in Ministry alongside people you know the church family that prays together and sweats together also loves each other really well because they've they've been through it they know what it's like to be in the trenches alongside of each other it's an ordinary path and every believer walks in it's also a joyful path twice in this passage Peter he instructs us to rejoice that means that the trail of Trials is one of delight for a Christian how on Earth are we supposed to delight and rejoice in the midst of so much suffering and heartache and affliction well it's because we know that we are abiding in the will of the Lord and it is a Christian's joy to do his will the trials of Affliction aren't brought about by fate or by chance but her shepherd He leads us through them with such Tender Care with such grace and mercy and love and it's a constant reminder in the midst of the Affliction to lean into the arms of our Savior not to push them away but to lean into him for strength for comfort Affliction it is not simply the work of the enemies of the Gospel and Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians he was writing to encourage them to encourage those Believers in thessalonica to instruct them about the day of the Lord and the Affliction that they would endure listen

To what he writes in first Thessalonians chapter one verses three four three and four that no one be moved by these afflictions for you yourselves know that we are destined for this destined for what afflictions for when we were with you we kept telling you beforehand that we're to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass and just as you know you want an easy not you want an easy life look somewhere else don't look at Christianity okay it's not an easy life Christianity is not designed to be an easy life but it is designed to give eternal life When Trials Come What Happens oftentimes is we become like the Israelites weren't wandering around the desert I'm tired I'm hungry I'm thirsty do you really think that the Lord who delivered those people out of that nation of Egypt all right by all those wonderful Miracles would let them starve to death in the desert do you think that the Lord would allow them to die of thirst in the desert after doing all those things oh well I guess I didn't think about that one you see what ultimately happened was they grumbled against Moses they also grumbled against the Lord and When Trials come we may be tempted to be like them to Grumble to Grumble to Grumble but for those of us who have the spirit we must remind ourselves that we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ do you think that same Lord Jesus that died for you will also not keep you and preserve you through the afflictions and the trials do you think that he's just going to let you fall by the wayside and go guess he wasn't strong enough to keep wet keep at it our Lord is not a Lord that scoffs at us

In our weakness he's the Lord that comes down and Stoops low and lifts us up in the midst of our weakness because he knows that we are frail he knows that we are weak so whether it's a season of plenty for you or a season of Sorrow we can rest joyfully knowing that the trials that come our way are for our good and for God's glory you know I was thinking about the hammer and the nail the other day I'm very thankful for them a hammer if a nail could talk right I'm sure that would just kind of see the nail the hammer as an opponent right because all that nail sees that hammer doing is coming along and beating it upside the head over and over and over again right that's all that hammer does to The Nail either that or it just rips it out of the wood so if it was to talk about the hammer it would complain man that guy over there all he does is just beat me up beat me up beat me up I hate that guy he just comes along he bullies me he puts me in places I really don't want to be and so the nail forgets that both it and the hammer are the Servants of the carpenter when the nail remembers that the hammer is also held by the workmen that is also holding him doesn't view that hammer no longer as an enemy but as a tool that is being used to build up something greater and so the nail when it has surrendered to the will of the Workman it catches a little glimpse of what the Grandeur plan is so regardless of where that nail might end up whether it's wedged in a piece of wood or just hammered so deep that you can't even see it surrenders to The Carpenter's plans for the future in the beatings of the

Hammer without complaint in Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 through 11 Paul writes indeed I count everything as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings becoming like him in his death that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead thank the Lord that we suffer for the Christ thank the Lord that we share in Christ's sufferings when we share in Christ's sufferings whether that's a family member vilifying you for worshiping the Lord whether that's being passed over for a promotion or not getting a job because you hold two Biblical values whatever it might be that occurs we thank the Lord you know dogs they don't typically bark at people that they're really familiar with do that not typically but they do bark at strangers they bark at people that don't belong and there may be times when people they may call you hateful they may call you a bigot for lovingly holding to Biblical truth take comfort in that because it shows that you are a stranger in this world that you do not belong to this world you are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven thank God for that amen our suffering leads us to know Christ more and more by faith I mean what Greater Joy is there in knowing the Lord we sing that song knowing you Jesus knowing you there is no greater thing you're my all you're the best you're my

Joy my righteousness and I love you Lord praise God the trail of Trials is also a blessed path it's a blessed path blessed it means fortunate blessed means happy means favored and Peter says if you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed you are fortunate you are happy you are favored when you are insulted for the name of Christ that word insulted it's the word unadizo which means to revile or denounce when someone reviles you and they hate you for the name of Christ you are blessed not because of the suffering not because of the suffering but because what does Peter say but because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you that's why you're blessed in Matthew chapter 5 verses 11 through 12 Jesus said 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 when the trials of Affliction come do you count yourself as blessed or fortunate or favored by God well you should because the Lord says that you are but I tell you what I need that reminder too amen the Lord says you are and your reward is great in heaven God knows the hate that you endure God's probably the most hated end of well being individual person on the planet how many people do we know personally that hate God he knows the persecution didn't Christ suffer persecution at the hands of wicked men he knows all of those things that you

Have endured and the things that you will endure for the sake of the Gospel people they mock those who love the Lord and that's that's nothing new that's been happening for literally Millennia the author of Psalm 89 verses 50 through 51 it says remember O Lord how your servants are mocked and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations with which your enemies mock O Lord with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed people have been suffering mockery by those who hate the Lord for many generations and we are blessed on that trail of Trials Jesus said in John 15 verses 18 through 21 if the world hates you know that has hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love you as its own but because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you if they kept my word they will also keep yours but all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me when you are insulted for obeying the Lord when you're called a fool when you were called hateful when you were chastised by people when you're called judgmental because you don't approve of what they're doing or anything like that you don't approve of what the world loves just know that you suffer for the name of Christ and you are blessed this is evidence of salvation because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you and that word rests it means to lay comfortably on that's what rest means Amber and I we drove straight through to from here to Beckley West Virginia stopped at about 2 30 at a rest

Stop in Kentucky and we could not get comfortable in that van at all right I couldn't recline babies back behind me as rear-facing so there's like no room back there so I'm literally like lean forward you know just kind of doing this little number trying my best to get comfortable and I woke up and I just thought man this is going to take three days to recover from it was so bad I had to turn like Batman in the original movies you know it was bad but there was no space in that car and I was only able to sleep for maybe 20 minutes even though we were stopped for an hour and a half I couldn't rest because I couldn't get comfortable but according to this passage the spirit of Glory rests on you and why is that it's because your soul has been made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ that's why the spirit of God can rest upon you that's why it does now the Greek translation of the Old Testament is called the Septuagint nothing crazy about that it's what Christ would have read from it's what Peter and Paul would have read from and that word rest it's that word anapovo which is actually it appears in Isaiah chapter 11. Verses one through two it says here shall come forth from a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit in the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord now Peter he's he's drawing back even from him talking about baptism and stuff we know that the Holy Spirit descended on Christ like a dove and in the same way when you receive

Christ by faith the Holy Spirit that It Came Upon you and it you were baptized into the family of God by the spirit of God and when you become baptized physically that's a very visual symbol of what has happened that you have died to your sin that you've been raised with Christ and that you have been covered in that the Holy Spirit of God rests upon you that same Holy Spirit that descended upon Christ is the same Holy Spirit that rests on you it's the same Holy Spirit that indwells your heart and it rests on you and it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that it enables us to stand with the grace and the truth of the Lord and to remain faithful on that trail of Trials to not be conformed to this world foreign the fourth marker it's an innocent path as well it's an innocent path we don't suffer for doing evil that's not what we're called to do you will suffer for doing evil if you've ever done something wrong and you face consequences for that's not the type of suffering that we're talking about here if you do something illegal you might go to jail you might have to pay a fine that's not the type of suffering that Peter is talking about here look at what he says in chapter 4 verse 15. It says but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler folks that do significant evil they typically suffer they deserve what they get by being put in prison and things like that but a pastor that is put in prison for worshiping the Lord on you know the Lord's Day gathering together to preach and to pray and to worship we know that's a different kind of suffering innately we know that in our hearts he's not suffering like a murderer but like a Christian and the apostles they

Understood the suffering well if we look at just the apostles we know that Peter he was crucified according to church history upside down James in the book of Acts had been put to death by Herod Agrippa by the sword Andrew he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an ax Philip he was killed in fergia by crucifixion on a very tall Pole Bartholomew was skinned alive in Armenia Matthew he was put to death in Ethiopia as well Thomas he was speared to death in India James the son of alpheus was stoned to death in Jerusalem Simon the Zealot was killed in Persia Matthias he was killed by being burned alive all of these men these Apostles of Jesus Christ they suffered not for doing evil but for sharing the Gospel of the Lord Christians were not called to suffer for being rude suffered by being obnoxious committed to their political party by being hateful judgmental or unloving we are called to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ I might be standing in the truth of God's word it might be winning someone to the Lord and facing some negative consequences for it could be not taking a job because it violates Scripture and you want to glorify the Lord in the world it might view you as guilty it might view you as hateful it might view you as a bigot spiteful might even vilify you and none of that matters none of that should matter to us do you know why because we live for an audience of one our main goal is to know God are you pleased with me is this what you want from me are you happy with me do you do I cause Delight in you or do I do I bring shame

And reproach to the name of Christ what he ultimately thinks matters that's that's what ultimately matters so look to him look to God and be encouraged that one day your innocence will be made clear and that you will be you will be Vindicated maybe not on this side of Heaven but on the other side you will it's also a Shameless path it's a Shameless path that we walk look at verse 16. It says yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name on that trail of Trials we are not Guided by guilt embarrassment or shame we walk in the glory of the Lord we walk in the freedom in the liberty of the cross you see of God he can transform your old sin your old nature into something so wonderful think about what God can do through your new nature and through your suffering he can use that for something greater as well and you might suffer for being a Christian you might lose a relationship you may not get a promotion you may not be kept on a staff you may be hated by a neighbor you may be left out from old friends don't be ashamed of it don't be ashamed of it Embrace that lean into the arms of your Savior you may be tempted to feel guilty don't don't go there if your friends alienate you if family doesn't want to visit because they don't want to go to church on Sunday what greater opportunity is there to Delight in the Lord and to bring him glory don't be ashamed when Christians do give in to shame though you know what it does is that it gives the enemy a pathway straight to your heart and he will walk that path real quick Satan he uses shame as a very powerful weapon to make Christians ineffective

For the kingdom of God it makes Christians run to a proverbial bunker and Escape From The Fray of spiritual warfare well I can't do that otherwise I might lose a relationship I might lose a friendship I may harm my potential future don't be ashamed don't give in stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might God he will strengthen you God he will provide a path for you be wise as you walk the path of suffering don't just develop a Martyrs mentality and say well this is how it's going to be wise as serpents and as gentle as doves and he will Empower you and he will help you to suffer well as a Christian and what is what is that word Christian even mean does anybody know little Christ Christians they were called Christians in Antioch at first and it wasn't an endearing term actually the next time that we see the phrase Christian used it's by Herod Agrippa he had already killed one Apostle he was trying to kill another one he told Paul you would try to make me a Christian we see out of the three times that the word Christian appears in Scripture two of them negatively and yet here we see Peter embracing that term leaning into and Peter he redeems it and he ties it to our trials and he removes the shame that was once there yes we are called to suffer just as our Lord did Paul he famously wrote in Romans chapter 1 verses 16 through 17. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek for in it the righteousness as God has revealed from faith for Faith as it is written the righteous shall live by faith the Gospel it is foolishness to this world

It's foreign we talk about a how blessed we are in the midst of sufferings people go what are you talking about the Gospel is offensive to the lost and yet we are called to grow in it the Gospel is despised by those who are spiritually dead yet we are called to love them and to bring life to them by sharing the Gospel with them the final marker on the trailer trials is that it's a glorious path it's a glorious path three times in this passage Peter he uses the words Glory or glorify listen we know how it all ends we know how it all ends Jesus Jesus wins God's glory is revealed all things are made new amen we know how it all ends we oftentimes think of God's glory only being a future event when Christ returns before the Christian we experience his glory on a very daily basis you may say well Cody I really don't don't see that I don't understand what you're talking about I'm in a dry season right now let me explain we see God's glory when someone receives the Gospel we see God's glory when someone is baptized we see God's glory when we partake in communion in a few minutes you're going to have an opportunity to do that it's a reminder of his death his burial and his resurrection we see it when a brother or a sister repents from sin or maybe from a wrong that they've done we see the glory of God we see the glory of God when hearts are softened we see the glory of God when Saints gather together to Worship the Lord we see the glory of God when there's Fellowship see the glory of God when there is Ministry we see the glory of God all around us if we would just take a moment and just look for the glory of God we would see

It and yes it is also that blessed hope that Christ he will return Peter he describes the Holy Spirit as the spirit of Glory as a Christian you have not received a spirit of Shame here's what Paul says in second Timothy 1 7 it says for God gave us a spirit not a fear but of power and love and self-control and so we are to walk in that we are to walk in the spirit of the Lord it's a glorious path with God Peter he also instructs us to glorify God in that name what is that name that he's talking about he's talking about Christian it means little Christ do you bear that name Christian do you do you bear it well do you suffer for the name of Christ or does Christ's name suffer because of us Christian you are called to embrace suffering in this world in the name of Jesus Christ for the sake of the glory of God and every single one of us we're going to fail from time to time I've failed pretty sure some of you have and that's okay I mean how many times have we should we have spoken up when we had an opportunity to but maybe we didn't maybe we sat in silence we didn't want to hurt a relationship we just kind of sat there like a potato not said anything when we had the perfect opportunity to Peter at one point he led an opportunity slip he was in the courtyard and a little servant girl came up to him and said I saw you were with Jesus and he did something that a Christian is not supposed to do he cursed and said I don't know that man even the most faithful believer will falter at times

Being a Christian means Living For the Glory of God and the prophet Isaiah he was called by the Lord being be a prophet and during Isaiah's time the Assyrian Empire was consuming all sorts of little kingdoms one of those kingdoms was the nation of Israel and Isaiah he was a prophet to the kingdom of Judah and King Hezekiah he died and at that point in time the nation of Judah was going to be exiled into the Babylonian Empire before all that happened Isaiah he wrote from the Lord that God was going to send his Nation Judah into exile just like what we are we are Exiles we're strangers in this world we don't belong here and Israel and Judah did not belong to the nation of Babylon they were there to reflect the glory of the Lord to learn obedience listen to what Isaiah says in chapter 48 verses 10 through 11. Behold I have refined you but not a silver we always think of refining through that silver process right or a gold or something like that he's very careful to say not as silver I have tried you in the furnace of affliction for my own sake for my own sake I do it for how should my name be profaned my glory I will not give to another why does suffering take place well many times it's because suffering is designed for us to take refuge in God I mean don't we learn some of the sweetest lessons of the faithfulness of Christ when we go through the hardest trials would you ever trade in some of the sufferings that you've endured that you may know Christ a little less than you do now

I wouldn't I pray that you wouldn't either God he sends us into these seasons of suffering so that we would know and reflect the glory of God Henry Francis light he was an Anglican preacher back in the early 1800s his father abandoned him when he was an infant his mother died when he was nine he was raised in a home by a pastor and he went to a seminary later on he wasn't a Christian at that time but in 1824 he was sitting down he was providing Hospice Care to another Pastor that was dying and as they were studying the Scriptures both of these pastors prayed to receive Christ yeah it's a Crooked Stick but God can draw a straight line with a Crooked Stick amen immediately he was inspired to write a hymn about Jesus and it's it's called Jesus I my cross have taken and it's actually in our Baptist Hymnal I don't think that many of us have ever even heard is him number 471 those are the white books that are in the chairs around you too here's the second verse which isn't in our hymnals it says this let the world despise and leave me they have left my Savior too human hearts and looks deceive me thou art not like them untrue oh while thou Dost smile upon me God of wisdom love and might foes May hate and Friends disown me show thy face in all is bright Christian you are called by the Lord to suffer for his sake that you may gain Christ that you may know him more in the path that you walk the path that every single believer around you is on it's an ordinary path and so take courage in that you're not alone the path that you walk is filled with the joy of knowing the Lord the path that you walk is a blessed path

Because we know God and we know God more and more and more through the furnace of affliction the path that you walk is also an innocent path so don't suffer like an evildoer don't suffer for sin but suffer for knowing the Lord in living with the conviction that you want to obey Christ regardless of what happens it's a Shameless path filled with Glory that we know God more and more until he gets us home let's do it well head heart hand head I want you to know that Trials come to associate us with Christ it's one of the whole purposes of this entire Passage they come that we may know Christ more and that we might reflect him through our suffering heart I want you to believe that trials should come from persecution not from personal sin so we suffer as a Christian not as anything else in hand I want you to stand firm in the trials that you were in and I don't know what all of y'all are going through but stand firm that you may reflect Christ for other people to see through you this world needs to see Crush Christians that don't just live for this world that they live for our Eternal home for our Eternal Kingdom to prove the Eternal hope that we have by faith in Jesus Christ at this time the last Sunday of the month we take time and we celebrate the Lord's supper and if you have not received the elements we do have communion that is open to anyone that knows the Lord Jesus and so if you didn't receive the elements as you came in this morning there's cups at each one of these stations you can take a

Moment right now and go and receive those elements and then we're going to have some time of reflection in prayer and then we will take the Lord's supper together thank you now a couple of things real quick before we partake in the Lord's Supper someone asked why do we do it so often well Christians used to do it every week when they got together it was just a part of the service it was very Central to it but we do this because regularly because we're commanded to do it regularly it helps us to keep a short track record of the offenses that we've done to people too as we come to this Common Table where every single believer is welcome to partake in the Lord's Supper we do that with a clear conscience knowing that there's no outrageous sins that we've committed against others or before the Lord that is unconfast and so that's one of the reasons also why we take this now what I would ask you to do is now bow your heads and close your eyes and I want you to examine yourself thank you if there's any unconfessed sin in your life that you haven't resolved to get away from or to put to death now is a great time for you to confess that before the Lord and resolve to fix that the Lord's Supper isn't just to be a somber serious time where it's treated almost as a duty but it's also a celebration of what Christ has done for you on the cross why don't you take some moment and glad in your heart and remember that great

Sacrifice that he did because you are beloved foreign so God we do thank you so much for this day that you have given to us we do thank you so much for your body and your blood Lord as we partake in this supper this time of Memorial I pray that today would be a day that we just resolved to live through your glory in this world Lord they hated you this world hated you and even at one point in time before we became children we were your enemy as well thank you for redeeming us thank you for saving us God where you have taken your foes and made them friends thank you we just pray that we would always remember your sacrifice and your Resurrection in Jesus name amen the Scripture says forever see from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me take the bread and eat with me Lord thank you for this bread that we just had that's a reminder of your body that was crushed Lord it was it's amazing that you could drink the full cup of God's Wrath in six hours on one day God that's how holy you are that you would take the full Wrath of all of our sins that we might be able to come to you and be cleansed God thank you for that and I pray right now that you would help us to remember your blood that was shed on the cross for us help us God to remember that's we were purchased by your death and that is through your blood that we have been redeemed thank you help us God to remember that in Jesus name amen in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me take the cup and drink with me for as often as you eat this bread drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes amen at this time I would like to invite students that are going on the Youth mission trip in any chaperones they're leaving tomorrow morning and so come on up here guys if you're going on that Youth mission trip we just want to pray over you and if you are a parent and you want to come up here and just kind of lay your hands on them as well we're going to pray for these people that we know and that we love got a few missing today and that's okay I know that Ivy's got her husband's act that's going to be going and Mary Jane there she is there you are she just Blends in with those these students so but I would like to invite invite you as a church also to come forward and put your hands on them as they go and pray for them and they go to minister but I want us to take time to pray for them so if at this time if you want to come forward and pray for these young people as they go now's a great time to come forward our gracious father we are so pleased that we are able to serve you throughout

And witness for you pray for a blessing on this trip Lord that you keep him safe that you keep them Unified you do not allow the enemy to divide them or to cause trouble along them together by your Gospel word thank you go in peace God bless you thank you