1 Peter #11

Introduction:

Connection

Melting point of Gold vs Silver. Gold lasts longer than silver under the fire because of its’ nature and essence. The same fire has different effects on the metal it meets. Fire set to 1760F refines gold but consumes silver; it melts helps gold but melts silver. For the people of God—the fires of affliction do not consume us, they refine us; they do not destroy us, they beautify us. Are such fires painful? Yes. But are they also fruitful for the saints? Yes. These two things that God has joined together, let no man separate.

Theme:

Rejoicing in Suffering

Need:

The same fire that consumes silver refines gold. We need to remember that suffering in the Christian life is a gift of growth, not a token of wrath.

Purpose:

To remind the saints of the grace of refining fire; to encourage the saints to joy in our pain and hope in the glory to come; to comfort the saints in the blessings of the Gospel; to exhort the saints to glorify God in suffering and judgment; and to compel the saints to trust our faithful God in our afflictions.

Read Text:

1 Peter 4:12-19 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) We can Enjoy God in our Suffering because Refinement Confirms Glory - v.12-13.

1 Peter 4:12–13 ESV

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 insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

12 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.

To this suffering church, Peter now turns their gaze once again back to the reality of their suffering hardship, trials, persecution, slander, and mockery from the unbelieving world. Peter says: beloved, chosen by God, you who are delighted in by the eternal, glorious, and lovely Trinity—do not be surprised at the fiery trials that come to test you. Do not think that this is a strange thing to happen as a Christian. No. This is God’s normal work. This is God’s normal procedure. This is God’s normal way. Before glory we must be refined through suffering, so that the edges of our flesh might be chiseled off as we become more like Jesus and fit for heaven by God’s grace. Heaven must be in us before we can be in heaven.

Do not be taken back when you are afflicted with the fiery darts of the evil one, through his evil minions and willing slaves in the evil world. Do you not remember that even their schemes come first from the sovereign decree of God? Did not Satan need permission in order to afflict God’s people? Yes. But did not God decree to use such suffering to bring about a greater good? Yes. We must not be surprised at our hardships—we must expect them. Because the pain of following Jesus in a fallen world is the pathway to everlasting glory. Jesus first suffered and was only then glorified—this too is our path.

John 15:18–21 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it 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.

What else should we expect? That the darkness will enjoy the light? That the bitter will enjoy the sweet? That the evil will enjoy the good? That the wicked will enjoy the holy? There is an absolute antithesis between believers and unbelievers, in their worldview, in their ethics, in their reasoning, in their work, in their society, in their homes—or at least, there should be… if we are living morally beautiful lives as God’s elect exiles we ought to expect that there will be attacks from the world! We are strangers here, this is not our homeland—so we should not think it strange when we are ridiculed and persecuted.

Listen to the Apostle Paul, he says this in 1 Thess. 3:2-3

1 Thessalonians 3:2–3 ESV

and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

Beloved, we are destined for afflictions, we are in the tribulation, we are in the kingdom, we are in the overlap of the ages as God’s elect exiles—we are going to receive affliction—this is our destiny, for Christ’s sake. So—how do we respond? What is the distinctly Christian way of responding to suffering, pain, hardship, persecution, and slander? Is it to return the favor? Is it so retreat into a corner? Is it to give in to the pressures around us? No. What does Peter say? How shall we respond? Look at verse 13:

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings,

Rejoice! Be filled with joy! Enjoy God and thank him! Count it all joy! Sing praise! Delight in God in prayer!

This is the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit in the life of God’s afflicted saints—that we can rejoice in suffering!

How can it be that Paul and Silas, after being attacked by a mob, abused by the magistrates, beaten with rods, inflicted with many blows, thrown into prison, and locked upon behind bars with their feet in stocks—how is it that after this we are immediately told in Acts 16:25

Acts 16:25 ESV

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

What? They weren’t scheming their escape … they weren’t grumbling … they weren’t complaining … they weren’t venting their feelings … they weren’t distressed that their lives were ruined … THEY WERE PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS TO GOD! How can this be? How can we rejoice in so far as we share the sufferings of Christ?

Because as we suffering for the King, we have the privilege of bearing witness to His Risen Power, we have the privilege of walking as he walked, we have the privilege of showing the world something of the beauty and glory of the Lamb of God who willingly endured suffering to bring salvation to all who believe. It’s the Gospel! It’s the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it’s the promised inheritance of eternal life, it’s the fellowship with God, it’s the blessings of forgiveness and righteousness, it’s the filling of the Spirit in sanctification—it’s the covenant of grace. This is why we can rejoice in our suffering—because Jesus has conquered, is Risen from the Dead, has begun the new creation, secured our destiny, and promised his presence and comfort in the valley of the shadow of death. Why can we rejoice? Because God is for us, and nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord!

As we share in the sufferings of Christ, not by adding to his sufficient work, but by imitating his pain and humility—through this we get a greater stirring of the hope of our undefiled inheritance of glory, which is kept in heaven for us. Why does this enjoyment of God, this rejoicing in Christ, this delighting in the Spirit—why does this comfort us here and now? Peter says:

that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

If we are suffering for Christ now, then we can be assured that we will enjoy his glory when Jesus returns. If we are living in the Spirit now, we can be joyful and hopeful that Jesus will share the spoil with us! If we are rejoicing in our suffering now, for Christ’s sake, then we will also rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of gladness when the glory of our King is revealed! We can set our minds fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ:

Come what may, sickness, persecution, cancer, slander, abuse, spiritual attack—whatever it is, it can’t steal us from the grip of our loving Lord. The pain of our Christian Life will only increase the joy of our eternal life. And we will look back and say: wow—what a gift it was to be able to show forth the power of God in my life, while I shared in the sufferings of Christ—my joy is even more full now, because of the gift of pain that God gave to me then. With the Apostles we rejoice now, and we look forward to the incomparable glory of dwelling in the midst of the Lamb of God for all eternity, beholding his beauty and glory, He who is altogether lovely, full of grace and truth, whose glory is that of the only begotten Son from the Father:

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

All this pain, all this sorrow, all this suffering, all this hardship—in the perspective of eternity, it is a light momentary affliction. And by God’s grace, this affliction of yours dear Christian, even though in the moment it seems to just deplete you of all vitality—in the end it will prove to have prepared you for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. These fiery afflictions are refining us, forming Christ into us, and beautifying us in the Spirit—even when we can barely notice it. God is at work in us and for us, and He will complete what He started. Let the sweetness of communion with Christ touch your weary soul in the valley of the shadow of death. Gaze upon his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow quickly dim.

Rejoice now—and oh let’s look forward to the joy unspeakable that is coming our way.

(1) We can Enjoy God in our Suffering because Refinement Confirms Glory - v.12-13.

This leads to our second point:

(2) We can Glorify God in our Suffering because the Spirit of Glory rests upon us - v. 14-16.

1 Peter 4:14–16 ESV

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God 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.

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Declaring the paradoxical nature of the Kingdom of God in this age, which is not of this world—Peter again says that when we suffer for Jesus, when we are insulted for the name of Christ, that we aren’t unhappy, or unblessed. But that we are happy and blessed. This is the mystery of the faith—that the beatitudes of the Gospel are not for the morally righteous, or for the culturally significant, or for the mighty and strong—but for the sinful and broken, for the despised of society, for the weak and downtrodden. And even as we are insulted for being a Christian—we are blessed. Blessed because the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the infinite God, the eternal breath and seal of God’s presence and love and power—He rests upon us with power and joy, just like He was promised to the Messiah:

Isaiah 11:1–3 ESV

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And 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. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Dr. Schreiner writes:

The wording of the verse harkens back to Isa 11:1–3, where the branch of Jesse, obviously Jesus himself for Peter, will be endowed with the Holy Spirit. The wording of v. 2 in the Septuagint is especially important. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him” (anapausetai ep auton pneuma tou theou), i.e., Jesse’s branch. The main difference is that Isaiah uses a future tense verb, while in Peter we have a present tense, probably to emphasize that the prophecy uttered in Isaiah has now been fulfilled and that the Spirit that was upon Jesus now also rests on Christians. Believers who suffer are blessed because they are now enjoying God’s favor, tasting even now the wonder of the glory to come and experiencing the promised Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ, our Messiah, came as our Redeemer and King, not in mere human power, but in the power of the seven-fold Spirit of God who gives wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. It is only when the Spirit of glory rests upon our souls that we can endure suffering with joy in the hope of glory—it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is of no help at all.

The more I go on in the Christian life, the more I see that my greatest need is to be filled daily with the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, of truth, of holiness, of peace, of glory, of might, of beauty, of love, of comfort, of help. The Holy Spirit being poured out afresh, filling the saints, empowering the saints, strengthening the saints, energizing the saints, leading the saints—this is our greatest need—that the Spirit of Glory would rest upon us in the blessings of the Gospel. So we must seek His power. And thankfully we have blessed promises that as we pray fervently and ask sincerely in faith, that the Spirit will fill us by his grace:

Luke 11:13 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

God help us to be filled with your Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life! Is the Spirit of glory resting upon you in your suffering? Or are you quenching and resisting his gracious work in your life? Let us bow before his majesty and plead for his mercies—He is more willing to give the Spirit than we are to ask him.

Thus the blessings of the Gospel in our suffering are guaranteed by God’s promise in Christ, and by God’s presence in the Spirit. Suffering in the Spirit, is suffering for Christ, and suffering for Christ is blessings from the Father:

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “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.

Our blessed Saviour, God in the flesh, He tells us that we are blessed and graced and truly happy when we are persecuted for righteousness sake, because this is a downpayment that we belong to the kingdom of heaven. We are lavished with God’s kindness when we are reviled by God’s enemies. We don’t need to retaliate—because there is one Lawgiver and Judge and he is coming to make all wrongs right—justice will be served. We just get to rejoice in our suffering and entrust the justice to the Judge of all the earth who will always do right—and who, by Grace, will also reward us with the riches of eternity. Christianity is not a religion of self-help—it’s a religion of grace—Christianity is not a religion of living your best life now—it’s a religion of living your worst life now. So, Peter says, don’t think you are blessed by God in your suffering if the reason for your suffering is your sinful stupidity. We can only rejoice in our suffering if it suffering for the cause of Christ.

Peter says:

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

Some bewail and cry out: ‘my life is so miserable… why?’ Is it miserable because you are following Jesus and the world hates you for it? Or is it miserable because you are indulging in sin and bearing the temporary consequences of God’s discipline and anger? Are you suffering because you are seeking first the Kingdom of God? Or are you suffering because you are living for the kingdom of man? We must examine ourselves here. Why am I being mocked? For my sinful tongue which I haven’t tamed? Or for my devout obedience to Christ the Lord? God help us to never suffer for sin’s sake—but to suffer for Christ’s sake. Thus, Peter adds:

16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

We don’t need to be ashamed when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake—in fact we should be grateful as we follow in the shadow of the cross. We don’t need to be ashamed when we take up our cross and follow Jesus, because this is a shadow of the Gospel! Paul says:

Romans 1:16–17 ESV

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 of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

We ought not to be ashamed of the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. Because it is just that! It is a divinely inspired and authoritative message given by the infinite, eternal, unchangeable and beautiful Triune God. When he speaks the mountain shake. Who can thunder with a voice like his? And yet his voice get’s to come from our own lips as proclaim the Gospel of God. We get to be mouthpieces of the Most High King. We get to be ambassadors and messengers of the Word of Christ. We ought not be ashamed—we ought to be bold and courageous. We ought to be prayerful and holy. We ought to be zealous and joyful.

Because at the end of the day, Peter says, we get to glorify our God in the name of Christ. We get to suffer for Him, live for Him, die for Him—and in so doing, give Him all the glory!

Romans 14:7–8 ESV

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Romans 11:36 ESV

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Whatever we do, however we do it, in life or death, in pain and persecution, we have the privilege of living in such a way to reflect the glory of God, and then to give God all the glory. Not only do we get to enjoy God and taste and see that He is good in our suffering—but we also get to glorify God by enjoying Him and magnifying his holy name. Like Job of old we cry out: the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And where do we find the strength to say such a bold statement in submission to God’s all-encompassing sovereignty? From the Spirit of glory who dwells within us, and as we follow Christ, rests upon us. Come Holy Spirit, beautiful the saints, your church, your temple—that we might suffer in your power, for the glory of our God, in the name of Christ his Son.

(2) We can Glorify God in our Suffering because the Spirit of Glory rests upon us - v. 14-16.

This takes us to our third point:

(3) We can Trust God in our Suffering because Judgment Now means Salvation Later - v. 17-19

1 Peter 4:17–19 ESV

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God;

The time has now come, says Peter, in the last days of tribulation, in the last days of the missionary age, in the last days of the beginning of the new creation—the time has come for judgment to begin at the household of God. What does this mean? It means that judgement/discipline begins with the church. God is sending trials, is judging us, testing us, disciplining us, purifying us, strengthening us, weeding out false-converts, and sanctifying us to be more like Jesus. If we are judged by the Lord now, it is so that we won’t be condemned with the world when Jesus returns. Listen to the language of Paul in 1 Cor. 10 and Hebrews 12:

1 Corinthians 11:32 ESV

But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Hebrews 12:5–11 ESV

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Do you see, beloved? God judged us now, God disciplines us now, God purifies us now, God sanctifies us now, God grows us now—so that we would grow into our salvation, so that our faith would be proven genuine, so that we would partake of God’s holiness in the Spirit, so that we would be more like Jesus, so that we would be fruitful in God’s service. God disciplines us in gracious judgment now—so that he won’t condemn us in wrathful judgment in the future.

God’s fatherly discipline and affliction in our lives is not a token of his disfavor—it is actually a token of his free grace toward us in Christ. If we are being purified now—it means that we belong to Jesus now—and that we will reign with him forever and ever. Pain in the Christian life is not Karma—pain in the Christian life is Crowning us with the promises, power, and presence of God in this age, and in the age to come.

So take heart suffering saints—your inheritance is kept in heaven for you, and you can know it is kept there for you if you are trusting in Jesus and being purified through his fatherly trials in life. Judgment begins graciously at the household of God—it confirms the elect in their eternal life, and it exposes the hypocrites in their vain hopes. And then, when Jesus returns, the Father will judge the entire world. Peter says:

and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Peter is saying: if judgement begins with us to bring us to glory—what will happen when judgment comes to send the wicked to hell? If judgement now is painful, but joined with God’s grace to the saints in Christ, then what will happen when judgment is painful, and joined with God’s wrath to the wicked outside of Christ? Oh we ought to praise God for his faithful judgments and discipline upon us now, for it is a gift to us so that we can know that we are truly saved from the wrath to come when Jesus will inflict flaming wrath on all those who did not obey the Gospel of God; they did not repent of their sins, they did not trust in Jesus—and they did not walk in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in holiness, prayer, worship, or meditation—they did not live or suffer for the glory of God.

The destiny for those who reject Christ is a fearful thing, for they will come under the everlasting fire of God. God’s fire does not consume those whom it burns—like the fire of God’s glorious presence in the burning bush, it continues to burn forever and ever, and it never consumes that which it burns. The infinite wrath of God against the infinite debt of sin will forever burn by the justice of God almighty. Oh beloved—run to Jesus Christ to escape this wrath to come, He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and thus, satisfied the justice and wrath of God in our place and for our salvation. Do not delay—if you fail to run to the Mercy of the Lamb, if you fail to be washed in his blood—then you will meet the Wrath of the Lamb, you will be crushed in his justice and power. Peter, strikingly reminds us:

18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

If the saints are saved through the difficult journey of persevering faith, killing sin, running after Christ, walking in the Spirit, and living for God’s glory. The path of life is narrow! Following Jesus is hard. If the righteous get’s in through many tribulations and difficulties—all by the grace of God—then what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Who never fought against their sin for a moment, but cherished it all of their days? Who never desired holiness and the glory of God but the muck of rebellion and self-love? Who never repented or trusted in Jesus but continued to disobey the Gospel? Who were never disciplined by God as Father, but will be judged by Him as Enemy. Oh beloved—truly truly there is no other name given under heaven by which men might be saved. Jesus is the only way, truth and life. Don’t deceive yourself of your own estate and destiny in your own efforts—you must trust in Jesus, rest in Him, and then evidence your eternal life as God purifies you through fiery afflictions. For it is only those who serve God that in the end prove to have truly trusted in God.

Acts 14:21–22 ESV

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Our striving in holiness and perseverance is not ground of our entrance into heaven—Christ alone is—our striving in holiness and perseverance is the evidence that we belong to Him, and will be our public vindication on the last day that we belong to Christ, and Christ to us. So, don’t trust in your holiness, trust in Jesus—then serve Him all your days, receive God’s purifying afflictions, and find comfort and assurance that on the day of judgement you will be saved by grace, and your good works will prove that grace grabbed ahold of your heart as you walked the path of life.

Romans 6:22 ESV

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Being saved by grace alone, through faith alone, the fruit of which is sanctification, which is not the cause of eternal life, but the path to it. Through holiness we come into the presence of God on the last day. We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.

Thus Peter concludes:

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

In light of all of this talk about rejoicing in suffering, about God’s discipline, about persevering through the afflictions, we remember that God is sovereign over all pain—we suffer according to God’s sovereign will of decree, his mighty plan through all things, to accomplish his great goals—from him, through him, and to him are all things.

But our God is not our tyrannical judge—but our loving Father in Christ. Thus his sovereign will, which includes afflictions for us, come to us with the hand of love, not with the hand of fury. We can trust Him.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We can entrust our souls to our Creator, no, to our faithful Creator. To our covenant-keeping God. To our Father in Christ, by the Spirit. To our God who is for us, even in the fiery flames. To our God who stands with us in the furnace—like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He is with us in the fire, He is for us in the fire, and He is using the fire to make us fit for the everlasting joys of heaven.

Trust him, hope in Him, and live for the good of glorifying God in all we do—as we look forward to the blessed hope of the appearing of our great God and Saviour:

When we shall be in the presence of Jesus, gazing upon His precious face, worshipping at His feet, and raising your hands in prayer—every tear of your suffering will be another ounce of comfort as he wipes it away:

Revelation 22:3–5 ESV

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

So yes, afflicted ones, beloved saints in Christ—by the grace of God you can rejoice in your suffering now, thank God for being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus, and you can know with the promise of God who cannot lie—that your suffering is a downpayment, not that you might rejoice when Jesus returns—but that you most definitely will, because of God’s Sovereign Grace—He cannot deny you, He elected you, died for you, caused you to be born again, is guarding you through faith, and He will give you the eternal weight of glory because of the mere pleasure of his good will—and at last we will enjoy God, world without end, for all eternity, in a perfect world, with our perfect God, with his perfected saints, in perfect happiness, in perfect thankfulness. This is no fairy tale—this is the sworn promise of your covenant-keeping God. So take heart, dear one, though your body is failing—if you are pressing on through your suffering in faith, God is proving that you belong to Jesus, and that Jesus will forever be your Good Shepherd.

Whatever it takes Lord, whatever pain you have planned, make us more like Jesus, give us the grace to persevere, and give us the hope of the City of God, when all things shall be made new.

(3) We can Trust God in our Suffering because Judgment Now means Salvation later - v. 17-19

This leads to our conclusion:

(C) United to Christ, we Suffer with Joy in the Spirit, and Hope in the Glory Promised by God.

Hymn #377 - Read the Entire Hymn

(C) United to Christ, we Suffer with Joy in the Spirit, and Hope in the Glory Promised by God.

Amen, let’s pray.