1 00:00:32,179 --> 00:00:35,139 Well, good evening. If you have your Bibles tonight, turn to 2 00:00:35,859 --> 00:00:40,339 first Peter chapter number four. First Peter, chapter number 3 00:00:40,339 --> 00:00:44,499 four. Let me double check to make sure my mic's on here. Okay? 4 00:00:46,419 --> 00:00:49,179 One Peter chapter number four. If you would hold your place there, 5 00:00:49,179 --> 00:00:52,139 put your bookmark there, whatever you like to do. And turn 6 00:00:52,139 --> 00:00:55,859 back to Matthew chapter 8 as well. Matthew chapter 8, we'll use 7 00:00:55,859 --> 00:01:00,689 as a springboard into our message tonight. First Peter, chapter 8 00:01:00,689 --> 00:01:08,049 4, verse number 12, and then Matthew 8:23. Matthew 8:23 is a very 9 00:01:08,049 --> 00:01:13,249 familiar passage. It is Jesus. Calm in the storm, right? And the 10 00:01:13,249 --> 00:01:17,809 winds and the wave. I'll begin reading verse number 23 real fast 11 00:01:17,809 --> 00:01:21,649 here. And it says, and when he was entered into a ship, that's Jesus. 12 00:01:21,969 --> 00:01:27,389 His disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest 13 00:01:27,389 --> 00:01:31,789 in the sea insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves. 14 00:01:32,429 --> 00:01:37,549 But he was asleep and his disciples came to him and awoke him, 15 00:01:37,549 --> 00:01:43,469 saying, lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, why 16 00:01:43,469 --> 00:01:49,069 are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked 17 00:01:49,069 --> 00:01:54,079 the winds and the sea, and. And there was a great calm. But the 18 00:01:54,079 --> 00:01:57,839 men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this that even the 19 00:01:57,839 --> 00:02:04,279 winds and the sea obey him? I want you to put yourself in the disciples 20 00:02:04,279 --> 00:02:09,199 shoes for just a moment here. We easily like to pick on the disciples 21 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:13,239 here in this passage of man. You're in the boat with the God of 22 00:02:13,239 --> 00:02:19,129 the universe. You're in the boat with the living, breathing God 23 00:02:19,129 --> 00:02:25,289 in the flesh, and you're scared of the storm. We like to pick 24 00:02:25,289 --> 00:02:30,089 on the disciples here, but if we really boil it down, this is exactly 25 00:02:30,089 --> 00:02:34,769 how we would react. Think about it for just a moment. The waves 26 00:02:34,769 --> 00:02:39,129 are so strong that they are engulfing the ship that they're in. 27 00:02:41,209 --> 00:02:44,249 I don't know how Jesus was able to honestly stay asleep during 28 00:02:44,249 --> 00:02:49,019 this time, but I honestly think it was to teach the disciples 29 00:02:49,099 --> 00:02:57,579 something. How would you react if you were in that storm? Would 30 00:02:57,579 --> 00:03:03,419 you react in fear or would you react in faith? You see, in our lives, 31 00:03:03,499 --> 00:03:07,139 oftentimes we find little hope while in the midst of a storm, or 32 00:03:07,139 --> 00:03:12,709 even in a trial or in a suffering, we unfortunately forget 33 00:03:12,709 --> 00:03:17,589 that God is ultimately in control and he is also in the boat 34 00:03:17,589 --> 00:03:24,469 with us. If you will now Turn back to First Peter, chapter number 35 00:03:24,469 --> 00:03:29,109 four, and we'll look at verse number 12. And it says right here, 36 00:03:29,589 --> 00:03:32,229 this is Peter. This is one of the guys that was in the boat, by 37 00:03:32,229 --> 00:03:38,709 the way, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial 38 00:03:38,789 --> 00:03:43,469 which is to try you or to test you. As though some strange thing 39 00:03:43,469 --> 00:03:52,149 happened unto you. But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's 40 00:03:52,389 --> 00:03:58,109 sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be 41 00:03:58,109 --> 00:04:04,669 glad also with exceeding joy. Tonight I would like to talk with 42 00:04:04,669 --> 00:04:10,209 you about partaking of the trials and sufferings. Partaking 43 00:04:10,209 --> 00:04:21,809 of trials and sufferings. In August of 2024, my son Henry was 44 00:04:21,809 --> 00:04:27,969 born August 23rd. I was a proud dad. I really was. It was my 45 00:04:27,969 --> 00:04:31,689 firstborn son. And the best part is it was a man child. It was 46 00:04:31,689 --> 00:04:35,329 a man cub. Yeah, I was ready for it, right? I'm ready for the 47 00:04:35,329 --> 00:04:38,409 football and baseball seasons. All right. I was ready for it, right? 48 00:04:41,309 --> 00:04:44,989 And of course, that night, it was a pretty cool experience, you 49 00:04:44,989 --> 00:04:47,429 know, after he was born, I remember praying over him that night 50 00:04:47,429 --> 00:04:50,989 and asking the Lord to just make me the father I'm supposed to 51 00:04:50,989 --> 00:04:55,189 be and to just. And to be with Henry and to guide his life and help 52 00:04:55,189 --> 00:05:01,189 me to guide him in the way of the word, right? And all life was 53 00:05:01,189 --> 00:05:07,169 good. And two weeks later, we took Henry to his first pediatrician 54 00:05:07,169 --> 00:05:11,089 appointment. If you're a parent, you know how it goes, right? 55 00:05:11,569 --> 00:05:14,809 They gotta get their vaccines and they got. And all that, right? 56 00:05:14,809 --> 00:05:19,849 And all checked up and ready to go. And I will never forget the 57 00:05:19,849 --> 00:05:25,049 doctor listening to his chest. And she turns back toward me and 58 00:05:25,049 --> 00:05:33,179 my wife, she says, do you all know that he has a murmur? Me and 59 00:05:33,179 --> 00:05:40,779 my wife look at each other for a moment. We say, no. And she said, 60 00:05:40,779 --> 00:05:44,099 well, he has a pretty clear one. And so she brought us over and 61 00:05:44,099 --> 00:05:47,979 we were able to listen. If you don't know what a heart murmur is, 62 00:05:48,619 --> 00:05:51,299 when your heart beats, it sounds like boom, boom, boom, boom, 63 00:05:51,299 --> 00:06:03,139 boom, boom, boom, boom, right? A murmur sounds like this. Of course, 64 00:06:04,419 --> 00:06:10,259 the storm had arrived in that moment. Tonight, I'd like to discuss 65 00:06:10,419 --> 00:06:15,339 the three lessons of the trials and sufferings. The three 66 00:06:15,339 --> 00:06:20,779 lessons of trials and sufferings. Let's pray. Lord, I want 67 00:06:20,779 --> 00:06:23,659 to thank you again for the time that you've given me to preach 68 00:06:23,659 --> 00:06:26,259 tonight, Lord. Lord, I don't want to take it for granted, God. 69 00:06:27,079 --> 00:06:29,359 Lord, I pray you'd hide me behind your cross, Lord. And I would 70 00:06:29,359 --> 00:06:31,839 say every word you'd have me to say, Lord. Lord, I believe that 71 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,919 this is the message that you laid on my heart, Lord. Lord, I pray 72 00:06:34,919 --> 00:06:38,199 it would be your message and not mine. We love you, Lord. Please 73 00:06:38,199 --> 00:06:44,079 bless this time. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Number one. Trials 74 00:06:44,079 --> 00:06:51,839 and sufferings are given specifically to you. Look at verse 75 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:58,239 number 12. Again, it says, beloved, think it not strange that 76 00:06:58,239 --> 00:07:01,359 Word strange. There is kind of an interesting word to use there. 77 00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:07,799 What Peter was saying is, don't think of this as it happened 78 00:07:07,799 --> 00:07:17,599 by chance. Oh, it was just a hint of bad luck. No, it also means 79 00:07:17,599 --> 00:07:25,289 that you're not the first one to go through this, and you probably 80 00:07:25,289 --> 00:07:31,809 won't be the last. He says it says, right. Think it not strange 81 00:07:31,809 --> 00:07:36,329 concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you or test you. 82 00:07:36,329 --> 00:07:41,689 Right. That fiery trial there is basically the trial by fire. That 83 00:07:41,929 --> 00:07:46,409 furnace fire. I think of, you know, a blacksmith, if he's forging 84 00:07:46,409 --> 00:07:49,209 something to metal, and he puts that metal through a furnace 85 00:07:49,209 --> 00:07:55,089 and heats that metal up. Oh, it gets a nice orangey glow, gets 86 00:07:55,089 --> 00:07:58,449 all liquid like. And what does he do? He takes over the anvil and 87 00:07:58,449 --> 00:08:02,729 starts hammering on it and back in the fire, then back to the 88 00:08:02,729 --> 00:08:14,669 anvil. You see, it's not like God is just throwing metal into a 89 00:08:14,669 --> 00:08:17,949 furnace and saying, well, I hope that something comes of it. 90 00:08:17,949 --> 00:08:25,429 No, no. When that blacksmith puts that. That metal in that furnace, 91 00:08:25,429 --> 00:08:29,988 he has a plan for it. He's going to reshape it into something 92 00:08:29,988 --> 00:08:36,789 of his will. He's going to make something that was ordinary 93 00:08:36,789 --> 00:08:42,959 into something extraordinary. Did you know God chooses you at times 94 00:08:44,639 --> 00:08:48,679 to go through some trials? You're probably thinking of some 95 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:56,599 in your mind right now. The trials, the tests, loss of loved 96 00:08:56,599 --> 00:09:04,199 ones, times where the money has run out. Times when maybe you've 97 00:09:04,199 --> 00:09:10,649 lost the car, you've lost the house. The times of trials and sufferings. 98 00:09:11,929 --> 00:09:16,169 Maybe even on the spiritual matter of things, maybe it's. You're 99 00:09:16,169 --> 00:09:22,009 being persecuted for standing for, right? Maybe someone has twisted 100 00:09:22,009 --> 00:09:29,889 something about you, harmed you in a certain way. It's easy for 101 00:09:29,889 --> 00:09:35,079 us in that moment to sit there and say, well, this was just by chance. 102 00:09:36,919 --> 00:09:44,319 It just happened, and I just got unlucky. And it's easy for us 103 00:09:44,319 --> 00:09:49,879 to sit there and say, am I the only one that has to go through this? 104 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:55,879 How come no one else has to go through this? How come it's me? How 105 00:09:55,879 --> 00:10:02,289 come it's not them? It's easy for us to fall into that little pity 106 00:10:02,289 --> 00:10:10,409 party of ours. You see, when we found out Henry had a murmur, 107 00:10:12,169 --> 00:10:16,329 we were recommended to a cardiologist. And it took us about 108 00:10:16,329 --> 00:10:20,609 two months to get into one. We finally got in. We took him in to 109 00:10:20,609 --> 00:10:24,129 the cardiologist, and they took him back. They did an echo on 110 00:10:24,129 --> 00:10:27,009 his heart, and they started looking around things, and that's 111 00:10:27,009 --> 00:10:29,129 all it was. That's all that first point went. They just looked 112 00:10:29,129 --> 00:10:30,809 at his heart and they said, okay, we got all the pictures we 113 00:10:30,809 --> 00:10:33,529 want, we'll let you know, let your pediatrician know what we find. 114 00:10:34,969 --> 00:10:39,129 Wait about a month. And then finally we got word back, and they 115 00:10:39,129 --> 00:10:43,409 said, well, he has a. It was kind of a funny situation. Our pediatrician 116 00:10:43,409 --> 00:10:46,369 couldn't really tell us what was wrong, which is. That's a whole 117 00:10:46,369 --> 00:10:50,049 other story, right? And they said, but they didn't say he has 118 00:10:50,049 --> 00:10:58,509 a bicuspid aortic valve. And a lot of times when your aortic valve, 119 00:10:58,509 --> 00:11:01,309 it's supposed to have three flaps, and basically Henry's had 120 00:11:01,309 --> 00:11:05,829 two. And they say now that now people can go their whole lives without 121 00:11:06,069 --> 00:11:11,269 knowing that that's an issue. That's a heart defect. But they said, 122 00:11:11,269 --> 00:11:15,829 but that may be what's causing the murmur, right? And they said, 123 00:11:15,829 --> 00:11:19,429 we're going to have you come back in for some more tests and pictures. 124 00:11:19,429 --> 00:11:23,359 And so we said, okay. So we're hoping that it's not a problem. We're 125 00:11:23,359 --> 00:11:25,999 hoping that it's still just going to resolve it. And we're praying 126 00:11:25,999 --> 00:11:29,719 hard, right, that God would just, you know, have some sort of 127 00:11:29,719 --> 00:11:32,919 impact in this, and he would. He would not. There would be nothing 128 00:11:32,919 --> 00:11:38,719 wrong, right? So we go back in and we meet the cardiologist. This 129 00:11:38,719 --> 00:11:41,959 time, we get. We get the echoes done. And she sits down with 130 00:11:41,959 --> 00:11:47,759 us and says, okay, he has a bicuspid aortic valve, but that's 131 00:11:47,759 --> 00:11:53,559 not the issue. She said, he actually has a hole between his two 132 00:11:54,039 --> 00:12:00,679 ventricles and his heart. And she told us, she said, and she says, 133 00:12:00,839 --> 00:12:03,759 this is not a small hole, unfortunately. This is a moderate 134 00:12:03,759 --> 00:12:07,879 to large hole. That's what she says. Typically with moderate to 135 00:12:07,879 --> 00:12:13,079 large holes, there's only about a 30% chance or less for it 136 00:12:13,079 --> 00:12:17,519 to close on its own. If it was a small hole, it jumps to, like, 137 00:12:17,519 --> 00:12:20,719 70% chance it will close on its own kind of thing and usually 138 00:12:20,719 --> 00:12:24,479 doesn't cause a lot of problems. And she said, so she said, 139 00:12:24,479 --> 00:12:27,479 what I want to do is that he looks healthy. And he was. He was 140 00:12:27,479 --> 00:12:30,399 healthy at the time. And she said, since he looks so healthy, 141 00:12:30,399 --> 00:12:34,959 I want to give him some time, because typically babies with this 142 00:12:35,919 --> 00:12:44,209 condition, they look more sickly. And so we said, okay, how 143 00:12:44,209 --> 00:12:46,369 long. How much time should we give him? She said, well, let's start 144 00:12:46,369 --> 00:12:48,809 with three months. Come back in three months, we'll look at him 145 00:12:48,809 --> 00:12:52,529 again, and we'll kind of get a game plan from there. So, of course, 146 00:12:52,529 --> 00:12:56,168 leaving that appointment somewhat devastated by the news of 147 00:12:56,969 --> 00:13:00,409 potential surgery that's in our future and something that we 148 00:13:00,409 --> 00:13:03,409 didn't want to have to Put our, you know, our under one year 149 00:13:03,409 --> 00:13:09,119 old son through it, you know. And so we prayed hard. We prayed 150 00:13:09,119 --> 00:13:12,319 that the Lord would just take it away. Lord, just let, let the. 151 00:13:12,319 --> 00:13:14,999 When we come in three months, it'd be a good report that it would 152 00:13:14,999 --> 00:13:17,679 be going the right direction and that wouldn't be getting worse. 153 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:22,959 And that's what we prayed for three months. And then it came back. 154 00:13:22,959 --> 00:13:26,199 We came back after three months and the hole had actually 155 00:13:26,199 --> 00:13:30,519 gotten smaller. It was good news. She said it actually has gotten 156 00:13:30,519 --> 00:13:32,959 a little bit smaller. She said it's still considered moderate to 157 00:13:32,959 --> 00:13:35,269 large, but it has gotten smaller. It. She said there's a little 158 00:13:35,269 --> 00:13:40,589 bit of an issue with his ventricle. Actually it's enlarged 159 00:13:40,589 --> 00:13:44,429 a little bit more. And so she said, she said, but it's not something 160 00:13:44,429 --> 00:13:46,789 concerning now. Let's give him another three months. Let's give 161 00:13:46,789 --> 00:13:48,909 him some more time because I think we're going in the right direction 162 00:13:48,909 --> 00:13:52,189 here. She said, he's honestly out of the woods yet, but he's going 163 00:13:52,189 --> 00:13:55,869 the right direction. So we were rejoicing, we were praising 164 00:13:55,869 --> 00:13:59,509 the Lord for it and we had this little glimpse of hope. Right. 165 00:14:01,279 --> 00:14:04,239 I say all that and we'll continue that story here in a moment. 166 00:14:04,239 --> 00:14:10,399 But I say all that to say I wasn't prepared for how long this 167 00:14:10,399 --> 00:14:14,759 was going to take. We were only about a quarter of the way through 168 00:14:14,759 --> 00:14:24,639 the story. You may be in a trial right now, and I tell you this, 169 00:14:25,929 --> 00:14:31,969 I don't know how long it's going to take, but me and my wife 170 00:14:31,969 --> 00:14:37,129 made a decision. We talked about it, we had prayed about it. 171 00:14:37,129 --> 00:14:43,969 We said, we're not going to let this run our lives. We're not 172 00:14:43,969 --> 00:14:48,409 going to let this turn our back on God. We are hoping that this 173 00:14:48,409 --> 00:14:53,819 brings honor and glory to God. And I'm not saying that to point 174 00:14:53,819 --> 00:15:00,739 me this was God's grace in my life that he was providing me. You 175 00:15:00,739 --> 00:15:07,139 see, trials and sufferings are given specifically to you. And during 176 00:15:07,139 --> 00:15:10,459 that time I found myself constantly wondering, why did it 177 00:15:10,459 --> 00:15:15,339 have to be my kid? And selfishly I said, well, there were 178 00:15:15,339 --> 00:15:17,699 so many other babies born at the same time. How come none of them 179 00:15:17,699 --> 00:15:24,689 had it? You see, Henry's heart issue is actually a 1% chance per 180 00:15:24,689 --> 00:15:33,049 baby. So out of 100 kids, Henry was the one. And that right 181 00:15:33,049 --> 00:15:37,889 there spoke to me and said, this wasn't by chance, this wasn't 182 00:15:37,889 --> 00:15:41,289 bad luck. It's because God chose me for that moment. God chose 183 00:15:41,289 --> 00:15:50,659 Henry. Trials and sufferings are given to you specifically. And 184 00:15:50,659 --> 00:15:55,819 number two, trials and sufferings give insight of Christ's 185 00:15:55,819 --> 00:16:01,859 suffering for you. Look now in verse number 13, it says here, but 186 00:16:01,859 --> 00:16:07,779 rejoice Sounds a little backwards, but rejoice in as much 187 00:16:07,939 --> 00:16:16,899 as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings. That line kind 188 00:16:16,899 --> 00:16:22,259 of scares me a little bit. Y' all realize what Jesus Christ did 189 00:16:22,259 --> 00:16:29,979 for you? Do you really understand it? The God of this universe, 190 00:16:31,019 --> 00:16:36,259 who has to humble himself just to look at us, decided, you know 191 00:16:36,259 --> 00:16:40,149 what? I'll become one of my creation. I'll become the thing I 192 00:16:40,149 --> 00:16:48,349 made. So I will pay the price for their sin. Not my own, but their 193 00:16:48,349 --> 00:17:10,959 sin. And Christ bled and died on a cross for us. He suffered. Doesn't 194 00:17:10,959 --> 00:17:16,479 the Bible say, I beseech ye, therefore, brethren, by the mercies 195 00:17:16,479 --> 00:17:24,319 of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and 196 00:17:24,319 --> 00:17:29,529 acceptable unto God, which is your service. No, your reasonable 197 00:17:29,529 --> 00:17:37,609 service. So I'm here to tell you tonight, rejoice in the sufferings. 198 00:17:37,609 --> 00:17:41,049 Be glad you're in the midst of a trial right now. Be glad you're 199 00:17:41,049 --> 00:17:44,089 in the middle of a suffering right now, because that means God 200 00:17:44,089 --> 00:17:48,729 is not done with you yet. He has a plan for your life, your life 201 00:17:48,729 --> 00:17:52,049 individually, right now. He has a plan for it, and he is working 202 00:17:52,049 --> 00:17:55,578 that out right now. And this trial is. Is right here, is to mold 203 00:17:55,578 --> 00:17:59,778 you into his will right now, is to mold you into that, into something 204 00:17:59,778 --> 00:18:03,018 ordinary, into something extraordinary right now. He has that 205 00:18:03,018 --> 00:18:07,498 plan for your life right now. Rejoice in the suffering. It seems 206 00:18:07,498 --> 00:18:11,338 backwards. Why should we rejoice? Why should we be glad about 207 00:18:11,338 --> 00:18:15,978 suffering? Why should we be okay with it? Because Jesus Christ 208 00:18:16,298 --> 00:18:19,978 was willing and glad to give his life for you. Because he loved 209 00:18:19,978 --> 00:18:22,999 you. And you should be glad to go through sufferings and trials 210 00:18:22,999 --> 00:18:31,279 just as he did, as well. We're partakers of Christ's sufferings. 211 00:18:32,479 --> 00:18:35,479 If you have your Bibles real fast, turn to Acts, chapter nine, 212 00:18:35,479 --> 00:18:39,599 just for a moment. Acts, chapter nine. I just want you to 213 00:18:39,599 --> 00:18:47,019 see this. Acts, chapter nine. What's happened here is that the 214 00:18:47,019 --> 00:18:50,779 Apostle Paul, which is actually Saul at this point in the 215 00:18:50,779 --> 00:18:55,499 story, Saul has just seen Jesus on the road to Damascus. And 216 00:18:55,499 --> 00:19:01,619 he goes into the city, right? And God speaks to Barnabas. Look 217 00:19:01,619 --> 00:19:05,939 at verse number 16 here. Sorry. Look at verse number 15. It 218 00:19:05,939 --> 00:19:09,739 says, but the Lord said unto him, go thy way. For he is a chosen 219 00:19:09,739 --> 00:19:14,309 vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and. 220 00:19:14,539 --> 00:19:20,179 And children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he 221 00:19:20,179 --> 00:19:24,859 must suffer for my name's sake. Think about that for a second. 222 00:19:24,859 --> 00:19:27,579 The Apostle Paul, the guy that Wrote half the Testament. He didn't 223 00:19:27,579 --> 00:19:31,219 live a luxurious life. He didn't live a life that was. That 224 00:19:31,219 --> 00:19:33,979 was full of money. He didn't live a life that was full of fame. 225 00:19:33,979 --> 00:19:39,139 He lived a life that was in a constant state of suffering. Think 226 00:19:39,139 --> 00:19:44,949 about it. Shipwrecked, bitten by venomous snakes. Stoned, spat 227 00:19:44,949 --> 00:19:51,509 on, beaten. The list goes on. Eventually martyred, imprisoned. 228 00:19:53,509 --> 00:19:56,349 And we like to look at our situation and say, oh, God, it's 229 00:19:56,349 --> 00:20:05,549 so bad on me. But when I look back at this, I'm actually kind of 230 00:20:05,549 --> 00:20:09,519 glad God didn't choose me. And that was. I was the Apostle Paul 231 00:20:09,519 --> 00:20:11,439 in that moment. And that's what was written about me in the 232 00:20:11,439 --> 00:20:14,439 books, the Book of acts, in chapter nine, verse number 16, that 233 00:20:14,519 --> 00:20:21,479 I was chosen to suffer for God's name's sake. I think back to 234 00:20:21,479 --> 00:20:25,599 Job and, man, I don't even know how Job did it. Job never was 235 00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:31,319 even given a reason why it happened. But Job said. He said, 236 00:20:31,559 --> 00:20:35,649 the Lord giveth and. And he taketh away. Blessed be the name 237 00:20:35,649 --> 00:20:45,409 of the Lord. We forget that maybe our situation isn't as bad 238 00:20:45,409 --> 00:20:51,769 as we like to think it is. You see, we gain a level of understanding 239 00:20:51,769 --> 00:20:55,929 a little bit with our trials. We get a glimpse into what Jesus 240 00:20:55,929 --> 00:21:04,129 Christ did for us, that suffering. Think about it. What did 241 00:21:04,129 --> 00:21:11,369 Christ do for you? He came to this earth, and he died the most 242 00:21:11,369 --> 00:21:16,409 gruesome death you can imagine at the time. He's buried, and he 243 00:21:16,409 --> 00:21:19,489 rose again in three days for you, and he did that all for you. 244 00:21:22,689 --> 00:21:26,499 And then here's the flip side of it. And a little bit with my side 245 00:21:26,499 --> 00:21:30,579 of things, I got to see a little bit of God. The Father's perspective, 246 00:21:30,579 --> 00:21:38,419 too, of my own son suffering. I cannot imagine what God the father 247 00:21:38,419 --> 00:21:45,939 felt while his innocent son bled and hung on a cross. And that's 248 00:21:45,939 --> 00:21:48,099 a perspective that you don't understand until you have your own 249 00:21:48,099 --> 00:21:52,869 kids. The night Henry was born, that was actually the first 250 00:21:52,869 --> 00:21:54,869 or the day that Henry was born, that was the first thing that 251 00:21:54,869 --> 00:22:06,429 came to my mind. I said, God gave his son for me. Three months 252 00:22:06,429 --> 00:22:11,669 later, after the good news, we went back into the doctor, and we're 253 00:22:11,669 --> 00:22:13,829 hopeful at this point. We're actually. We're in good spirits. 254 00:22:14,789 --> 00:22:17,669 And we were like, man, God, he's gonna close that hole. It's 255 00:22:17,669 --> 00:22:22,309 gonna be gone when we go in. I just know it. We went in and she 256 00:22:22,309 --> 00:22:29,629 said, unfortunately, the hole has not had any change. And she said, 257 00:22:29,629 --> 00:22:36,109 and his heart is now severely enlarged. And she said, I really 258 00:22:36,109 --> 00:22:44,829 highly recommend that we go in and we take care of it. And I said, 259 00:22:45,389 --> 00:22:51,259 and of course, me and Hannah, I don't know how we did it. I don't 260 00:22:51,259 --> 00:22:54,379 even know how I spoke in that moment, honestly. But I said, hey, 261 00:22:55,099 --> 00:22:58,259 I believe that there's a God in this universe that is in control 262 00:22:58,259 --> 00:23:03,259 of all things, and I believe that he can close the hole still. 263 00:23:04,139 --> 00:23:09,099 Can we give him a little bit more time? And so the doctor agreed. 264 00:23:09,099 --> 00:23:13,269 She says, okay, yes, we'll give him three more months. She said, 265 00:23:13,349 --> 00:23:17,349 here are the two conditions. I want to put him on Lasix medication 266 00:23:17,989 --> 00:23:20,629 to help with the fluid that's in his heart that's causing it to 267 00:23:20,709 --> 00:23:26,349 enlarge. And she said that the other thing is too, is I want us 268 00:23:26,349 --> 00:23:31,509 to go ahead and schedule surgery because if we go in, she 269 00:23:31,509 --> 00:23:34,989 said, I'd rather cancel it than have to get you in and rush 270 00:23:34,989 --> 00:23:43,479 you in. And so we said, okay. And we gave God three months. We 271 00:23:43,479 --> 00:23:47,359 prayed that really hard for three months. We did every night, 272 00:23:48,399 --> 00:23:53,839 rocking him to bed. I prayed, said, lord, please take it from him. 273 00:23:55,679 --> 00:24:01,759 Don't put him through this, Lord. He's only a one year old boy. 274 00:24:04,809 --> 00:24:07,729 Please don't put me through it. Please don't put my wife through 275 00:24:07,729 --> 00:24:16,609 it. It's too heavy. God, take it from me. I don't want it. But 276 00:24:16,609 --> 00:24:22,009 God just kept repeating to himself, it's okay, I've got you. 277 00:24:26,969 --> 00:24:30,379 The three months came, and they looked at his heart again. They 278 00:24:30,379 --> 00:24:36,139 said, unfortunately, it's even more enlarged now. We need to go 279 00:24:36,139 --> 00:24:42,419 in. We'll see you in three weeks. That three weeks turned into. 280 00:24:42,499 --> 00:24:45,099 Unfortunately, it turned into six weeks because he had ended up 281 00:24:45,099 --> 00:24:49,259 getting pneumonia right before his surgery date and up to the final 282 00:24:49,259 --> 00:24:53,459 days of his. Of his heart surgery. His eyes grew more dim, 283 00:24:54,349 --> 00:24:57,069 his appetite dropped. You could tell it was affecting him. 284 00:25:00,589 --> 00:25:05,389 We walked into the hospital that day. Now, I don't know if you 285 00:25:05,389 --> 00:25:07,509 had the feeling. I don't know. It's like I was just going through 286 00:25:07,509 --> 00:25:10,228 the motions. I wasn't fully there, to be totally honest with 287 00:25:10,228 --> 00:25:17,269 you. Thankfully, he was in good spirits. He was laughing, he 288 00:25:17,269 --> 00:25:23,879 was in a good mood. They're about to wheel him back to the or. 289 00:25:26,599 --> 00:25:30,199 I hugged him. I didn't know if that was gonna be last time I hugged 290 00:25:30,199 --> 00:25:35,639 him. The surgeon had told us when we met for the surgery. He said, 291 00:25:36,919 --> 00:25:41,119 it is a 1% chance of a child with this condition that when they 292 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:44,599 have a surgery, it's 1% chance that's fatal. They said it's very 293 00:25:44,599 --> 00:25:50,049 rare. We do hundreds of these a day. It's very rare. And he said, 294 00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:54,049 there's also another 1% chance that, like, if we made a mistake 295 00:25:54,049 --> 00:25:56,049 where we nicked something in the heart and we had to do another 296 00:25:56,049 --> 00:25:59,369 extra repair, and then he'd have a lasting issue with it, that 297 00:26:00,409 --> 00:26:07,889 was another 1% risk. So he said, you have a 98% sex or 98% chance 298 00:26:07,889 --> 00:26:13,649 of success with no lasting complications. And he added this 299 00:26:13,649 --> 00:26:18,559 on there. He said, I do want to tell you, though, he said he's 300 00:26:18,559 --> 00:26:24,639 kind of already living in the 1% zone. He said, don't read in this 301 00:26:24,639 --> 00:26:27,439 too much. But he did say, because he wanted just to tell us, 302 00:26:27,439 --> 00:26:32,439 he said he's a little bit of a more special case than most kids. 303 00:26:32,999 --> 00:26:37,159 Most kids with the vsd, that's the Holden's heart, they said, most 304 00:26:37,159 --> 00:26:45,229 of them, if they have any other complication, it's very rare. 305 00:26:45,229 --> 00:26:51,429 And for him to have a bicuspid aortic valve and a VASD, only 1% 306 00:26:51,429 --> 00:26:58,029 of kids that have AVSD also have a bicuspid aortic valve. And 307 00:26:59,149 --> 00:27:02,989 he said that it may mean absolutely nothing, but he said, 308 00:27:03,069 --> 00:27:08,599 I will warn you, he is kind of living in the 1%. I don't know if 309 00:27:08,599 --> 00:27:11,599 that may. I hope that made us really feel better. But I appreciate 310 00:27:11,599 --> 00:27:18,999 his honesty. I hugged him, I kissed him, I watched them wheel 311 00:27:18,999 --> 00:27:31,159 him back. I'll continue that story here in a moment. You see, 312 00:27:33,729 --> 00:27:37,009 I wonder what God the Father felt when he sent his son to this 313 00:27:37,009 --> 00:27:44,289 earth. It's not like he didn't know what was going to happen. It's 314 00:27:44,289 --> 00:27:46,569 not like he was like, well, I hope everything goes well. No, he 315 00:27:46,569 --> 00:27:51,809 knew exactly why he was sending him. He sent his son to die 316 00:27:51,809 --> 00:27:58,609 on the cross for our sins. That sin that no one else knows about. 317 00:28:00,379 --> 00:28:06,739 That sin that you're even ashamed to think of. He died for 318 00:28:06,739 --> 00:28:14,419 it. I cannot imagine sending my own son to pay for the mistakes 319 00:28:14,419 --> 00:28:21,779 of another person. I could not do it. There's no way. No way. But 320 00:28:21,779 --> 00:28:28,349 because of God's love for you and for Jesus. Love for you. He did 321 00:28:28,349 --> 00:28:36,869 it for you. Number three. Trials and sufferings bring glory 322 00:28:36,869 --> 00:28:43,309 to God. Look at the second part of verse number 13 in 1st Peter 323 00:28:43,309 --> 00:28:46,509 in chapter 4. It says here, I'll read the whole verse, but rejoice 324 00:28:46,509 --> 00:28:50,999 as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his 325 00:28:50,999 --> 00:28:57,519 glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 326 00:29:02,479 --> 00:29:07,559 You may have not experienced it yet, but if you keep your eyes 327 00:29:07,559 --> 00:29:17,049 on God, I promise you, you'll see his glory. You'll see how it's 328 00:29:17,049 --> 00:29:21,129 shaping you. You'll see how it's affecting the lives of others 329 00:29:21,129 --> 00:29:30,129 around you. And you'll say, God, I'm sorry for saying that you 330 00:29:30,129 --> 00:29:35,929 didn't love me. God, I'm sorry for saying that you were hateful 331 00:29:35,929 --> 00:29:41,929 to me, for putting me through this. And you'll say, God, I just 332 00:29:41,929 --> 00:29:46,519 hope that you get all the honor and glory for it, that it will 333 00:29:46,519 --> 00:29:50,159 win others, that will point other people to you because of the 334 00:29:50,159 --> 00:29:56,919 impact that you have on my life. Look for God's glory in the 335 00:29:56,919 --> 00:30:01,319 trial. Look for it. You're in the middle of the suffering. Look 336 00:30:01,319 --> 00:30:05,839 for God's glory. Ask the Lord to reveal it to you. He will. He'll 337 00:30:05,839 --> 00:30:11,769 show it right too. Plain and clear. And here's the best part. 338 00:30:13,449 --> 00:30:20,489 You'll be okay. You'll be glad. I love how the Bible says here, 339 00:30:22,249 --> 00:30:30,409 you may be glad also. With exceeding joy. When they wheeled 340 00:30:30,409 --> 00:30:35,689 Henry back, Hannah and I held each other and walked back to the 341 00:30:36,129 --> 00:30:44,609 waiting room, sat down in the chair, and it's hard to explain it, 342 00:30:46,609 --> 00:30:56,849 but peace just sat over us. Like all of it was gone. The suffering, 343 00:30:57,409 --> 00:31:02,129 the feeling of the anxiety, the worry, the pressure, everything 344 00:31:02,779 --> 00:31:12,819 just gone. And the reason for that is because God gave us his almighty 345 00:31:12,819 --> 00:31:18,219 grace and laid it on mine and my wife's life. Let me tell you tonight, 346 00:31:19,979 --> 00:31:24,859 God's grace does not run short. It does not run empty. He 347 00:31:24,859 --> 00:31:27,899 has enough for you. He has enough for your family. He has enough 348 00:31:27,899 --> 00:31:31,629 for your kids. He has enough for your parents. God's grace is 349 00:31:31,629 --> 00:31:38,589 abundantly plenteous. And when you ask God for that grace, he will 350 00:31:38,589 --> 00:31:46,068 give it to you. That's how we get saved, after all. Does the Bible 351 00:31:46,068 --> 00:31:51,189 say, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not 352 00:31:51,189 --> 00:31:55,669 of yourselves? It's a gift of God, not of works. Lest any man should 353 00:31:55,669 --> 00:32:03,919 boast, doesn't the Bible say that? Do you think God has enough 354 00:32:03,919 --> 00:32:14,399 grace for you tonight? I think so. They gave us the call and they 355 00:32:14,399 --> 00:32:17,039 kind of were doing this. They kind of prepped him and put him under, 356 00:32:17,039 --> 00:32:20,239 right? And they gave us the call and said, hey, everything's 357 00:32:20,239 --> 00:32:25,299 good. We're about to go in. They went in. And you think that 358 00:32:25,299 --> 00:32:27,379 in that moment that would be the worst part of it? No, it was 359 00:32:27,379 --> 00:32:31,179 the best part because we knew he was completely in God's hands. 360 00:32:32,539 --> 00:32:36,819 If you would show the photo, if you have that. I took this photo. 361 00:32:36,819 --> 00:32:40,179 This is post surgery right here. That's my wife holding him 362 00:32:40,179 --> 00:32:46,579 in the chair right there. When he got out of surgery, he was coming 363 00:32:46,579 --> 00:32:53,629 to. He was in pain, he was hurting, he was crying. Didn't understand 364 00:32:53,629 --> 00:33:00,349 what was going on. And my wife Hannah, asked, can I hold him? He 365 00:33:00,349 --> 00:33:05,269 said, of course. Grabbed all those wires and tubes that he's hooked 366 00:33:05,269 --> 00:33:08,029 up to and picked him up off the bed and just laid him in his 367 00:33:08,029 --> 00:33:13,519 arms and he just went to sleep. I'm here at the night that 368 00:33:13,519 --> 00:33:15,759 God wants to do that with you. Through every trial that you have 369 00:33:15,759 --> 00:33:21,519 in your life, he may say, you're going through the hurting, 370 00:33:21,759 --> 00:33:23,919 you're going through the trial, you're going through the suffering 371 00:33:23,919 --> 00:33:40,129 for my name's sake. But just lean on me. I've got you. That image 372 00:33:40,129 --> 00:33:44,649 is forever ingrained in my brain. Anytime I feel like the Lord 373 00:33:45,449 --> 00:33:50,009 is not right here next to me, I feel alone. I say, God, hold me. 374 00:33:54,569 --> 00:33:57,129 What did the disciples say when they were in the middle of that 375 00:33:57,129 --> 00:33:59,449 ship in the middle of the storm? They went over to Jesus, who 376 00:33:59,449 --> 00:34:06,449 was sleeping, and said, lord, save us. We pray, perish. And Jesus 377 00:34:06,449 --> 00:34:14,209 says, okay, I've got it taken care of. Why are you so fearful? 378 00:34:15,249 --> 00:34:20,049 I've already got it. And right now in your life, I don't know what 379 00:34:20,049 --> 00:34:22,889 you're going through in your life. I don't. I'm more preaching 380 00:34:22,889 --> 00:34:29,929 out myself than I really am. The Lord kept repeating this one 381 00:34:29,929 --> 00:34:36,049 verse in my mind. It's in 2nd Corinthians 12, 9. I preached the 382 00:34:36,049 --> 00:34:38,009 sermon. This is not tobacco. You can turn there if you'd like. 383 00:34:38,009 --> 00:34:43,129 But this was Paul who has this thorn in his flesh, and he's asked 384 00:34:43,129 --> 00:34:46,129 the Lord to remove it from him three times. And the Lord kept saying 385 00:34:46,129 --> 00:34:53,169 no. And the Lord said to him, my grace is sufficient for thee. 386 00:35:03,498 --> 00:35:10,178 Are you partaking in the trials and suffering of Jesus? Are 387 00:35:10,178 --> 00:35:13,578 you going through something in your life that you think is too big 388 00:35:13,578 --> 00:35:20,458 for God? Because it's not. Just remember, God's still in control. 389 00:35:22,058 --> 00:35:27,478 He's still on the throne. Be thankful for the trials and sufferings. 390 00:35:27,478 --> 00:35:33,518 Look for the glory of God. Give it all to him. And just remember 391 00:35:33,518 --> 00:35:39,278 these three things. God chose you for this trial, and it was to 392 00:35:39,278 --> 00:35:47,918 draw you closer to him and to bring more understanding of him and 393 00:35:47,918 --> 00:35:55,079 relationship with him. And you'll find God's glory. You'll find 394 00:35:55,079 --> 00:36:04,519 it. I'm not here to point to you tonight of. Look at me. Look 395 00:36:04,519 --> 00:36:09,879 at what I went through. That's not what I want tonight. This was 396 00:36:09,879 --> 00:36:14,599 something that God taught me over the whole year of 2025. I learned 397 00:36:14,599 --> 00:36:19,629 this lesson that trials and sufferings are a part of life. And 398 00:36:19,629 --> 00:36:26,469 it's probably not my last one, but I pray and hope the next one. 399 00:36:26,469 --> 00:36:31,149 I Go through. I follow these three things. God chose it for me. 400 00:36:33,869 --> 00:36:37,629 God did it to grow my relationship with him. And he's going 401 00:36:37,629 --> 00:36:47,239 to get glory through it. Is your trial, bringing God glory tonight. 402 00:36:50,519 --> 00:36:54,079 I'll leave you with this. We read it just a Moment ago. Matthew 403 00:36:54,079 --> 00:37:00,759 8:26. Jesus said to him, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? 404 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:09,129 With Jesus there's nothing to fear. If God is for us, who can be 405 00:37:09,129 --> 00:37:14,929 against us? With every head bowed and every eyes closed as the 406 00:37:14,929 --> 00:37:23,889 musicians get ready for the invitation tonight. Again, I don't 407 00:37:23,889 --> 00:37:27,089 know what you're going through in your life tonight. Could be small, 408 00:37:27,089 --> 00:37:32,979 could be big, doesn't matter. God's here for you. And there's an 409 00:37:32,979 --> 00:37:37,059 altar right here down front that God may be calling you to and 410 00:37:37,059 --> 00:37:44,579 saying, hey, just come give it to me. I'll carry you. I know you're 411 00:37:44,579 --> 00:37:48,579 hurting. I know you're suffering, but bring it to me and 412 00:37:48,579 --> 00:37:58,429 I'll carry you. Maybe your child tonight hasn't been bringing 413 00:37:58,429 --> 00:38:07,549 God glory. Maybe you've made it about yourself. I'm going to ask 414 00:38:07,549 --> 00:38:11,629 you right now if God's speaking to you, that you come down 415 00:38:11,629 --> 00:38:17,069 to this altar and you would just give it all to him and he'll 416 00:38:17,069 --> 00:38:24,919 carry you through it. Lord, I thank you so much for this time tonight. 417 00:38:24,919 --> 00:38:28,439 Thank you for the message that you gave me, Lord. Lord, I know that 418 00:38:28,439 --> 00:38:32,319 this was the message you laid in my heart, Lord. Lord, I pray that 419 00:38:32,639 --> 00:38:36,359 I spoke every word you'd have me to say. Lord, I pray that I shared 420 00:38:36,359 --> 00:38:39,679 the message that you wanted me to share. Speak to hearts now, Lord. 421 00:38:39,919 --> 00:38:40,879 Pray. Amen.