I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to the book of 1 Peter. Last week we took a step away from 1 Peter because it was the Sunday leading up to Thanksgiving. And surely as we are going to be leading up to Christmas here, we only have, really after today, three more Sundays total. before Christmas Day itself. So we will be focusing more on Christmas in coming weeks. But I wanted to get back to 1 Peter for today. 1 Peter chapter 4, and I'm going to begin reading in verse 12. We'll read down through verse 19. That's the balance of chapter 4. But I think it's very important that we do this. It's God's Word, of course, and it is a message that is very important for us as well. As I read this passage, I want you to be thinking here, the title is I think the challenge of the passage and what we'll be spending our time on here this morning. The title of the message is A Biblical Perspective on Difficult Times, or perhaps I could better say The Biblical Perspective on Problems, on Difficulties, on Trials. We all have them, we all face them. What is the biblical perspective that we should have when we face difficulties in life? So follow with me as I begin reading here in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 12. So Peter writes, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with 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 busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glory God on this behalf. For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first began at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly 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. The fact is, No one likes problems. That's a profound statement, isn't it? There isn't one of us, there's not a person in the world who enjoys having problems, enjoys having difficulties. The reality is, we do. It is an unfortunate aspect in many cases of living in a sin-cursed world, a fallen world, that even those of us who are believers, those who would be considered, perhaps, good people, not just us, but others as well, that we suffer. And especially, it seems hard when we have problems, and it seems like we've done everything right, but we suffer anyway. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever had some difficulty in life, and you can't help but think, you may not voice it out loud to others, maybe you have, but it's a question on your heart. I've done everything that I know I'm supposed to do. Why is it that I have this problem or these problems? Examples, you seek to live a godly life, but you suffer one health problem after another. You know people who have abused their bodies in sinful dissipation, and they're never sick a day in their life. But you have tried to do the right thing, eat well, take care of yourself, and yet you suffer sickness. Or perhaps you followed the rules, but you get blamed for problems that were beyond your control, whether it's at work or perhaps even at home, while someone else doesn't follow the rules, lies about it, and they get praised. It's frustrating when that happens, doesn't it? You've done the right thing, but things seem to be going against you, and you begin to wonder if somehow you're out of the will of God, or maybe there's some hidden sin in your life and you need to confess it. The reality is these problems of suffering have been with us from the very beginning. In fact, The book of Job, his friends question him on this very point. Job is suffering. Surely, Job is guilty of something, right? I mean, this could not happen if Job was really a good man, and yet we know that from the very first chapter Job is pronounced as a good and righteous man. He suffered not because he was unrighteous, not because of some sin, not because he deserved it per se. He suffered in the will of God. Peter wants his readers to know that suffering is oftentimes according to the will of God. The very last verse that we read in this passage, wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God. It's a powerful statement. Those who suffer according to the will of God. Understand this, the idea that if you're in the center of God's will, you will be free from trials is not biblical. Let me say that again. The idea that if you are in the center of God's will, you will be free from all trials is not biblical. It's not in the Bible. It's not what the Bible teaches. It's not what Peter is teaching in this passage. Being in the center of God may well mean that you are in the center of suffering. It may be that you are suffering in the will of God. So what Peter is teaching here, he's teaching hard lessons but he's teaching hard lessons about hard times. Difficult for us to understand, something perhaps that we wish we didn't have to understand or know, but it's important that we recognize. Peter is specifically speaking about the trials of persecution, about which we know nothing firsthand. Some of us may have suffered a little rejection, ridicule, slander, None of us have had our property confiscated, none of us have been imprisoned or tortured or had a loved one executed because of their faith, like many in the world even today have. But, though Peter is specifically speaking about persecution, I think the principle, the lesson applies to other forms of suffering as well, not simply and only suffering persecution because of your testimony for Christ. And in context, Peter's writing about our witness, our testimony to a fallen world, and that fallen world may not always appreciate our testimony. We see that even here in the passage. But the idea of understanding that difficulties, whether it be persecution or something else, can be in the will of God, that that trial that we are facing, can be something God has allowed into our lives for a good reason. And so, it is important for us to get what Peter is saying here. So, there are four points I want to make this morning. The first point, very simply, in verse 12 is believers should expect trials. You and I, as believers in Christ, we should expect trials. Again, what does he say? Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. He says, hey, don't think that because you've fallen into a trial, even a fiery trial, that it's something strange, that it's something you should not expect. We're often surprised by trials, and perhaps by the intensity of trials, again, fiery trials, a fiery ordeal. we can get that word picture in our minds. It's not just a little small problem, it can be something very grave, something very heavy. We don't know for sure, but Peter using that imagery, he may have been referring to the persecution of the madman, Nero, the Caesar Nero. The fiery persecution that he unleashed on the Church of Rome. Peter was in Rome, we know that because in chapter 5 and verse 13, he talks about the church at Babylon elect together. Well, he isn't talking about Babylon as in the nation of Babylon, the city of Babylon. on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this was sort of a code word, he's talking about the spiritual Babylon, he's talking about Rome. And so we believe he was in Rome, and therefore he could very well be aware of the, not just eccentricities, but the sheer madness of this Roman emperor Nero. And so he could be making reference to that. Nero was one of the most cruelly wicked men in history. You can think of any wicked person throughout history and Nero would be included in that group. Examples. He would take Christians and cover them with pitch and burn them as human torches to light his garden parties in Rome. or he would feed them to the lions in the arena as public sport. Today, many of us will be watching a football game later, right? Public sport. And some people look at those players and call them heroes. That's perhaps a discussion at another time, whether those are heroes or not. But the point is, instead of watching a football game, He would take Christians and feed them to lions in front of the Roman citizens as a form of entertainment. Can you imagine that kind of persecution? Can you think about one of your loved ones giving his or her life for a few minutes light as a depraved man strolled around his garden sipping his drink? Can you imagine the laughter, the frivolity? It's a party. And here are real humans burning to provide light. He was a madman. He was a crazy man. Peter very well could have been writing about that very thing. And he says, don't be surprised at the intensity of your trial. It's horrible to think about what Nero did, but he's writing to people in Rome particularly who would understand this. These Christians, these believers who went through this kind of fiery trial did not deserve it. And yet, from a human perspective, they were totally powerless to do anything to fight back. As he implied in verses 17 and 18, if God's people suffer so much in this life, what do you think hell will be like for those who do not obey the gospel? That's really what he is pointing out, as difficult as life may be sometimes for believers, can you imagine what it's going to be like for those who do not know Christ, those who do not have Christ as their Savior? So we may often be surprised at trials. We're often surprised at the purpose of trials. Peter says this is a fiery ordeal and it comes upon us for our testing. Most of us consider ourselves and think that we're pretty good Christians, right? I mean, you know, I'm living a pretty good Christian life. I don't need any kind of intense trial to test my faith. We feel that way sometimes, right? But we really don't know ourselves. If we're really honest, do we understand the depth of our own sin, the extent of our own self-trust? the shallowness of our joy. So the Lord graciously, let me highlight that word graciously, sends trials to test our faith. It's His grace that puts us through the fire of testing for our good so that we can see ourselves, understand ourselves, so that we can recognize how dependent we are upon Him. John Newton. John Newton, of course, was a slave trader. He came to know Christ as his Savior. He came to be a pastor. He wrote a wonderful hymn that you and I love well, Amazing Grace. But he wrote another hymn. And here are the words of this hymn, which tells of his experience with the kinds of trials that Peter is talking about here. He writes, I ask the Lord that I might grow in faith and love and every grace. might more of his salvation know, and seek more earnestly his face. I hoped that in some favored hour at once he had answered my request, and by his love's constraining power, subdue my sins and give me rest. Instead of this, he made me feel the hidden evils of my heart, and let the angry powers of hell assault my soul in every part. Yea, more, with his own hand he seemed intent to aggravate my woe, crossed all the fair designs I schemed, blasted my gourds, and laid me low. Lord, why is this? I, trembling, cried. Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? Tis in this way, the Lord replied. I answered prayer for grace and faith. These inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee free, and break thy schemes of earthly joy, that thou mayest seek thy all in me. The words of many of these old hymns, if we would meditate upon them, we would find so much depth, so much thought that had gone into them. There may be songs more contemporaneously written who do the same, but they're far and few and in between. The old hymns really can strike Our thinking and here's a song that we we don't sing and yet what he is conveying in this song Lord why he is is Praying in the song. Have you allowed this to happen? And and why is it that you seem to be making it worse? And God's reply is I'm using this To help you deal with yourself and your pride and and to find your joy in me." The truth is, if we never had trials, we would never feel driven to draw closer to the Lord. We would be content simply to go through life doing our own thing and ignoring how dependent we really are upon him. Trials teach us dependence. And so there is a very positive reason for trials. Don't be surprised if God is using a trial in your life to draw you closer to himself. Secondly, we're often surprised at the source of trials. Peter's readers were catching persecution from their former friends. Earlier in this chapter, verse four and verse 12, did you note what he says? Let me read this to you again. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. It may seem strange to us, when our friends, our former friends, treat us in a certain way. In fact, we may be tempted to say something like, don't they know that I'm just trying to help them? Don't they know that I care about them and that I want them to have the same joy that I have found in Christ? Why is it that they don't understand? Why is it that they're responding this way? I only have their best interests at heart. Perhaps you've had family or friends that you indeed loved and still love, but their response to the truth that you were trying to lovingly share was to reject not only the truth, but to reject you as well. Understand this in John chapter 15 verses 18 and 19 our Lord Jesus said the world hates me and Because they hate me They're gonna hate you We may not understand it we may think why is it they don't get it but at the end of the day They hated him They're gonna hate those of us who carry his message to them don't be surprised that if former friends turn on you and persecute you. We often think it's strange when we catch opposition from those in the church. It's not just former friends, isn't it? But Jesus told the disciples that they would be persecuted by the religious crowd, that they would be flogged in the synagogues, Mark chapter 13. He was crucified by the religious leaders in his day, and it was their fathers, Matthew 23, who murdered the prophets. Fact is, religious people often hide their sin behind a mask of spirituality. So this is the problem when people begin to measure their spirituality by outward activities. Well, because I carry my Bible, because I do this and I do that, therefore I'm spiritual. When all of those things can be a facade that they can be an outward showing, masking what is really going on in the heart. They don't lack having their sin exposed by those who proclaim the true message of Scripture. So we may be surprised that not only is it our former friends who reject us, but that we even suffer at the hands of some within the body, within the church, And I'm quoting church here because we don't know their disposition with the Lord, but it is disappointing when someone names the name of Christ and then they turn around to be the very source of suffering for many of us who love the Lord and simply want to honor him. Thirdly, we shouldn't think it's strange when we are maligned by religious people. As Christians, we shouldn't be surprised by trials, period. We should expect them. That's the first hard lesson. we should expect trials. As long as we live in this world, we're going to have difficult days. We're going to have problems. It could be physical, it could be emotional, it could be financial, it could be a combination. It is simply a part of being in this world, but as a child of God, every trial, every difficulty I face, I can rest assured it didn't surprise God. My Father in Heaven knew beforehand that I would go through that valley, and He has promised to never leave me. Our Lord Jesus, in Hebrews 13, has promised to never leave me nor forsake me. So I know He is on my side. So though I may still suffer in the moment through the trial, and I should expect that trials will be a part of life in this world, I have a hope in Christ that can carry me through that. And that brings me to my second point. Notice what he says in verses 13 and 14. So in verse 12 he says, expect trials, expect difficult days. And then he says in verse 13, but rejoice. Inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you 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. Did you see the words that he says? Rejoice, be glad, happy are ye. So yes, I can expect that life is going to have difficulty. I will have problems. In context, persecution because of my faith in Christ. By application, problems in general, difficulties in general that I may face in life. But understanding that I can rejoice in the trials. That's the second point. A believer can rejoice. You and I should rejoice in the midst of trials. Enduring trials is one thing. Oh, woe is me. I have to go through this. But doing it with joy? Now, let me clarify. We may not rejoice in the trial itself. I'm not happy that I fell down the steps and broke a leg. I didn't, but you get my point. I'm not happy that I injured myself or had some kind of setback personally. However, I can rejoice in the ultimate good that will come out of that. See, this is that hope we're talking about. Problems, you can expect them. I can promise you, you're going to have problems. If you live long enough, you're going to get sick. You're going to have some disability. You're going to have some tragedy in your life. But as a believer, we know that God can use all of that. In fact, when we began memorizing Romans chapter five, I hope you paid special attention to verses three and four. Here's what Paul says. Paul says, and not only so, but we glory in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. So Paul, we shouldn't be surprised, is echoing what Peter is saying in 1 Peter chapter four. We can glory in tribulations. We can rejoice when we face trials and difficulties and problems. Why? Because problems help us to grow up. That's the essence of it. Knowing that the result of the trials in our lives will be endurance and maturity. That's James chapter one, verses two through four. So we can count it all joy, James says, when we fall into diverse temptations. Peter and James and Paul, all in agreement. This is the reality. We will have problems, but God is with us in that problem, and he is going to use that for our good. So I may not be rejoicing in the actual problem, but I can rejoice in knowing that God in some way that I may not comprehend is going to use this for my good and for his glory. Peter uses the word rejoice or some synonym of it four times in these two verses. So look very quickly, what does he say? We can rejoice in trials because they lead us into a deeper fellowship with Christ. When we go through difficulties, It should result, God intends for it to result in us having a deeper fellowship with Christ. We share, as he says in verse 13, as much as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, we are fellowshipping. It's interesting because this word partakers here, it's koinoneo. Now that may not mean a whole lot to you, but it's the idea of fellowship. We fellowship. in the sufferings of Christ. Now, of course, Christ's sufferings were substitutionary. He died for our sins. We cannot pay for anyone else's sins. But even so, when we suffer on behalf of the gospel, we join with our Savior in suffering unjustly at the hands of sinners, just as He did. Perhaps not to the extent that he did, but in some sense, as you and I suffer for our faith, we are sharing in the suffering that Christ did. Not in a way that will cover sin, because only the blood of Christ can do that, but here's what should be the result. It draws our hearts into a deeper love for him. We gain some sense of understanding. He suffered for me. He willingly allowed himself to suffer such abuse at the hands of men, unrighteous men, for me. So it draws our hearts into a closer relationship with him. Whenever we suffer on behalf of the gospel, the Lord comes to us in a special way and affirms that he suffers with us. Let me give you examples. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were thrown into the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter three looked into that furnace. They threw in three men. He looked in and saw four men. Our Lord Jesus stood with them in the flames. When Stephen was stoned for his witness, the Sanhedrin, He gazed into heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. When Paul was fearful in Corinth, the Lord appeared to him and encouraged him to go on speaking. Later, when he was arrested in Jerusalem, the Lord appeared to him and told him that he would bear witness for him in Rome. As he stood trial for his life in Rome, though others deserted him, Paul reported that Timothy to Timothy how the Lord stood with him and strengthened him, 2 Timothy 4.17. So the point is, God is using that to draw us closer to himself. So we should rejoice. Secondly, we should rejoice because they will lead us to a deeper level of joy at his coming. That's the second part of verse 13. that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also exceeding joy. When his glory, this is speaking of his coming, when he comes, we should meet him with exceeding joy. And it's because of trials, it's because of difficulties, that we increasingly develop a spirit of even so come Lord Jesus. If this world was absolutely perfect, why would we yearn for the coming of Christ? We wouldn't. We wouldn't be looking for his coming. We wouldn't think it would be necessary for him to come. That would be something for later. But because of the trials and the difficulties of life, we gain that perspective of recognizing, oh, I wish my Lord would come. We pray that our Lord will come. It's now hidden from our eyes. We don't know the times or the days, only the Father does. But because of our suffering, when we see him, we will burst forth with joy. Paul puts it this way in chapter eight, in Romans chapter eight. Verse 18, he says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Let me read that again. Think about this point. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Paul says, you know, We may be suffering now, but Jesus is coming, and when he comes, the suffering that we have in this life is just gonna fade away into the background. We're going to recognize how little it really was when compared to his glory, when compared to who he is. When we see him, no more heartache, no more tears, no more sickness, No more death. So we live in a veil of tears. We live in a world of difficulty. We can't wait till we're there with him, and all that is set aside. We can rejoice, thirdly, because they lead us, trials lead us to a deeper experience of God's Spirit. Back in 1 Peter chapter 4, Verse 14, if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. The spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. You have the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God's glory is the manifestation, we talked about this a couple of weeks ago, of his majesty and perfect attributes. When the spirit of glory rests on believers, something of God's attributes shine forth through us. Peter's overall meaning is that when we suffer rejection because of our stand for Christ, something of the Lord will be seen in us, even if others reject God. And again, an example, I mentioned Stephen. Those who stoned Stephen saw this manifestation when they saw his face as the face of an angel, Acts 6 15. Now they didn't understand it and they rejected his witness, but they could not escape that the glory of God somehow in his face, they saw something because the spirit of God rested upon him. It takes the spirit to make us rejoice in trials. My tendency, I wish I could tell you it wasn't so. My tendency is to groan and look for the escape hatch. Okay, that's enough. How do I get out of this? And unfortunately, I try to get out of it. You understand what I mean? That oftentimes, I do not allow the trials or the difficulty to drive me to God, and God has to allow that trial perhaps to last longer than should be necessary because of my stubbornness and my pride that I can do it myself. You wonder, why is it that we don't learn these lessons the first time? And God has to keep coming back. You know, God is good that he continues to refine us even though one refining process should be enough. But God in his grace and mercy continues to work on our soul and our spirit. And so, when we see trials, especially with persecution, they should lead us to a deeper fellowship with Christ, a deeper joy with him, and a deeper experience of the ministry of the Spirit of God in our hearts. Number three, very quickly, we should examine ourselves. So we should expect them. Trials are going to come. We can rejoice in those trials because God is doing something good, though we may not see it. And then thirdly, we should examine ourselves in these trials. This is verses 15 through 18 where he says, but let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evildoer or as a busybody in other men's matters. Peter says, make sure you aren't suffering because of some sin on your part. If you're not, then you can glorify God. And if you're tempted to bail out and go back to the world on account of your trials, then consider what will happen to unbelievers. That's how he goes on, and he says, yet if any man suffers a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glory God on this behalf. For the time has come that the 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 be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? He says, if godly people are suffering now, and we do, What do you think will happen to the ungodly when Christ returns to judge the earth? Here's some questions to ask when we face trials. Number one, is this trial due to some known sin in my life? And so we have a list here of sins in verse 15. Murderer, thief, evildoer, busybody, and other men's affairs. It's really interesting when you look at a list like that because we would say murderers and gossipers are on different levels. And yet God includes them in a short list together. Wow. Maybe we should rethink how often and how easily we will engage in gossip if God equates that with the same thing as murder. And in many cases, we are murdering someone else's reputation through gossip. oftentimes gossip that we're just passing on. We have no facts. We're hearing something second and third and fourth place, and yet we have such confidence in it. It really is an argument against how we need these trials to refine us, to help us to learn not to do those sorts of things, right? So the first question we have to ask is, is there sin in my life? Am I reaping the consequences of sin that I need to repent of? If so, then I need to turn from that sin and I need to turn to my Savior. I need to confess that sin and say the same thing about it that God says. Secondly, how can I glorify God in this trial? That's verse 16. If any man suffers a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on his behalf. If there's no sin in my life, and I'm suffering because I took a stand for Christ, then I should seek to make God look good through my conduct in the trial. How do I conduct myself? I may be being mistreated. It may be that I'm being treated unfairly. How do I respond? I should respond in such a way that I make God look good. Now, I'm not making him look good when he doesn't already look good. I'm simply, in that sense of Stephen, allowing the glory of God to shine forth through my life in my conduct and my behavior. When Peter and John were beaten by the Sanhedrin for preaching Christ, they went on their way rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name. That's Acts 5.41. I'm sure being beaten would leave bruises and pain, but they didn't leave complaining about the bruises and the pain. They left rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for his name. Even the name Christian, we throw that out there. I'm a Christian, you're a Christian, we're Christians, right? In Acts chapter 11 and Acts chapter 26, and in Acts 5, 16, or verse 16 here, I'm sorry, that suffer as a Christian, only three times in the Bible do we have the word Christian. Here, and then Acts 11 and Acts 26. First time was in Antioch. We talked about that some weeks ago. What did it mean? Christian meant literally little Christ. It was a derogatory term. They didn't take it upon themselves. They didn't call themselves Little Christ. Probably they would have felt that was a little arrogant to call themselves Little Christs. But the enemies called them Christians, called them Little Christ. The pagans applied the term to the church. And it has, from that time till this, it has become the moniker by which we are known. We are Christians, we are little Christ. If you think about it, that's not a bad identification to strive for, is it? We should all strive to be little Christs. In verse 17, Peter pulls out an Old Testament concept. I won't get in too deeply into this. He applies it to the church. It's simply this, when God did a work of purification or judgment, he began at the sanctuary, which was at the center of the people, Exodus 9 and Malachi and Jeremiah, and he would work outward from there. His presence was in the center and the people would ring around the tabernacle and then from there his judgment would go out. Paul told the Corinthians that they needed to judge their own lives by dealing with their own sin so that they would not be condemned along with the world in 1 Corinthians 11. God's purifying process begins with his people. before it falls on the world. He is purifying us now. One day, his fires of judgment will fall upon the world at large. Peter's teaching that the trials that God's people go through to refine us in these initial stages of God's judgment, if you will, will culminate in the second coming of Christ. And those who have not obeyed the gospel will ultimately find themselves in the flames of hell. So Peter is arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God uses such severe trials to purge sin from the righteous, think of how much worse it's going to be for the sinner in that day. So he should be tempted to bail out and go back. Where else are you going to go? One of the hard lessons we need to learn about hard times is that the cancer of sin is rooted at the very core of our being and God is committed to cutting it out. He is doing that work of refining of sanctifying, of making us holy, and in his chastening hand, it's a hand of correction, is at work in our lives. So in a time of trial, we need to examine ourselves, what is the sin in my life, in light of eternity, and submit myself to God. And then finally, number four, verse 19, we should trust God in our trials. So it says in verse 19, therefore 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. If we suffer for our faith in Christ, then we can know that it is according to God's will. We can entrust ourselves to him as the faithful creator and continue to do what is right. So he says, the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him. Commit, that word commit is the word entrust. It's a banking term. It's meant to deposit one's valuables to another for safekeeping. It is used in the noun form by the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1.12 He says, for the witch cause I also suffer these things. He's talking about suffering. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Paul says, I have entrusted my soul to him, and I know he is able to keep it. So come what may. Whatever the suffering may be, I can trust in Him. And Peter is saying the same thing here in verse Peter 4. Commit the keeping of your souls to Him and well-doing as unto a faithful creator. It was the word Jesus uttered from the cross when he was dying, and he said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. I commend my spirit. I entrust my spirit, Luke 23, 46. And this verse, by the way, 1 Peter 4, 19, is the only time in the New Testament God is called the creator. Interesting, isn't it? If God created the universe by the word of his power, He is able to guard your deposit with him and bring you safely to his heavenly kingdom. He is the creator God of heaven and earth. And if he could speak all things into existence, then when he made that promise to you and me that in Christ, he will keep what we've entrusted to him. I trust God because my entrance into heaven and my enjoyment of all the The wonders of that future time are not dependent upon me. If so, I would be hopeless. They're dependent upon his ability to keep what I've entrusted to him. And he can, and he will, because he is the faithful creator. It shows that he cares enough to guard you and me. You can trust him with your very life. Even if evil men, Seek to take it away from you. Even if you lose it in this life, you have an eternity to be with Him. So demonstrate your trust by continuing to do what is right. Did you notice He connects that in here? Commit the keeping of your souls in well-doing. So choose to do what is right. You may be suffering, there may be difficulty in your life, it may be persecution in context, it could be any other kind of suffering and trial that God has allowed into your life. How do you respond? You trust God and you do what is right. We come back to that Wonderful song, Trust and Obey, right? I want to trust God, and I'm going to do what I know God wants me to do. I'm going to seek to please Him. Not because life is apple pie and roses and sunshine, but because sometimes life is snow and blizzard. Sometimes life is cold. Sometimes life is dangerous. But God is faithful. He cares for me. So we can pray that God will have his will be done. We don't have to plot revenge against those who've done wrong to us. Romans chapter 12, God is the one who will exact revenge in his time. Let God be the avenger. you and I can trust him and do what is right. Trusting the faithful creator is the most practical thing that you and I can do in a time of trial. So, in conclusion, compared to what martyrs and other saints have suffered, you and I haven't gone through much. That's the simple truth. But I can say this this morning, when I have suffered, whether it be feeling like I was suffering because of my faith in Christ or just suffering in general, I can say that those are opportunities that God has given me to draw closer to him, to have a sense of his abiding peace and good pleasure. In November around Thanksgiving, most years Jan and I will at some point speak about her dad Her dad, and she mentioned her dad in our praise service on Thursday, I met her dad on Thanksgiving Day, many years ago. I hadn't met any of her parents until that time. And I met her dad, and the next day, he and I spent about an hour, hour and a half, just the two of us talking, not knowing what the coming days would bring. We were talking about Janice, obviously. I had an interest in his daughter. He had an interest in the guy who had an interest in his daughter. So we spent some time talking. And the very last thing he said to me, Jan was singing in an oratorio choir, and so I sat with the family, and the very last thing he said is, hey, if you're ever in northern Ohio, drop by and visit. You know, like this country boy from the South's gonna just happen to be in northern Ohio, right? But I felt that was an invitation. Here's the kicker. He was dead in less than a week. He didn't know the Lord was gonna call him home. Now, I say all that to say this. Jan's testimony through that time, as shocking as it was, her father was in his 50s. As shocking as it was, her testimony is that God's grace was with him. Doesn't mean that they didn't have a difficult time. Doesn't mean they didn't grieve. Doesn't mean it wasn't difficult, it was. but God's grace was sufficient. And so, I would simply want us to be reminded, and using Jan's experience then as an example, that whatever the difficulty, whatever the issue, you and I can rest assured that in that time of trial, God's grace will be sufficient. Trust Him. Trust Him. So, don't be surprised. when trials come into your life. More than that, by God's power, you can rejoice in the trial as you anticipate what God is accomplishing. When they hit, examine yourself more deeply. Make sure there's no sin you need to deal with. Entrust yourself to God more fully, knowing that if this is the will of God, then you can rejoice and trust him in it, and then let God have his perfect will. Hard lessons are not taught in an easy manner, but they're lessons that, by God's grace, we need to learn. But God is faithful. God is faithful. He will never leave you and I. He will never forsake us. He will go with us through every step. He will pick us up and carry us through some of the darkest days, though we may not even be aware that He's cupping us in the palm of His hand. One day we'll look back, and we'll see God's grace was sufficient. He brought us through the darkest of times, and He taught us lessons. and he put us through refining fires that helped us to become more of the men and women of God that we need to be. Trials. Honestly, when I was thinking about how I would bring these messages, what weeks they were likely to fall, I wondered, do I really bring a message on trials on the first day of December? I mean, it should all be about joy and happiness, right? And yet, when we think about Christmas, isn't that the whole point? That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God has proven his grace and love and mercy to us and Christmas is a representation of that. That's what we're celebrating. But it extends far beyond simply the birth of Christ, or even Easter, the death and burial and resurrection of the Savior. His work in our lives is a work that he has begun, and Philippians chapter one, verse six, he will complete. And trials are part of the process that he is using. He has saved us, and we are as saved as we ever will be. But in terms of our being able to have lives that honor him, In the will of God, we may sometimes suffer. When we suffer, don't waste your suffering, but allow God to use it to put joy in your heart and a peace that passes all understanding. May God use this message to encourage us, to strengthen us, to bless us, and may we be better prepared to meet the challenges, whatever they might be. in days to come. So I thank you for tuning in this morning. I thank you for being a part of our service. Obviously, I went, really, it's only 1106. We started a little bit after 10, so that's not too bad, is it? If we had the song service in there, probably would be about the same as most of our other messages. But I hope God will use this to be a blessing and an encouragement to you. I hope you have a great day. Stay warm. Take care of your driveways and your sidewalks as you're able. Don't overdo it. Some of us who are older need to pace ourselves, especially this seems to be a heavier wet snow, so be aware of that. But by the grace of God, I look forward to seeing you again, hopefully. If not some of you at school tomorrow or Tuesday, then hopefully Wednesday we'll see you at church. So have a great day. We're praying for you. May God bless you. Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, I thank you for the opportunity that we have had to spend together here over the last little over an hour i pray father that your word would be would not only be something that we've enjoyed hearing but i pray that it would be used by the spirit of god to encourage us whatever trials whatever difficulties our Church family individually may be facing. May they know your grace. May they respond as they should. Lord, may you direct them and use them even in the midst of those trials. And Father, may they recognize your presence with them every step of the way. So Lord, we commend our church family to you. We entrust them to you. We pray that you would just bless us throughout this day for your glory. We pray in Christ's name and for his sake.