we open the word to 1 Peter chap 4
12-9 beloved think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to
test you as though some strange thing
happened unto
you but
rejoice in as much as ye are partakers
of Christ
sufferings that when his glory shall be
revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding
exceeding
Joy if ye be reproached for the name of
Christ happy are ye for the spirit of
glory and of God resteth upon you on
their part he is evil spoken of but on
your part he is
glorified but let none of you suffer as
a murderer or as a thief or as an
evildoer or as a busy body in other
men's matters
yet if any man suffer as a Christian let
him not be ashamed but let him glorify
God on this behalf for the time is come
that judgment must begin at the house of
God and if it first begin at
us what shall the end be of them that
obey not the gospel of
God and if the righteous scarcely or
with difficulty be
saved where shall the ungodly and The Sinner
Sinner
appear 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 on July 16th 64
a the Great fire of Rome began now
historians are not sure and they're not
agreed as to whether Nero was
responsible for
it but it did take place and the
Christians were
blamed and there began a great
persecution among the Christians and of
course as succeeding Emperors came to
the throne persecution became
worse now Peter did not prophesy the
fire of Rome but he saw a fiery trial
coming the Christians he's writing to
had been suffering they had been
suffering from reproach they'd been
suffering from lying people had been
telling tales about them but Peter
looked ahead and he saw an intense
intense
fiery trial coming to the
prophet but but I see a time of trial
coming to the
church we have just emerged from 20 or
25 years of conservative
acceptance and already I notice in the secular
secular
magazines a revulsion against born
again now quite frankly I'm
glad quite frankly I'm glad that we've
come to a place where born again is not
a slogan for a
politician I'll be happy for the day
when for a person to say I'm born again
will cost
something for when it's easy to be a
Christian it's hard to win
souls when it's easy to be a
Christian it's hard to send out
missionaries when it's easy to be a
Christian you get churches filled with
people who think they're saved but they
aren't or people who are simply looking
for social
acceptance I foresee a fiery trial
America and I see a return to the liberal
liberal
position that's going to make it very
very difficult for our conservative
cause to stand up and say we are here
and it may be the best thing for us it
Peter is telling these Christians
how they can deal with persecution now
right now there are probably not very
many people in this congregation who
actually are persecuted oh you have a
boss who makes life miserable for you
you may have an unsaved mother-in-law
who does things that make makes life
difficult for you may have unsaved loved
ones or friends who laugh at you but I
seriously doubt whether any of us here
tonight really are suffering
persecution because of the name of
Christ Peter is talking about a time
that's coming when we're going through the
the
furnace and it never hurts the church to
go through the
furnace Peter's talking about a time
when you and I because we name the name
of Christ verse 16 we're
Christians we're going to suffer for it
there could well come a time when people
will not be able to get or hold jobs
because they're
Christians there could well come a time
when the
government because our government
desperately needs money will start
taxing organizations and buildings that
causes I'll say it
again I foresee a Time coming when it's
really going to cost something to be a
Christian and quite
frankly it will do us good
now in these verses 1 Peter 4:
12-9 the Apostle Peter lays down four
principles for us to follow as we Face
the fiery trial I don't know when it's
going to come it may come for you
individually someone may be here tonight
and this next week the furnace door will
be open and you'll be pushed right into
but Peter lays down four principles here
to encourage us and to enable us to
Triumph when persecution
comes now before we look at these four
principles let's just take an everyday
event from your life and my life let's
suppose you're going to go through some difficulty
difficulty
surgery going to the
dentist frankly I'd rather have surgery
than go to the
dentist but let's suppose you you have
to go through surgery
now to make it easier to go through
surgery there are certain principles
that you follow number one you can take
coming number two you can take it if you
aren't doing it
alone you know that out there in the
surgical waiting room there are people
praying and there are people going
thirdly you can take it if you know why
it's being done be an awful thing to be
on the table and the doctor says now we
don't know why we're doing this we're
fun and fourthly you can take it if you
know you can trust the one who's in
charge right so here you are going
through surgery and someone says well
how do you feel about this well I'd
rather not go through it but number one
I know it's coming so I can be prepared
for it and number two I'm not going to
go through this alone my family's right
there with me church is praying for me
and number three I know why we have to
do it the doctors explain the whole
things I saw the I saw the blueprints I
know why we're doing this and number
four I have perfect confidence in my
doctor and so we're going to see this
thing through now just pick up that
everyday illustration and move it into 1
Peter chapter 4 this is what he says he
lays down these four principles in verse
12 he says you can go through the fiery
trial because you know it's coming you
can take it if you know it's coming
that's verse 12 in verse 13 He says you
can take it because you aren't going
through it
alone you're sharing in Christ suffering
verses 14- 18 He says you can take it
because you know why it's coming you
understand the purpose behind it and
verse 19 he says you can take it because
you can trust the one who's in
charge and so when you you find yourself
going through the furnace lay hold of
these four
principles and these four principles
will help
you so that the furnace of tribulation
and the furnace of trial and the furnace
of persecution will not ruin
you rather it will benefit you verse 12
we can take it when we know that the
trial is coming beloved think it not
strange concerning the fire trial which
is to try you so some strange thing
happened have you noticed that new
Christians do not recognize the fact
that trials are a part of life I've seen
this over and over again you have the
joy of leading someone to Christ and you
give them a Bible and you get them
enrolled in a correspondence course or
you give them some books and they're
studying and growing and they come to
the church services and they're just
having a great time and then bang the
devil reaches over and gets a hold of
the ther stat and turns up the
heat and they come staggering into
church well oh Pastor I got to talk to
you I've lost my
salvation really how did that happen oh
what I'm going through my family has
turned against me and this has happened
and that has happened and I was in the
lunchroom at work and I just bowed my
head to thank the Lord for the food and
they're all against me there is this
what it means to be a Christian and the
answer is yes
don't be surprised when it comes in fact
be surprised if it doesn't
come you see you and I as Believers
should not be surprised when
difficulties and persecutions come
come
because everybody in the Bible whoever
Liv for God went through
difficulty Abraham obeyed God and got to
famine Jacob obeyed God discovered his
family turn turned against
him David obeyed God and was chased all
over the Holy Land hiding in caves by King
King
Saul Paul obeyed God found himself in
prison Peter obeyed God found himself in
prison wherever you go in your Bible you
find people who live for God who have
the right priorities in life who aren't
casually sneaking through life but who
are both boldly walking through life to
the glory of God suffer persecution in
fact Paul wrote and said yay and all who
live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution so we expect it we expect it
because we're Christians if you be
reproached for the name of Christ have
you noticed
this you're you're with a group of
people maybe
strangers and uh someone says well uh
where do you go to church oh I'm a I'm a
Baptist or I'm a Methodist or I I go to
an independent church that's fine you
can mention any denomination on the face
of the Earth and nobody will argue with
you but you bring the name of Jesus
Christ into the conversation see what
happens ever noticed that temperature
changes people get a little bit
embarrassed oh I'm a
Christian you get his name in there
Jesus said that he said you're going to
suffer for my name's sake they don't
like my name
so we expect it to
come we expect it to come because it
comes to everybody who lives for the
Lord we expect it to come because we're
identified with his name we're
Christians we expect it to come because
we need
it we need we get
complacent we get in our Evangelical
rocking chairs and we think that because
progress and we're blessed in the
heavenlies we have our Bible all marked
up and our notebooks full of outlines
and God says you're a little bit
complacent down there better Stoke up
the fire a little bit there's nothing
like persecution to get you
praying nothing like the furnace to get
you into the word of God nothing like
lives we aren't surprised when
persecution and difficulty comes because
our Bible tells us that in these last
days evil men and seducers are going to
wax worse and
worse now the sociologist may tell us
that things are getting better and
better and perhaps in some areas they
are but ultimately essentially basically
fundamentally things are getting worse
and worse the veneer over the surface of
but underneath that veneer there is
ugliness and
dirtiness and there is disease and there
is defilement and there is corruption
it's getting worse and worse now you put
these four factors together and I'm
surprised we aren't going through more
persecution everybody in the Bible went
through it when you're identified with
the name of Christ you go through
it we need to be tested and
purified and things are getting worse
and worse out there in the
world principle number one you can go
through it when you know that the trial is
is
coming I've done some very stupid things in
in
visitation I remember getting a call
from a hospital chapl he said pastor
worby can you come down to the hospital
there's a lady here who has called for
you she wants to talk talk to you she's
apparently heard you on the radio could
you come and talk to her I said sure I
would I made a mistake usually I stop at
the desk and get the information first
thing a pastor wants to do get the
information I didn't do it in a big
hurry so I walked into the room and
there she was oh I'm so glad you've come
and you've got to break the ice a little
bit you've got to get acquainted and I
said um have you been here long oh just
since last night I said oh I said did
you know you were coming in
baby now the reason this threw me off
guard was because she was not in the
right Ward apparently the old B Ward was
too full and they had to put her in
another room had she been on the right
floor I would have known automatically
she was here to have a baby can you
imagine saying to a new mother did you
coming well she knew she was coming and
she prepared for it now we know
persecution is coming don't be
surprised when it starts to cut loose
when that fire starts to get hotter
don't be
surprised be
prepared it's not strange it belongs to
the Christian life now in verse 13 he
gives us a second principle we can take
it when trial comes when we know we
don't suffer alone but Rejoice that's so
easy to
do oh when the fire starts getting hot
and the devil starts stoking up the
Flames we Rejoice sure we
do Rejoice how can you rejoice when
you're going through times of
tribulation and trial well you can
Rejoice because you aren you are not in it
it
alone uh he goes on to tell us here
we're partakers of Christ's suffering
this is one of the Privileges of the
Christian Life it is given unto you Paul
wrote to the Philippians it's given to
you it's a gift it is given unto you on
the behalf of Christ not only to suffer
not only to believe in
him but to suffer for his sake it's a
gift God is giving to you the privilege
of suffering for his sake the early
Apostles rejoiced that they were counted
worthy to suffer for his name's sake now
no one Minds suffering if it's for a
good cause and when you and I are going
through the
furnace and this is a good night to talk about
furnaces instead of complaining we say
hey praise the
lord it's for his name's sake and as I
stand true to the Lord as you stand true
to the lord it's for his name's sake
that I may know him wrote
Paul and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his
suffering Jesus said if they've treated
me like this they'll treat you this way
if they treat the master this way the
disciples will be treated this way
if the head of the church Jesus Christ
went through the furnace what about the
body the members of the body and so
we're able to take it because we know we
don't suffer alone Christ shares our
suffering with us that's what happened
to those three Hebrew children back in
Daniel I would like to have been there
with u a mini camera taking vide tape of
that whole experience what a what a tremendous
tremendous
experience the king throws three men in
and looks through his monitor and there
are four and one of them is like un to
the Son of God when you go through the
furnace he's right there with you and so
we're able to take it when difficulty
and persecution come because we don't
suffer alone he tells us in verse 13
rejoice in as much as ye are partaker of
Christ suffering that when his glory
shall appear when his glory shall be
revealed you see suffering in glory
suffering in glory all the way through
this section suffering in glory chapter
5:1 a witness of the suffering of Christ
a partaker of the
glory verse 16 of chapter 4 If any man
suffer let him glorify
God verse 10 of chapter 5 the God of all
Grace who has called us unto his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus after you've
suffered a while that's that's the
combination suffering Glory now now many
of us want to get to the glory without
the suffering we want the throne without the
the
furnace Peter says it can't be done so
while we are suffering Here with Jesus
Christ and for Jesus Christ we are
rejoicing and we're contemplating The
Joy we're going to have when he comes
again I I get the impression from verse
13 that as we rejoice in the Lord now we
shall rejoice in the Lord then if we're
not rejoicing in the Lord now we'll not
really be rejoicing in the Lord
then there's a two-fold joy here as we
suffer with Christ a joy right now and a
joy that will come when Jesus will
appear now there's a third principle
that Peter lays down we can take it
because we know the trial is coming
we're not going to be caught off guard
we can take it because we know we don't
suffer alone Jesus is there with us and
by the way all the saints are with us
he's talking about the household of God
they're all together in this thing
thirdly verses 14- 18 we can take it by
the grace of God because we know the
purpose that's behind it what is that
purpose well it's a word that's repeated
one two three times in this section
glorify God in fact all the way through
here it's suff offering and Glory what's
the purpose behind the fiery trial well
part of it is to burn away the draw in
my life part of it is to purify the
church times of persecution are times of
purification and did you know that times
of purification are times of
Revival whenever the fire of persecution
has come to the church the fire of
Revival has come to the church whenever
it has cost something to be a Christian
God's spirit has come in great
power perhaps this explains why we don't
see real Revival in our days
today it's just too easy to be a
Christian too complacent too
comfortable we can take it because we
understand the purpose did you ever have
to go through something and not
understand what's behind it kind of
drives you up the wall you know why is
this happening that's part of job's
trouble you know job didn't have the
now some people have the idea that when
job was going through his difficulty
should have reached for his scoffield
Bible and said over here's the book of
job someplace said haha here's the way
it's going to work out sometimes I like
to read the last chapter of a book I
sneak when I do it I love to read good
mystery novels not not the salacious
kind but good ones and oh you read that
last chapter and you don't worry about
the rest of the
book or when you're watching the rerun
of something on television maybe a rerun
of a football game and you know how it
ended up anyway so you just just sit
there and watch it job didn't have that
job said why am I sick why did I lose my
cattle why did my family die he didn't
know then one day God explained it to
him and it all worked out for God's
glory but you see we know why the
tribulation is coming 16
times in Peter's letter he talks about
the glory of God
over and over again Peter is saying the
important thing is not that you are
comfortable the important thing is
glorify God the important thing is not
that people accept you the important
thing is to glorify God a hundred years
from now who's going to care what social
list you're
on a 100 years from now what difference
is it going to make whether or not
people bow down to
us but it's going to make a great deal
of difference whether or not we
glorified God we're suffering uffing for
the glory of God look at this if ye be
verse 14 reproached for the name of
Christ not because we've done some evil
thing there are Saints who don't know
the difference between the offense of
the Cross and the offensiveness of
Christians there are some saints of God
who are
offensive and then people react to that
and then the saints come say oh I'm
being persecuted they aren't being
persecuted they just don't know how to
keep their mouth shut
I remember a saint of God who felt it
was her calling to sneak tracks into the
merchandise on the tables of the
stores and so people would come and
start going through the blue jeans and
know and I remember when the manager of
the store called me up because uh the
tracks that she was Distributing quote
unquote were stamped with the name of our
our
church that's great public
relations he called me up he said what
are you people doing down there I said
we're not doing that I said I know who's
doing it I'll take care of it and I had
to talk to her about oh she's being
persecuted no she wasn't being
persecuted I just trying to make a lady
out of
her you don't use tracks that
way Peter is saying if you are
reproached for the name of Christ
because you you you bear his name
because you won't lie when other people
are lying you won't steal when other
people are stealing you won't falsify
your expense account cuz you're a
Christian happy are ye for the spirit of
glory and of God resteth upon you let me
retranslate that for you not because
this is wrong but because there is an
expansion to it that's beautiful happy
are ye for the presence of the glory
even the spirit of God rests upon you
now every Jew knows what the presence of
the glory is the shakina
glory when they dedicated the Tabernacle
down came the glory when they dedicated
the temple down came the glory when
Jesus was born at Bethlehem down came
the glory when you got saved down came the
the
glory Heaven came down and Glory filled
your soul Peter says now when you're
suffering I want you to know something
the holy spirit of God who is the
shikina glory of God is going to come
I would much rather have the Holy Spirit
of God upon my life glorifying God in a
time of difficulty than speaking in
tongues I'd much rather have the Holy
Spirit of God glorifying God in the
Miracles we have people today who are
chasing after the Holy Spirit wanting
some ecstatic thing Peter says I'll tell
you what you really need go through the
furnace and when you go through the
furnace to the glory of God the spirit
of God comes upon you and there's a joy
in your heart and you glorify God how
were the early Apostles able to lose
their civil
rights and rejoice over it how were the
early Apostles able to be arrested
illegally beaten illegally yes they were
even killed
illegally and they re rejoiced the holy
spirit of God so filled them and so Came
Upon them that's what we need today I
think one reason why God is going to
permit persecution to come to the Church
of the United States of America is
because we really need to know what the
Holy Spirit can do it's time we laid
aside childish things it's time we got
rid of our toys and quit playing in the
play pan and got down to business in the furnace
sometimes the only way God can teach his
church is to put us through the furnace
the spirit of glory and of GL God
Tabernacles upon you rests upon you on
their part he's evil spoken of but on
glorified so we can go through it we can
take it because we know it's coming we
know we aren't going to go through it
alone and we know that there's a purpose
behind it to glorify
God and I want you to know and you know
this already but let me remind you a
Christian glorifies God the most when
he's going through circumstances over
control think that
through when the furnace is turned
on and we have no control over these
things that's when God is going to get
the greatest
Glory that's why verse 17 says
judgment's going to begin at the house of
of
God in these last days the holy spirit
of God is going to be purging his
Sanctuary back in the Book of Ezekiel
the prophet Ezekiel Saw God's judgment
coming and God said begin at the house
of the
Lord God always begins with his
people by the way there may be one
person here tonight who's never been
saved I want to warn you if there is a
fiery trial coming to God's children
what in the world's going to happen to
you that's what Peter
says if the righteous with difficulty
are saved if they have to go through a
furnace of
suffering what in the world is going to
saved there's a fourth principle and
here we
close we can take it because we know
it's coming and we can take it because
we aren't going through it alone and we
can take it because we know the purpose
behind it and we can take it because we
trust the one who's in charge verse 19
wherefore I like the wherefores of the
Bible they're
practical wherefore let them that suffer
according to the will of God you see
there is suffering outside the will of
God I mean by that
his directive will
if I go out and disobey the Lord and I
get into sin and I reap the consequences
of my
sin that's one thing if I go out and
stand for what is
right and suffer for it that's something
else 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 that
word commit is a banking
term it's the same word you would use to
put money in the
bank Peter is saying your souls are
valuable to God so valuable that the
whole world couldn't purchase them your
souls are so valuable it took the blood
of Jesus Christ to purchase them you are
valuable to God he never permits cheap
merchandise to go through the
fire if you're going through the fire
it's because you're worth something to
God and he wants to make you more
valuable now what do you do you take
your life and you deposit it with the
Divine Banker with the Heavenly Banker
you say here is my soul I'm depositing
wrote I know whom I have
believed and am persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto
him against that day now I'm glad Peter
used a banking term here Peter didn't
have money remember that Peter said
Silver and Gold Have I None but Peter
knew something about banking when you
put money in a bank two things are true
number one there is protection and
number two there are
dividends when you commit the keeping of
your soul when you commit the life that
God's given you to him two things are
true number one there's
protection and number two there are dividends
dividends
and the dividends that come are worth
endure you can trust the
one who's in
charge you'd think that Peter would
write commit the keeping of your soul to
him in well-doing as unto a faithful
savior as unto a faithful Lord it
Creator you know what that means Peter
say when you're going through the fire
look around at
creation just remember that the creator
of the
universe who names the stars who hangs
the Earth out there on nothing who keeps
all the seasons going just remember the
creator of the
universe has your life In His Hands
that's ANC encouragement to me Jesus
said the same thing he saw his
disciples biting their fingernails and
worrying and fretting and tossing and
turning he said what are you worrying
about oh what are we going to
eat oh what are we going to drink what
are we going to
wear and Jesus said why are you worried
about those things is that beautiful
bird over there he never worries about
that birds don't die of
ulcers birds don't run to
psychiatrists I'm not saying there's
anything wrong with going to a
psychiatrist but I read a statement the
other day by a very famous man who said
if people would just believe what Jesus
preached many of them would never have
psychiatrist he said the father takes
care of those birds won't he take care
of you you're of much more value than
those birds he's the Creator so next
time you worry just listen for the birds
and tell you're worried to go to the
birds he said you see those Lies over
there they don't toil they don't spin
they aren't wor look how beautiful they
are the father takes care of them the
Creator that's what Isaiah said to those
Jews who were so scared don't you know
that the Everlasting God the creator of
the ends of the Earth never gets
tired and he'll take care of you here
then are four principles to take with
you this next week I don't know when the
furnace is going to come on I don't know
when the fire is going to start number
one we can take it by the grace of God
we know it's coming we aren't going to
be surprised number two we can take it
by the grace of God we aren't going to
suffer alone the Lord is right there
with us number three we can take it by
the grace of God we know the purpose
behind it to glorify God and finally we
can take it by the grace of God because
charge I think with this kind of Prayer
preparation we can face the fiery trial with
with
courage and we can pray oh
Lord grant to me the privilege of
glorifying your name it's not important
that I'm
comfortable it's not important that I'm
popular but it is important that Christ
be glorified in my life whether it be by
life or by death that's what Peter's talking
talking
about and that's what you and I need to
lay hold of and live gracious
gracious
father how easy it is to read these
verses and explain them and make notes
about them but oh when the fire
comes only what's written in our hearts
will really last our notes will burn
up I pray gracious Lord that you'll
write these words in our heart help us
to face the fiery trial of the future
unafraid we don't want to be casualties
in the field of battle we want to go
through the fire with Jesus to his glory
and through it all win people to Christ
oh God if you see fit to send fiery
trial to our lives we are not
afraid we will count it a privilege
father to be given Grace to glorify your
name so help us to be faithful help us
not to fall
apart help us to walk with the Lord in
the light of his word for jesus' sake amen
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