1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,830 Speaker: Well, I'm not trying to call you names with the title of the sermon. 2 00:00:05,459 --> 00:00:09,240 Uh, you, you may know deism, maybe it's a, a foreign term for you. 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,870 And, and I'll unpack it for us a little bit here, but, uh, before I, I get 4 00:00:12,870 --> 00:00:18,030 into what deism is and why we should avoid it, I wonder if you've ever sat 5 00:00:18,030 --> 00:00:21,810 there and thought to yourself, does God know what I'm going through right now? 6 00:00:22,650 --> 00:00:25,500 Does God know the suffering that I'm enduring? 7 00:00:25,860 --> 00:00:28,769 Does he feel Does, does he see what? 8 00:00:29,144 --> 00:00:30,644 That person did to me. 9 00:00:30,644 --> 00:00:35,805 Does he hear the words that my spouse said to me or my coworker said to me, does God 10 00:00:35,805 --> 00:00:38,205 know the suffering that I'm experiencing? 11 00:00:39,285 --> 00:00:44,085 Maybe you've said, well, yes, I, I know that he knows because I know 12 00:00:44,085 --> 00:00:45,945 the doctrine and I know the theology. 13 00:00:45,945 --> 00:00:50,114 I know that God is omniscient, that God never learns anything, that he knows all 14 00:00:50,114 --> 00:00:54,285 things, that he knows the beginning from the end, that he exists outside of time. 15 00:00:54,839 --> 00:00:57,629 Uh, nothing happens that catches God off guard. 16 00:00:57,629 --> 00:00:59,249 And so certainly he knows. 17 00:01:00,449 --> 00:01:04,050 Maybe you even think about his sovereignty and you think, well, he knows, and 18 00:01:04,050 --> 00:01:09,360 he even ordains even as we just sang, whatever my God ordains is right. 19 00:01:10,020 --> 00:01:14,370 You know, that that is true, that he knows that he's aware, that he's even 20 00:01:14,370 --> 00:01:18,750 ordained the things that you walk through, but perhaps you've asked the 21 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:22,289 question that goes another step beyond that to say, okay, but does he care? 22 00:01:23,820 --> 00:01:25,530 He knows what I'm going through. 23 00:01:25,530 --> 00:01:29,250 He knows the argument that I had with my spouse on the way to church this morning. 24 00:01:29,250 --> 00:01:31,980 He knows the tension that I'm under at work. 25 00:01:31,980 --> 00:01:36,750 He knows the rude response from my neighbor when I was just trying to say hi. 26 00:01:36,750 --> 00:01:42,360 He knows these things, but does he care about them? 27 00:01:44,070 --> 00:01:49,440 See, deism is the belief in God that says that God is not a God who's 28 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,414 involved in the lives of his creation. 29 00:01:52,860 --> 00:01:57,360 Deism is the view that says that God is the divine watchmaker and the watchmaker 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:03,089 who creates the watch, winds it up, and then he's done with that watch. 31 00:02:03,570 --> 00:02:06,839 The watch goes on to wear itself out after that. 32 00:02:07,740 --> 00:02:10,288 That's the deistic view of God and creation. 33 00:02:11,038 --> 00:02:16,350 The deist says God created the universe and all there is, and then step back and 34 00:02:16,350 --> 00:02:17,910 has nothing more to do with it after that. 35 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,969 Uh, that is a, a formal heresy, that's an incorrect and unbiblical view 36 00:02:23,969 --> 00:02:25,350 of God according to the scriptures. 37 00:02:25,350 --> 00:02:27,779 We would have to reject that outright and say that that is wrong. 38 00:02:27,779 --> 00:02:30,630 And I, I would imagine that most in the room would probably 39 00:02:30,630 --> 00:02:32,309 agree with that being wrong. 40 00:02:32,309 --> 00:02:34,109 You would say, no, that's not the God that I know. 41 00:02:34,109 --> 00:02:35,219 I know the God of the Bible. 42 00:02:35,219 --> 00:02:38,549 I know the God of Psalm 1 39 that we just read about this morning even. 43 00:02:39,959 --> 00:02:43,649 But though we may reject it formally, I wonder if functionally we find 44 00:02:43,649 --> 00:02:47,369 ourselves embracing more of a deistic view of God than we would like to admit. 45 00:02:48,465 --> 00:02:50,984 As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as we walk through 46 00:02:50,984 --> 00:02:53,535 the trials, as we endure the suffering that we talked about last week, 47 00:02:53,535 --> 00:02:56,144 beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you. 48 00:02:56,390 --> 00:03:01,065 I, I wonder if there's part of us that functionally operates as though God is 49 00:03:01,065 --> 00:03:05,265 the deistic God, and we're left to ask ourselves the question, God, do you know? 50 00:03:05,265 --> 00:03:07,095 Do you care what I'm going through right now? 51 00:03:07,785 --> 00:03:09,615 Do you see me right now? 52 00:03:12,315 --> 00:03:15,825 This morning's passage is going to comfort us that God does indeed 53 00:03:15,885 --> 00:03:17,010 know what you're going through? 54 00:03:17,745 --> 00:03:19,515 He's aware of what you're going through. 55 00:03:19,905 --> 00:03:21,285 He sees what you're going through. 56 00:03:21,315 --> 00:03:22,665 He cares about what you're going through. 57 00:03:22,665 --> 00:03:25,215 'cause even as we just saying, he's ordained what you're going through. 58 00:03:26,655 --> 00:03:32,385 He's in control of wherever you are, whatever you're facing, whatever trial 59 00:03:32,385 --> 00:03:38,295 you're walking through, be it a fiery trial or suffering because of health or 60 00:03:38,295 --> 00:03:42,405 suffering, because of family tension, whatever it may be, God knows because 61 00:03:42,405 --> 00:03:43,695 he's ordained that he's brought you there. 62 00:03:43,695 --> 00:03:45,165 He's in control of that. 63 00:03:46,394 --> 00:03:50,924 If that has led some to conclude, well then if that's true, then we should just 64 00:03:50,924 --> 00:03:53,325 rest in God and say, let go and let God. 65 00:03:55,605 --> 00:03:58,784 But our passage this morning is also gonna fight that. 66 00:03:59,864 --> 00:04:02,534 See, rather than letting go and letting God, I believe what Peter's 67 00:04:02,534 --> 00:04:08,714 gonna want us to do is hold fast and let God hold fast to his promises. 68 00:04:09,135 --> 00:04:12,765 Hold fast to who we know Him to be in scripture, hold fast to what we've known 69 00:04:12,765 --> 00:04:15,224 him to do in our lives and what we've seen him do in other people's lives. 70 00:04:16,214 --> 00:04:20,445 Hold fast to our doctrine and our theology, and also hold fast to what he's 71 00:04:20,445 --> 00:04:25,245 commanded us to do, while at the same time letting God do what God's gonna do. 72 00:04:26,055 --> 00:04:28,365 Take your Bibles if you're not there already, and open up to one Peter 73 00:04:28,365 --> 00:04:30,345 chapter four, verses 17 through 19. 74 00:04:31,995 --> 00:04:36,225 As we try to combat not just formal deism, but functional deism in our lives. 75 00:04:38,724 --> 00:04:42,765 Peter in this passage, I believe is going to address some questions 76 00:04:42,765 --> 00:04:45,433 that may have been percolating in the minds of his listeners, his 77 00:04:45,433 --> 00:04:49,244 readers, and they may be questions that you have or have had as well. 78 00:04:49,874 --> 00:04:53,025 And I think one of the first questions that maybe would've been 79 00:04:53,025 --> 00:04:55,844 there and present as he's been talking a lot about suffering. 80 00:04:55,844 --> 00:04:57,974 In fact, maybe you're here this morning, you're just going, wow, 81 00:04:57,974 --> 00:05:01,724 pastor you, you've just been hammering on suffering in this series. 82 00:05:02,354 --> 00:05:04,905 And there is a lot about suffering in one Peter. 83 00:05:05,435 --> 00:05:07,685 And remember, he's writing to this group of elect exiles. 84 00:05:07,955 --> 00:05:10,775 He's writing to a group of people that just, that they suffering 85 00:05:10,775 --> 00:05:11,765 was what they woke up to. 86 00:05:12,515 --> 00:05:15,575 Uh, and, and so this is, is all throughout the book because that's 87 00:05:15,575 --> 00:05:17,045 what his audience was up against. 88 00:05:17,585 --> 00:05:19,805 And even as we talked about last week though, that shouldn't be all that 89 00:05:19,805 --> 00:05:20,945 different from what we're facing. 90 00:05:21,185 --> 00:05:24,005 But maybe that's you and you're going, why is it so much suffering? 91 00:05:24,575 --> 00:05:29,195 Why does the church have so much of the suffering in the world right now? 92 00:05:29,645 --> 00:05:33,245 Why is the church so often the bad guy in the world's eyes? 93 00:05:33,870 --> 00:05:36,479 Why isn't it more that the church is winning and the world is losing? 94 00:05:37,380 --> 00:05:39,330 I think Peter begins to answer that question for us. 95 00:05:39,330 --> 00:05:40,169 In verse 17. 96 00:05:41,039 --> 00:05:46,020 He says this, for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. 97 00:05:46,020 --> 00:05:47,849 Now, let's just stop there for just a minute. 98 00:05:48,150 --> 00:05:50,430 He says four, which should drive us backwards. 99 00:05:50,430 --> 00:05:52,680 In the text of verse 16, here's what he said in verse 16. 100 00:05:53,099 --> 00:05:55,799 If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let 101 00:05:55,799 --> 00:05:57,360 him glorify God in that name. 102 00:05:57,900 --> 00:06:01,080 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. 103 00:06:02,055 --> 00:06:06,614 We are called to glorify God because God is bringing judgment upon the church. 104 00:06:07,515 --> 00:06:09,344 What kind of judgment is this? 105 00:06:09,419 --> 00:06:11,085 A, a judgment of punishment. 106 00:06:11,655 --> 00:06:14,445 Is this a judgment of the wrath of God being poured out on the church? 107 00:06:14,445 --> 00:06:16,395 Is this a judgment of his discipline? 108 00:06:16,695 --> 00:06:19,365 Because we've aired, because we've done something wrong? 109 00:06:21,104 --> 00:06:23,085 This is not the judgment of his wrath. 110 00:06:23,205 --> 00:06:23,955 How do we know that? 111 00:06:23,955 --> 00:06:25,245 Well, what happened at the cross? 112 00:06:25,245 --> 00:06:27,554 The wrath of God was satisfied at the cross, right? 113 00:06:28,395 --> 00:06:31,905 This is not his wrath being poured out on the church, but this is his refining 114 00:06:31,905 --> 00:06:33,465 discipline at work in the church. 115 00:06:34,695 --> 00:06:37,155 Peter has talked about the refining presence of God's. 116 00:06:38,190 --> 00:06:39,450 Love in our lives. 117 00:06:39,450 --> 00:06:43,200 Even earlier in the letter, uh, back in, in one Peter chapter one, he 118 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,710 talked about our test, our faith being found to be more precious than gold. 119 00:06:46,710 --> 00:06:49,289 Though it perishes when it is tested by fire, that is gold. 120 00:06:49,289 --> 00:06:52,740 Does our faith though, comes out on the other side and is 121 00:06:52,740 --> 00:06:55,380 found a result in the praise and honor and glory of Jesus Christ. 122 00:06:55,710 --> 00:06:56,760 We talked about it last week. 123 00:06:56,789 --> 00:06:58,710 Do not be surprised at the fiery trial. 124 00:06:59,010 --> 00:07:03,450 The fiery trial is that refining presence of God's discipline, God's 125 00:07:03,599 --> 00:07:05,849 judgment in our lives as believers. 126 00:07:06,570 --> 00:07:10,349 That God is working to purify the bride of Christ to purify the church, and 127 00:07:10,349 --> 00:07:14,280 that's the household of God language that he uses here Back in one Peter chapter 128 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,700 two verses four through five, Peter said this as you come to him, a living stone 129 00:07:18,090 --> 00:07:23,309 rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like 130 00:07:23,309 --> 00:07:28,109 living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. 131 00:07:28,895 --> 00:07:32,945 And so we are the church, and so corporately together we are the, the 132 00:07:32,945 --> 00:07:36,784 church with, if I can put it this way, a, a big C, the capital C Church. 133 00:07:36,784 --> 00:07:38,165 That's the universal church. 134 00:07:38,165 --> 00:07:40,895 By the way, the Universal Church is only known through the 135 00:07:40,895 --> 00:07:42,215 gathering of the local church. 136 00:07:42,905 --> 00:07:45,635 And so I cannot be a Christian that says I'm part of a universal church, 137 00:07:45,635 --> 00:07:47,105 but I don't want the local church. 138 00:07:47,675 --> 00:07:49,475 If that's you, you're not part of the church. 139 00:07:50,015 --> 00:07:52,445 And so as we're talking about this, we're talking about the universal church, but 140 00:07:52,445 --> 00:07:56,315 we have to think about it, how it shows up here locally, because that's how we know. 141 00:07:56,715 --> 00:07:57,344 The church. 142 00:07:57,885 --> 00:07:59,295 And so God is bringing discipline. 143 00:07:59,295 --> 00:08:00,045 He's bringing judgment. 144 00:08:00,045 --> 00:08:02,895 He's bringing this refinement to the church. 145 00:08:03,974 --> 00:08:06,945 There are commentators who see a couple of Old Testament backgrounds 146 00:08:07,155 --> 00:08:08,505 to what Peter's talking about here. 147 00:08:08,505 --> 00:08:12,344 The first one is from Ezekiel chapter nine in Ezekiel chapter nine. 148 00:08:12,344 --> 00:08:15,645 What the, the prophet says There is the Lord said to him, pass through 149 00:08:15,645 --> 00:08:18,255 the city, through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the 150 00:08:18,255 --> 00:08:21,885 men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it. 151 00:08:22,530 --> 00:08:23,190 And to the others. 152 00:08:23,190 --> 00:08:27,630 He said in my hearing, pass through the city after him and strike your eye shall 153 00:08:27,630 --> 00:08:29,850 not spare, and you shall show no pity. 154 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,140 Kill old men outright young men, maidens little children and women, 155 00:08:34,140 --> 00:08:38,970 but touch no one on whom is the mark and begin at my sanctuary. 156 00:08:39,330 --> 00:08:41,850 So they begin with the elders who are before the house. 157 00:08:42,270 --> 00:08:45,750 So God here is treating Israel like he was treating the, the nations we're 158 00:08:45,750 --> 00:08:48,120 reading in our daily Bible, reading about the conquest of the promised land. 159 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,010 Here you see God treating Israel the same way. 160 00:08:50,745 --> 00:08:51,194 Because Why? 161 00:08:51,194 --> 00:08:54,944 Because Israel drifted because they had become perverted with idols. 162 00:08:54,944 --> 00:08:58,334 In fact, in Ezekiel's Day, there were idols set up in the very temple of God. 163 00:08:58,635 --> 00:09:01,785 They were worshiping false gods in the place where God said, this is 164 00:09:01,785 --> 00:09:04,214 where my name and my glory will dwell. 165 00:09:05,234 --> 00:09:08,564 And so God was coming after them to purge the evil from their midst. 166 00:09:08,775 --> 00:09:11,234 But notice here he says, begin at my sanctuary. 167 00:09:11,925 --> 00:09:15,165 It wasn't just the temple that was the problem in Israel during Ezekiel's day. 168 00:09:15,165 --> 00:09:15,944 It was the whole nation. 169 00:09:16,530 --> 00:09:19,020 But God was gonna start with the temple and then move outward. 170 00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:21,780 And so there are some that, that see that as a background here to what 171 00:09:21,780 --> 00:09:25,650 Peter's talking about, it's time for judgment to begin with the church. 172 00:09:25,890 --> 00:09:27,270 It's not gonna be held here. 173 00:09:27,270 --> 00:09:28,530 It's not only at the churches. 174 00:09:28,530 --> 00:09:30,930 We're gonna find out, but it's gonna begin here. 175 00:09:32,010 --> 00:09:35,070 One of the problems we're seeing, Ezekiel nine here, is that this was a, 176 00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:36,600 a transition point in Israel's history. 177 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,150 In fact, what Ezekiel is witnessing in the context is the glory of 178 00:09:39,150 --> 00:09:40,290 God departing from the church. 179 00:09:41,670 --> 00:09:45,689 In first Peter Peter's not writing about the, the glory of God leaving 180 00:09:45,780 --> 00:09:47,790 the, the church or the glory of God was leaving the temple. 181 00:09:47,795 --> 00:09:48,749 Sorry, sorry. 182 00:09:48,749 --> 00:09:52,260 There, uh, the, the glory of God was leaving the temple in Ezekiel nine. 183 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:54,060 The glory of God's not leaving the church here. 184 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:58,079 And so I think there's something else at work here besides Ezekiel nine, 185 00:09:58,079 --> 00:10:01,319 other than the fact that God has in the past begun with the place where 186 00:10:01,319 --> 00:10:04,680 worship is supposed to take place, which is the, the, the sanctuary back then. 187 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:05,879 The church today. 188 00:10:06,599 --> 00:10:08,969 But there's another Old Testament passage that I think fits a little bit 189 00:10:08,969 --> 00:10:10,380 better, and that's Malachi chapter three. 190 00:10:11,099 --> 00:10:13,170 In Malachi chapter three, we read this. 191 00:10:13,469 --> 00:10:16,425 Behold I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. 192 00:10:17,535 --> 00:10:21,465 And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. 193 00:10:21,465 --> 00:10:23,475 Notice that again, the Lord whom you seek. 194 00:10:23,475 --> 00:10:24,405 This is the the Messiah. 195 00:10:24,405 --> 00:10:25,635 This is a messianic prophecy. 196 00:10:25,845 --> 00:10:28,785 The Lord is gonna come to his temple and the messenger of the 197 00:10:28,785 --> 00:10:30,135 covenant in whom you delight. 198 00:10:30,135 --> 00:10:33,675 Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts, but who can endure the 199 00:10:33,675 --> 00:10:37,275 day of his coming and who can stand when he appears for He is like a 200 00:10:37,335 --> 00:10:40,275 refiner's fire and a Fuller's soap. 201 00:10:40,865 --> 00:10:44,435 Fuller is a word we don't often use anymore If you've got an old King James 202 00:10:44,465 --> 00:10:48,545 in the transfiguration account, Jesus, when he was transfigured on the mountain 203 00:10:48,545 --> 00:10:52,775 there, it said that his clothing became whiter than any fuller could bleach it. 204 00:10:53,225 --> 00:10:56,435 So a fuller was one that was a laer would bleach the, the garments 205 00:10:56,435 --> 00:10:58,445 to cause them to be white again. 206 00:10:58,835 --> 00:11:01,415 So he, he, Jesus the Messiah is like a. 207 00:11:01,569 --> 00:11:06,339 Finer fire in like Fuller's soap, he will sit as a refiner and a purifier of 208 00:11:06,339 --> 00:11:10,510 silver and he will purify the sons of Levi, the priests, and he will refine 209 00:11:10,510 --> 00:11:12,969 them like gold and silver for what? 210 00:11:13,150 --> 00:11:16,510 That they may bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 211 00:11:17,770 --> 00:11:21,969 See what was taking place in in Malachi's day was that the people were 212 00:11:21,969 --> 00:11:23,770 beginning to drift from, from the Lord. 213 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,109 They were calling good evil and evil good. 214 00:11:27,069 --> 00:11:28,959 They were doubting the goodness of God, even. 215 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:31,230 They were questioning his justice. 216 00:11:31,380 --> 00:11:32,460 They were saying, where is God? 217 00:11:32,460 --> 00:11:34,170 Where's the promise of his justice? 218 00:11:35,310 --> 00:11:38,190 And so Malachi in response said, there's a day coming when the refiner's going 219 00:11:38,190 --> 00:11:39,930 to come and deal first with the temple. 220 00:11:39,930 --> 00:11:40,620 In order to what? 221 00:11:40,620 --> 00:11:41,340 Purify. 222 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,630 Purify the people, purify the priesthood, that then the offerings might be 223 00:11:45,990 --> 00:11:52,350 acceptable to the Lord back and first Peter as God would do that with Israel. 224 00:11:52,350 --> 00:11:55,920 So I think God does that with the church, and that's what Peter's saying. 225 00:11:56,970 --> 00:11:58,170 He's saying, beloved, if, if anyone suffers as a 226 00:11:58,170 --> 00:11:59,160 Christian, let 'em glorify God. 227 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,820 Verse 16, for God is, is purifying the church with the 228 00:12:02,820 --> 00:12:04,380 opposition, with the fiery trial. 229 00:12:04,530 --> 00:12:08,700 He's refining this place so that we will be a more pure and spotless bride for him. 230 00:12:09,675 --> 00:12:11,715 He was active doing that, then he's active here. 231 00:12:11,715 --> 00:12:12,675 God has not changed. 232 00:12:12,675 --> 00:12:14,865 He's still after those things from us. 233 00:12:14,865 --> 00:12:18,045 He still wants acceptable worship, and so he's gonna begin, and one of the 234 00:12:18,045 --> 00:12:21,225 reasons why we see him doing that with the church today is because he has an 235 00:12:21,225 --> 00:12:25,065 affection for the church and wants us to be useful to him while we're here, 236 00:12:25,485 --> 00:12:27,045 until he calls us to be with him. 237 00:12:28,605 --> 00:12:31,245 Towards that end and until he comes back for us, we should point number 238 00:12:31,245 --> 00:12:33,615 one, expect God to refine his church. 239 00:12:34,665 --> 00:12:36,975 Expect God to refine his church. 240 00:12:40,725 --> 00:12:45,255 In fact, the writer of Hebrews talks about the father's discipline, and he says 241 00:12:45,255 --> 00:12:47,265 this in Hebrews chapter 12, five and six. 242 00:12:48,045 --> 00:12:51,045 He says, have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 243 00:12:51,944 --> 00:12:55,155 My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor 244 00:12:55,155 --> 00:12:57,405 be weary when reproved by him. 245 00:12:57,735 --> 00:13:03,314 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. 246 00:13:04,380 --> 00:13:06,540 And so even there in Hebrews, we see a similar concept to 247 00:13:06,540 --> 00:13:07,440 what Peter's talking about here. 248 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,210 Judgment is beginning at the household of God. 249 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,420 God is gonna discipline the church in order to purify the church, in order 250 00:13:12,420 --> 00:13:16,560 to refine the church so that we will be free from Joss and more effective for 251 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:18,240 him in the mission that he has for us. 252 00:13:20,010 --> 00:13:22,320 And so, beloved, do not be surprised that the fiery trial, when it comes 253 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,920 upon you for it's time for judgment to begin at the household of God. 254 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,760 In other words, when we see him judging, when we see him refining the church. 255 00:13:30,314 --> 00:13:32,864 It's an evidence to us that we belong to him. 256 00:13:33,255 --> 00:13:36,854 It's an evidence to us that, that he loves us enough to pry from our 257 00:13:36,854 --> 00:13:40,755 grips, any vestiges of worldliness that we want to still hold onto. 258 00:13:42,194 --> 00:13:44,895 Maybe we as, as Christians would say, well, I, I, I want 259 00:13:44,895 --> 00:13:46,935 Jesus and I want materialism. 260 00:13:48,074 --> 00:13:50,745 I want Jesus, and I want my lust. 261 00:13:51,525 --> 00:13:54,915 I want Jesus, but I wanna be comfortable in this world. 262 00:13:55,605 --> 00:13:59,355 I want Jesus, but I also want the promotion that maybe I'm 263 00:13:59,355 --> 00:14:02,685 gonna have to compromise a little bit to get, I want Jesus. 264 00:14:03,255 --> 00:14:06,225 But you know what I, I don't know if I want everything that's 265 00:14:06,225 --> 00:14:07,395 involved in following Jesus. 266 00:14:07,935 --> 00:14:13,814 God is going to, if he loves us, refine us and pry those things from our grip. 267 00:14:16,875 --> 00:14:18,285 But that's individually right. 268 00:14:19,215 --> 00:14:23,025 He also does this corporately, and I think that's largely what Peter has in view 269 00:14:23,025 --> 00:14:24,495 here when he says the household of God. 270 00:14:25,140 --> 00:14:27,420 He's talking about the church that God wants a pure church. 271 00:14:28,170 --> 00:14:30,689 And so as we look around at the American church or the Texan Church, 272 00:14:30,689 --> 00:14:34,800 it's not hard to see why the refining process might be necessary still, even 273 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,490 where we sit today, that we should expect to see the refinement of God 274 00:14:38,490 --> 00:14:39,689 present in the life of the church. 275 00:14:40,620 --> 00:14:42,300 Think about different things that, that God might be 276 00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:43,439 working on in the church today. 277 00:14:43,439 --> 00:14:45,329 For example, an adulterated gospel. 278 00:14:46,319 --> 00:14:47,130 We see that, don't we? 279 00:14:47,955 --> 00:14:51,885 It's not hard to find that open up social media or you, in the old days you used 280 00:14:51,885 --> 00:14:55,064 to turn on the TV, I guess, and turn over to to TBN or something like that and you 281 00:14:55,064 --> 00:14:57,165 see the blue hair and they're talking about health, wealth, and prosperity. 282 00:14:57,165 --> 00:15:02,265 Gospels, any false gospel in the church, wherever it is, God is interested in 283 00:15:02,265 --> 00:15:03,735 refining his church to get rid of it. 284 00:15:05,475 --> 00:15:06,765 About disqualified leadership. 285 00:15:08,385 --> 00:15:10,755 That's been something that God's been doing a lot recently, hasn't he? 286 00:15:11,595 --> 00:15:15,225 Exposing sin in the lives of, of pastors that shouldn't be leading, 287 00:15:15,225 --> 00:15:16,485 shouldn't be pastoring churches. 288 00:15:17,850 --> 00:15:20,250 Because it's time for judgment to begin at the household of God. 289 00:15:21,089 --> 00:15:26,280 He wants a pure church about worldliness just in the body in general. 290 00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:31,260 We should expect individually, God to go to work on sin in our life because 291 00:15:31,260 --> 00:15:36,209 corporately he wants us to be a holy body in our holiness as a body is only 292 00:15:36,209 --> 00:15:40,980 as good as our holiness as individuals, and so the refiner's fire is going 293 00:15:40,980 --> 00:15:44,250 to come into our lives to help make us more like Christ as individuals. 294 00:15:45,810 --> 00:15:48,510 And the last but not least, how about the idol of comfort in the church? 295 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:50,400 We talked about it last week. 296 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,620 We're not just here to run out the clock until Christ comes back. 297 00:15:53,850 --> 00:15:57,240 And yet, a lot of times that's so easy for us as a church to just turn 298 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:02,700 so inwardly to just say, well, can't we be our, our, our holy huddle, our, 299 00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:05,700 our cloistered clique, and just hang out here until Christ comes back. 300 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:08,880 And he wants us to get out into the world. 301 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:10,020 He wants us to reach the loss. 302 00:16:10,020 --> 00:16:12,540 He wants to, to get uncomfortable on mission. 303 00:16:13,605 --> 00:16:15,885 And so if God is going to be about refining the church and we 304 00:16:15,885 --> 00:16:19,035 should expect that, then, then as a church locally here is Compass. 305 00:16:19,035 --> 00:16:22,454 What I want us to be on, on guard against is I want us to be proactively guarding 306 00:16:22,454 --> 00:16:24,345 against any need for him to do that here. 307 00:16:25,454 --> 00:16:28,425 And that is gonna require you guys as much as it requires any 308 00:16:28,425 --> 00:16:29,595 of your pastors or leaders here. 309 00:16:31,125 --> 00:16:34,005 A few thoughts at what it looks like for you to help us guard against 310 00:16:34,005 --> 00:16:37,305 the refining needing to come against us is number one, be good berean. 311 00:16:38,655 --> 00:16:39,375 Here's what I mean by that. 312 00:16:39,375 --> 00:16:42,405 The Marines were commended in the Book of Acts because they heard what 313 00:16:42,405 --> 00:16:45,675 the was preached, and they went to the word of God to say, is this true? 314 00:16:45,675 --> 00:16:46,694 According to the word of God, 315 00:16:48,795 --> 00:16:50,175 this is my standard. 316 00:16:50,175 --> 00:16:52,064 Week in and week out is this book right here. 317 00:16:53,265 --> 00:16:54,285 I prayed about it earlier. 318 00:16:54,525 --> 00:16:56,355 I can't change your life. 319 00:16:57,435 --> 00:16:59,714 I don't have the intellect, the wisdom, the wit, the, the 320 00:16:59,714 --> 00:17:02,865 humor, anything like that to do anything worthwhile in your life. 321 00:17:04,275 --> 00:17:06,165 What changes your life is the word of God. 322 00:17:07,170 --> 00:17:08,099 My job is to preach. 323 00:17:08,099 --> 00:17:11,640 The word is to be a vessel, and so again, I've, I've said 324 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:12,839 it before, I'll say it again. 325 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:15,869 My job when I stand up here to preach is that you walk out understanding 326 00:17:15,869 --> 00:17:18,119 the passage better than you did when you walked in and knowing 327 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,810 what it should do in your life that what it should do in your life. 328 00:17:21,810 --> 00:17:24,150 That's the spirit's work that that goes to work in your life. 329 00:17:24,150 --> 00:17:24,420 After that. 330 00:17:25,990 --> 00:17:28,155 And, and, and so one of the things that you can do to help us guard 331 00:17:28,155 --> 00:17:31,845 against needing to be refined by the Lord is that you can be good Bereans. 332 00:17:32,235 --> 00:17:35,175 Make sure that what you here preach, whether it's here or in men's Bible study 333 00:17:35,175 --> 00:17:39,465 or in Women's Bible study in true north or student ministry, make sure that it 334 00:17:39,465 --> 00:17:41,475 lines up with what the scriptures teach. 335 00:17:42,075 --> 00:17:43,050 Second, pray. 336 00:17:43,990 --> 00:17:45,135 Pray for your leaders. 337 00:17:45,195 --> 00:17:45,945 Hope you are. 338 00:17:46,995 --> 00:17:47,805 Pray for your pastors. 339 00:17:47,805 --> 00:17:48,435 Pray for your leaders. 340 00:17:48,435 --> 00:17:49,755 Pray for your your community Group leaders. 341 00:17:49,755 --> 00:17:50,775 Pray for one another. 342 00:17:51,675 --> 00:17:53,385 I mean, this week I, I, I found myself. 343 00:17:53,835 --> 00:17:57,705 Just wanted to get back into a, a more organized prayer life. 344 00:17:58,514 --> 00:18:00,794 And I've used apps in the past, like I've used PrayerMate in 345 00:18:00,794 --> 00:18:02,235 the past and echo in the past. 346 00:18:02,235 --> 00:18:04,875 And, and, and those things can be good, but I found them not to be 347 00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:07,845 as, as helpful for me because those apps tend to get buried on my phone. 348 00:18:08,774 --> 00:18:10,784 So I watched a YouTube video this week where a guy was just 349 00:18:10,784 --> 00:18:12,825 talking about going back to the old fashioned index card system. 350 00:18:12,825 --> 00:18:13,425 So that's what I did. 351 00:18:13,425 --> 00:18:15,585 I sat down in my office, I took our community group prayers, and I just 352 00:18:15,585 --> 00:18:17,175 wrote 'em out on index cards this week. 353 00:18:18,180 --> 00:18:21,540 And he encouraged me to, to, to write the date of it and then on the back of the car 354 00:18:21,540 --> 00:18:23,310 to write date answered and leave it blank. 355 00:18:23,370 --> 00:18:25,230 Just in faith that God is gonna answer that prayer. 356 00:18:26,370 --> 00:18:29,730 It's exciting to, to, to do that and to start praying more organized and 357 00:18:29,730 --> 00:18:32,430 consistently, maybe you're struggling to get involved and get consistent 358 00:18:32,430 --> 00:18:34,650 in prayer, and you need to just put some organization behind it. 359 00:18:35,820 --> 00:18:38,700 It is hard if, if you're not praying right now to say, okay, well, I wanna sit, the 360 00:18:38,730 --> 00:18:41,460 pastor told me I should be praying more, so I'm gonna pray for, for 10 minutes. 361 00:18:41,460 --> 00:18:44,220 And you just sit there and you go, what do, what do I pray about? 362 00:18:44,805 --> 00:18:45,645 Two things can happen. 363 00:18:45,645 --> 00:18:48,135 You can struggle to come up with something, your mind can drift or you can 364 00:18:48,135 --> 00:18:49,785 have a million things hit you at once. 365 00:18:50,835 --> 00:18:53,085 Have a system of organization but be praying. 366 00:18:53,655 --> 00:18:57,255 We need to be a church that is praying regularly if we're gonna avoid the 367 00:18:57,255 --> 00:18:58,965 refiners fire here in our church. 368 00:18:59,715 --> 00:19:02,475 Third, fight sin in the camp. 369 00:19:03,315 --> 00:19:04,275 Fight sin in the camp. 370 00:19:05,265 --> 00:19:08,115 We just read about Aiken recently in our DA Daily Bible reading 371 00:19:09,195 --> 00:19:10,785 Aiken during the Battle of Jericho. 372 00:19:10,785 --> 00:19:12,495 He took something from Jericho, didn't he? 373 00:19:13,275 --> 00:19:17,145 This is an individual who took something from Jericho and he hid it. 374 00:19:17,145 --> 00:19:19,305 He concealed it, but he didn't hide it from God. 375 00:19:19,845 --> 00:19:23,505 And I just want you to think about the impact that Aiken's sin had on the entire 376 00:19:23,505 --> 00:19:27,885 community of Israel, that when it, they went out to battle against ai after 377 00:19:27,885 --> 00:19:29,055 the Battle of Jericho, what happened? 378 00:19:29,055 --> 00:19:32,475 They got defeated and people lost their lives because of Aiken's sin. 379 00:19:33,495 --> 00:19:35,865 You may have sin in your life right now that you don't think 380 00:19:35,865 --> 00:19:37,155 impacts anybody in this room. 381 00:19:37,155 --> 00:19:38,835 You may have sin in your life right now that you don't think 382 00:19:38,835 --> 00:19:40,725 impacts anyone else in the world. 383 00:19:42,975 --> 00:19:47,115 But what you need to understand is your sin as secret as you might think 384 00:19:47,115 --> 00:19:51,375 it is, God is aware of, and God may be withholding his hand of favor from our 385 00:19:51,375 --> 00:19:55,155 church corporately because you're not getting sin outta the camp individually. 386 00:19:57,165 --> 00:20:02,804 Finally, beyond mission, beyond mission, I, I, I believe God wants 387 00:20:02,804 --> 00:20:04,455 us to be a church that is on mission. 388 00:20:05,355 --> 00:20:07,935 I believe that I want us, that God wants us to be a church, that that 389 00:20:07,935 --> 00:20:09,254 is reaching people for Christ. 390 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:11,460 I appreciate about this last week, right? 391 00:20:12,450 --> 00:20:16,139 That, that the fiery trial is a fiery trial that comes from the outside because 392 00:20:16,139 --> 00:20:19,200 we are representing Christ because people see Christ in us and hear Christ 393 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,149 from us, and they don't like that. 394 00:20:21,149 --> 00:20:22,260 And so they're gonna persecute us. 395 00:20:23,159 --> 00:20:24,325 So y'all, we need to be a church on mission. 396 00:20:26,054 --> 00:20:28,304 I was preaching myself last week a a little bit on this and, 397 00:20:28,304 --> 00:20:30,675 and just en encouraged by some brothers in Christ too on this. 398 00:20:30,675 --> 00:20:33,645 I went to, to grab breakfast with somebody this week and I was sitting at the, 399 00:20:33,645 --> 00:20:36,254 the booth and the server came up and he had a couple of crosses on a necklace 400 00:20:36,254 --> 00:20:39,585 around his neck, and so I was like, okay, you teed it up, Lord, here we go. 401 00:20:39,645 --> 00:20:41,175 I was like, nice necklace. 402 00:20:42,014 --> 00:20:42,855 He said, thanks, man. 403 00:20:42,855 --> 00:20:43,635 I got it off TikTok. 404 00:20:43,635 --> 00:20:44,774 It's gonna turn my neck green. 405 00:20:45,824 --> 00:20:45,865 I said. 406 00:20:46,439 --> 00:20:47,459 Let's get you a better necklace. 407 00:20:49,199 --> 00:20:50,429 But I said, do you, where do you go to church? 408 00:20:50,429 --> 00:20:52,229 He was like, well, I, I actually don't. 409 00:20:52,229 --> 00:20:54,990 I go occasionally from time to time, different places. 410 00:20:55,590 --> 00:20:58,919 Um, and so I, I got to invite him to come to our church. 411 00:20:59,010 --> 00:21:00,179 I said, well, why don't you come check us out? 412 00:21:00,209 --> 00:21:01,199 Here's a, an invitation. 413 00:21:01,949 --> 00:21:05,399 I gave him an invite to, to our Easter services and then I, I left there. 414 00:21:05,399 --> 00:21:08,070 I got my car and I, I was on my way back to the office and I looked down. 415 00:21:08,070 --> 00:21:08,699 It was nine o'clock. 416 00:21:08,699 --> 00:21:09,840 I was like, Hey, I need to get a haircut. 417 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,780 So I pulled into Sport Clips 'cause I like to eat a fancy haircut. 418 00:21:14,415 --> 00:21:18,315 And, uh, I sat down with, with the lady that was gonna cut my hair, 419 00:21:18,315 --> 00:21:21,315 and I was like, man, I've got a captive volumes for like 20 minutes. 420 00:21:22,185 --> 00:21:23,685 The worst she can do is butcher my haircut. 421 00:21:23,685 --> 00:21:26,745 So you can decide what she thought about me based on how I looked this morning. 422 00:21:26,745 --> 00:21:27,345 That's up to you. 423 00:21:28,695 --> 00:21:32,115 Um, but I started talking to her and, and she asked me what I did, 424 00:21:32,355 --> 00:21:33,405 and I was like, well, I'm a pastor. 425 00:21:34,575 --> 00:21:37,095 And she was like, oh, I've, I've been starting to read my bible recently. 426 00:21:37,515 --> 00:21:39,135 I was like, okay, God, here it goes again. 427 00:21:39,135 --> 00:21:39,435 Right? 428 00:21:39,435 --> 00:21:40,275 Like you're teeing it up. 429 00:21:40,275 --> 00:21:42,315 If I don't take advantage of this, then I don't know what I'm doing. 430 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,679 And so we got to talk for 20 minutes and, and got to say, Hey, we'd love to 431 00:21:46,679 --> 00:21:48,060 have you come to join us at our church. 432 00:21:49,290 --> 00:21:50,669 You, we need to be doing things like that. 433 00:21:50,669 --> 00:21:53,580 We need to be having those conversations, looking for those things. 434 00:21:53,580 --> 00:21:54,750 'cause God wants us to be on mission. 435 00:21:54,750 --> 00:21:57,360 If we're not, he's gonna refine us or he is gonna shut us down. 436 00:21:58,439 --> 00:22:00,479 I mean, the church in Ephesus and Revelation, he said, look, you've 437 00:22:00,479 --> 00:22:04,800 abandoned your first love and, and if you don't repent from that, then I'm 438 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:06,149 gonna come and take your lampstand away. 439 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,060 If you go to Ephesus today, there's no church there. 440 00:22:09,989 --> 00:22:12,645 I don't want God to take this lampstand away because we're not on mission. 441 00:22:13,890 --> 00:22:14,670 So let's be faithful. 442 00:22:14,670 --> 00:22:17,910 We need to expect God to refine his church in large part because of what 443 00:22:17,910 --> 00:22:19,410 he writes in Ephesians chapter five. 444 00:22:19,710 --> 00:22:22,620 We, we think about this with marriage and rightly so because it is the marriage 445 00:22:22,620 --> 00:22:25,770 paradigm here, but I want you to read this in light of Christ in the church 446 00:22:25,770 --> 00:22:27,330 and what God wants to do with the church. 447 00:22:27,330 --> 00:22:29,010 It says this in Ephesians chapter five. 448 00:22:29,010 --> 00:22:32,910 It says, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. 449 00:22:33,604 --> 00:22:39,094 Gave himself, Jesus gave himself up for her, for the church that he might sanctify 450 00:22:39,094 --> 00:22:43,445 the church having cleansed the church by the washing of water with the word so that 451 00:22:43,445 --> 00:22:47,675 he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle, or 452 00:22:47,675 --> 00:22:53,405 any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish, we should expect the 453 00:22:53,409 --> 00:22:54,995 sanctifying work of Christ in the church. 454 00:22:55,774 --> 00:22:57,064 That should be normative for us. 455 00:22:57,905 --> 00:22:59,405 I'm not saying that that we're ever gonna get to a place 456 00:22:59,405 --> 00:23:00,245 where we're the perfect church. 457 00:23:00,245 --> 00:23:02,824 I just want us to, to be as, as holy as we can be. 458 00:23:03,915 --> 00:23:06,255 And that looks like us doing those things that I was just talking about. 459 00:23:07,395 --> 00:23:10,605 It's a mercy y'all, for God's judgment to begin with the bride of Christ. 460 00:23:11,475 --> 00:23:15,345 It's a mercy for him to discipline us in this way, to refine us, to make 461 00:23:15,345 --> 00:23:17,145 us a more pure and spotless bride. 462 00:23:17,745 --> 00:23:21,525 So when we see his judgment begin here, we shouldn't say God, why us? 463 00:23:21,525 --> 00:23:24,735 We should say, God, thank you for doing this in our lives. 464 00:23:25,455 --> 00:23:26,145 It's hard. 465 00:23:27,195 --> 00:23:28,095 It's not easy. 466 00:23:28,155 --> 00:23:29,055 It's not fun. 467 00:23:30,195 --> 00:23:34,485 It's a good thing because it's evidence that God wants us to be more like Christ, 468 00:23:34,485 --> 00:23:38,415 that God wants to use us, that he's not taking the lampstand away, that 469 00:23:38,415 --> 00:23:40,004 he still has us here for a purpose. 470 00:23:40,785 --> 00:23:45,945 So expect God to refine his church, but that judgment of God is not gonna 471 00:23:45,945 --> 00:23:47,385 have a positive effect on everyone. 472 00:23:48,014 --> 00:23:51,195 In fact, what's positive for us, Peter's is about to say, should serve 473 00:23:51,195 --> 00:23:52,754 as a great warning to the unbeliever. 474 00:23:53,385 --> 00:23:57,375 Look back down at your text in verse 17, the second half, now through verse 18. 475 00:23:58,455 --> 00:24:03,195 Peter continues here and says this, if it begins with us, what 476 00:24:03,195 --> 00:24:07,125 will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 477 00:24:07,605 --> 00:24:10,725 And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of 478 00:24:10,725 --> 00:24:12,345 the ungodly and the sinner? 479 00:24:13,635 --> 00:24:17,685 And so Peter says, if it begins with us, verse 17, it's time for judgment 480 00:24:17,685 --> 00:24:19,185 to begin with the household of God. 481 00:24:19,185 --> 00:24:21,615 If it begins with us in Greek, it's the word. 482 00:24:21,615 --> 00:24:23,774 If it's first with us. 483 00:24:25,035 --> 00:24:27,885 Uh, that implies that it's not gonna stay with us. 484 00:24:28,575 --> 00:24:29,655 And that's where Peter goes here. 485 00:24:30,075 --> 00:24:33,645 He says, if it's gonna begin with us, what will be the outcome? 486 00:24:33,645 --> 00:24:34,515 It's the word in the Greek. 487 00:24:34,785 --> 00:24:38,385 Tell us, which is the word for the culmination, the end, 488 00:24:38,385 --> 00:24:39,885 the result, the destination. 489 00:24:40,665 --> 00:24:45,165 What is the destination he goes on to say, for those who do not obey the gospel of 490 00:24:45,165 --> 00:24:51,525 God, that is the unbeliever for that is what it is to not obey the gospel of God. 491 00:24:53,085 --> 00:24:56,745 This is not implying that there's a, a, a to-do list to be saved. 492 00:24:56,805 --> 00:24:59,895 This is not implying that there's a, a list of, of righteous requirements 493 00:24:59,895 --> 00:25:02,805 that you have to measure up to do all these things and then you'll be good. 494 00:25:03,465 --> 00:25:07,215 That's not what he means by not obeying the gospel, rather the first 495 00:25:07,215 --> 00:25:12,375 act of obedience to any believers, the obedience of faith, believing the gospel. 496 00:25:13,545 --> 00:25:17,385 In fact, Jesus, I believe, makes this point in John chapter three, verse 36. 497 00:25:18,150 --> 00:25:21,960 In John chapter three, verse 36, Jesus says this, whoever believes the son has 498 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,320 eternal life, but whoever does not, and I'm gonna leave that blank for a second. 499 00:25:25,530 --> 00:25:29,160 The son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. 500 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,090 So Jesus is contrasting the two groups here that Peter is contrasting. 501 00:25:33,330 --> 00:25:35,940 You've got those that are destined for eternal life and those that 502 00:25:35,940 --> 00:25:37,260 are destined for the wrath of God. 503 00:25:37,290 --> 00:25:39,750 And Jesus says, those that are destined for eternal life are 504 00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:41,280 those that believe the gospel. 505 00:25:41,940 --> 00:25:44,550 And so you would expect him in John 3 36 to say, but whoever 506 00:25:44,550 --> 00:25:46,020 does not believe the son. 507 00:25:46,425 --> 00:25:48,255 On him, the wrath of God remains. 508 00:25:48,255 --> 00:25:49,815 But that's not what Jesus says. 509 00:25:50,115 --> 00:25:53,055 He does say, whoever believes the Son will have life, but he says, 510 00:25:53,055 --> 00:25:58,635 whoever does not obey the Son on that person, the wrath of God remains. 511 00:25:59,595 --> 00:26:03,375 Jesus is putting in parallel, in other words, and that belief in obedience. 512 00:26:04,425 --> 00:26:07,395 And so when Peter says those that do not obey the gospel of God, what 513 00:26:07,395 --> 00:26:09,675 he's talking about is those that have rejected the gospel of God. 514 00:26:09,675 --> 00:26:13,095 Those that do not believe, those that have not bowed the knee in faith and repentance 515 00:26:13,095 --> 00:26:14,565 to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 516 00:26:15,705 --> 00:26:20,475 And that unbelief, Peter says, what will happen to those in that camp? 517 00:26:21,705 --> 00:26:24,825 He's acknowledging the reality of the suffering of the church. 518 00:26:25,575 --> 00:26:30,525 He's saying, if, if, if we are suffering, now think about the lost. 519 00:26:31,785 --> 00:26:33,945 Think about the person that rejects the gospel. 520 00:26:34,635 --> 00:26:37,425 Think about the person that that dies, not in Christ. 521 00:26:39,015 --> 00:26:40,365 He says, what will be their outcome? 522 00:26:42,060 --> 00:26:45,810 Then after this, he quotes from the tugen of Proverbs 1131. 523 00:26:46,860 --> 00:26:51,240 He says, for if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become 524 00:26:51,330 --> 00:26:53,580 of the ungodly in the sinner? 525 00:26:54,450 --> 00:26:59,130 If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 526 00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:04,980 The word scarcely there can also be translated as saved with difficulty. 527 00:27:05,850 --> 00:27:09,030 And I think that's what it it means, and what it, it is better rendered as. 528 00:27:09,030 --> 00:27:12,090 Because what Peter's not saying is like, oh, we're gonna get to heaven and be like, 529 00:27:12,090 --> 00:27:13,590 whoa, didn't think you'd get me here. 530 00:27:13,590 --> 00:27:15,030 God, that was a close one. 531 00:27:15,420 --> 00:27:16,590 Barely got here. 532 00:27:17,790 --> 00:27:20,490 We are secure in Christ, we're sealed with the promise. 533 00:27:20,490 --> 00:27:22,260 Holy Spirit is a guarantee of our inheritance. 534 00:27:22,290 --> 00:27:24,635 We are being guarded by God's power through faith for salvation ready 535 00:27:24,635 --> 00:27:25,950 to be revealed in the last time. 536 00:27:27,585 --> 00:27:30,555 But what our life looks like between here and that deliverance 537 00:27:30,555 --> 00:27:31,665 is a life of difficulty. 538 00:27:32,415 --> 00:27:36,345 And so if the believer is saved with difficulty, in other words, if we are 539 00:27:36,345 --> 00:27:39,885 on the narrow road, as Jesus said, broad is the path that leads to destruction. 540 00:27:40,185 --> 00:27:41,835 Easy is the path that lead to destruction. 541 00:27:41,835 --> 00:27:45,885 And there are many who find it narrow and hard is the way 542 00:27:45,885 --> 00:27:46,845 that leads to eternal life. 543 00:27:46,845 --> 00:27:50,655 And few there are that find it if that's true of the church, 544 00:27:50,715 --> 00:27:52,605 if we are saved with difficulty. 545 00:27:52,995 --> 00:27:55,290 He says, what of the ungodly in the sinner? 546 00:27:56,475 --> 00:28:01,965 What if the lost, what are they gonna face again, he's anticipating the 547 00:28:01,965 --> 00:28:05,745 question as, as Peter was writing to his audience, that maybe they were 548 00:28:05,745 --> 00:28:08,025 saying, okay, why are we suffering? 549 00:28:08,025 --> 00:28:09,345 And it looks like the world is fine. 550 00:28:10,545 --> 00:28:12,165 Why are we suffering? 551 00:28:12,195 --> 00:28:14,205 And, and the world just gets to do whatever they want to do. 552 00:28:15,615 --> 00:28:20,385 Why do we have to deny ourselves things that would make us feel pleasure and 553 00:28:20,385 --> 00:28:23,565 happiness and joy and things that the world loves and, and the world just gets 554 00:28:23,565 --> 00:28:25,155 to do it and you're not doing anything. 555 00:28:27,810 --> 00:28:30,120 Peter's saying we need to broaden our horizons. 556 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,510 We need to zoom out and understand things, not just from a temporal perspective, 557 00:28:33,510 --> 00:28:34,800 but from an eternal perspective. 558 00:28:35,970 --> 00:28:39,330 And so Peter says, if, if we as believers are facing difficulty now, 559 00:28:39,330 --> 00:28:43,890 if it's a a, a hard life as a believer to walk the narrow road, the argument 560 00:28:43,890 --> 00:28:48,870 is from lesser to greater here, the greater is how much worse will life be? 561 00:28:48,930 --> 00:28:52,350 Eternal life be for the unbeliever who rejects God? 562 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:57,720 Who does not obey the gospel of God, who rejects, who disbelieves the gospel. 563 00:29:00,150 --> 00:29:03,840 The doctrine of hell is probably not one we spend a lot of time 564 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,420 thinking about, and I get it. 565 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,150 It's not the one that makes us feel the warm fuzzies. 566 00:29:11,070 --> 00:29:13,770 It doesn't sit there and and make us feel the same thing that we feel when 567 00:29:13,770 --> 00:29:17,880 we think about God's grace and God's mercy and his love and his compassion. 568 00:29:20,985 --> 00:29:24,794 At the same time, though, the doctrine of hell is imperative for us as Christians 569 00:29:24,794 --> 00:29:31,784 to understand because it both comforts us and it compels us into action. 570 00:29:33,675 --> 00:29:35,835 Our second point this morning, along those lines is this, think 571 00:29:35,835 --> 00:29:37,754 of hell to gain perspective. 572 00:29:38,805 --> 00:29:41,655 Think of hell to gain perspective. 573 00:29:45,554 --> 00:29:48,705 Hell is that thing that you're probably willing to acknowledge its existence 574 00:29:48,705 --> 00:29:50,355 if you're a Christian at least. 575 00:29:51,314 --> 00:29:55,814 But outside of that, tacit hats hit to its opposite reality 576 00:29:55,814 --> 00:29:57,405 of, of everything about heaven. 577 00:29:57,405 --> 00:29:59,715 You really don't want to think about it too much, 578 00:30:02,145 --> 00:30:02,804 and I get that. 579 00:30:03,135 --> 00:30:06,074 But again, I think it's important that we do because it will comfort 580 00:30:06,074 --> 00:30:09,990 and compel us the way that God wants us to be comforted and compelled. 581 00:30:12,135 --> 00:30:15,014 Some of the things that a biblically informed doctrine of hell will 582 00:30:15,014 --> 00:30:19,905 do are these, hell aids us in maintaining a, a proper fear of God. 583 00:30:21,405 --> 00:30:24,435 When I give myself over to thinking about what it is and the wrath of 584 00:30:24,435 --> 00:30:27,645 God being poured out therein and in all of the suffering that's there, it 585 00:30:27,645 --> 00:30:30,254 makes me fear God more As a believer, 586 00:30:32,504 --> 00:30:37,604 the doctrine of hell reminds me of the true nature of my sin, that it 587 00:30:37,604 --> 00:30:39,435 is not something to be toyed with. 588 00:30:40,709 --> 00:30:42,990 As a believer, it reminds me of the true nature because it reminds 589 00:30:42,990 --> 00:30:47,699 me of the cost of my sin when I consider that hell was born for me 590 00:30:47,730 --> 00:30:50,580 by Jesus when he died in my place. 591 00:30:51,929 --> 00:30:55,800 Hell also fosters a hatred of sin and a love of holiness. 592 00:30:57,449 --> 00:31:00,870 When I think about hell, and I think about the cost of my sin, and again, what was 593 00:31:00,870 --> 00:31:05,040 born by my savior on the cross, it should cause me to hate my sin and love holiness. 594 00:31:05,909 --> 00:31:09,719 Hell encourages me to endure the earthly trial here that I may be suffering. 595 00:31:09,719 --> 00:31:12,990 And that's part of the comfort that Peter's socking about churchy may 596 00:31:12,990 --> 00:31:18,030 be suffering right now, but it pales in comparison to the suffering that 597 00:31:18,030 --> 00:31:19,560 awaits those that reject the gospel. 598 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:23,790 This is the Randy Alcorn statement. 599 00:31:23,790 --> 00:31:26,190 This is as close to hell as any believer will ever experience. 600 00:31:26,190 --> 00:31:28,860 What you go through here on earth as a believer is as close 601 00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:30,030 to hell as you will ever be. 602 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,960 It also comforts our souls that justice will be done. 603 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,150 When you think of the earthly justice system, sometimes the courts fail us. 604 00:31:42,150 --> 00:31:44,460 Sometimes justice is not done on this side of eternity. 605 00:31:44,670 --> 00:31:47,880 Hell reminds us that justice will ultimately be done. 606 00:31:49,845 --> 00:31:51,675 Another reason why we need to think about hell is that it 607 00:31:51,675 --> 00:31:54,585 answers the age old question of why do the wicked seem to prosper? 608 00:31:55,784 --> 00:31:58,215 And it does this by causing us, again, to zoom out and realize 609 00:31:58,215 --> 00:32:02,145 that the wicked will potentially maybe prosper during this life. 610 00:32:03,074 --> 00:32:04,845 But what is this life in light of eternity? 611 00:32:08,955 --> 00:32:14,115 A doctrine of hell also helps us develop, motivate, and maintain evangelistic zeal. 612 00:32:15,930 --> 00:32:19,890 When, when you see your coworker, when you sit down at that restaurant 613 00:32:19,890 --> 00:32:23,280 and your server comes to the table, not just looking at them as somebody 614 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:25,680 that's there to make sure that you get seeded and get water before your 615 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,530 waiter comes to you, but looking at the person going, this person has a soul. 616 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,700 They're going either to spend eternity in heaven with the 617 00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:34,170 Lord or in hell apart from him. 618 00:32:36,780 --> 00:32:40,350 Thinking of your, your neighbors by name and thinking that person has a soul. 619 00:32:41,940 --> 00:32:43,260 Your boss has a soul. 620 00:32:43,260 --> 00:32:44,670 Your coworkers have a soul. 621 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:48,480 They will either be in heaven or they will be in hell. 622 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:49,380 Hell compels us. 623 00:32:49,380 --> 00:32:54,300 A doctrine of hell compels us to be on a mission to reach the loss. 624 00:32:54,300 --> 00:32:57,570 Like Spurgeon said, I want to operate a rescue mission within a yard of hell. 625 00:33:00,450 --> 00:33:03,750 Hell also promotes humility in us when we realize that's what I 626 00:33:03,750 --> 00:33:09,150 deserve, but for the grace of God, and it also promotes gratitude. 627 00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:14,580 We don't like to think about, hell, 628 00:33:17,700 --> 00:33:19,590 maybe we don't even really like to think about eternity. 629 00:33:20,250 --> 00:33:23,430 But again, remember, we are the church on exile, not the church on vacation. 630 00:33:23,430 --> 00:33:25,470 We're not here just to run the clock out on things to be 631 00:33:25,470 --> 00:33:26,610 as comfortable as we can be. 632 00:33:28,350 --> 00:33:29,850 I want you to picture yourself on a, a ship. 633 00:33:30,585 --> 00:33:35,175 And this ship has a, a lounge, has fireplaces, has game rooms, 634 00:33:35,235 --> 00:33:39,495 has a movie theater, has stadium seating in it, has a place to shop. 635 00:33:39,495 --> 00:33:40,845 You can get whatever you need there. 636 00:33:40,845 --> 00:33:42,794 You can even get electronics there if you need them. 637 00:33:43,335 --> 00:33:45,075 Has a hospital even on board the ship. 638 00:33:45,105 --> 00:33:48,825 You've got doctors, you've got ICU there, you've got nurses, you got dentists there. 639 00:33:48,855 --> 00:33:51,165 You've got a problem with your, your, your tooth while you're on the ship. 640 00:33:51,165 --> 00:33:52,245 You can go see the dentist there. 641 00:33:52,245 --> 00:33:53,024 You're gonna be good to go. 642 00:33:53,325 --> 00:33:55,665 It's got wireless internet, it's got a library. 643 00:33:56,475 --> 00:33:58,875 It's got a barbershop. 644 00:33:58,875 --> 00:33:59,350 You can get your haircut. 645 00:34:00,525 --> 00:34:01,605 Maybe better than mine was. 646 00:34:01,605 --> 00:34:02,025 I don't know. 647 00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:04,095 I, I like, I thought, I think I looked good. 648 00:34:04,155 --> 00:34:04,785 Lemme just say that. 649 00:34:06,975 --> 00:34:08,715 Gyms, it's got gyms, right? 650 00:34:08,715 --> 00:34:10,755 You got different places you can go work out there. 651 00:34:11,205 --> 00:34:13,455 You got post office, it's got all these things. 652 00:34:14,655 --> 00:34:17,745 Now, before you sign up for your next cruise on this ship, I want 653 00:34:17,745 --> 00:34:18,675 to give you the name of the ship. 654 00:34:19,784 --> 00:34:23,925 The name of that ship is the USS Abraham Lincoln, and it's currently 655 00:34:23,925 --> 00:34:27,975 stationed in the Sea of Arabia, offering support for what's taking place. 656 00:34:28,710 --> 00:34:30,090 In operation to Epic Fury. 657 00:34:31,469 --> 00:34:34,860 My guess is those amenities on that ship aren't getting much action right now. 658 00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:36,449 Why? 659 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:40,050 Because of the perspective of the sailors on that ship. 660 00:34:41,310 --> 00:34:42,659 They're not there to be comfortable. 661 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:43,800 They're there on mission. 662 00:34:44,550 --> 00:34:47,790 They're there to man their battle stations, not to lay out by the pool. 663 00:34:48,030 --> 00:34:48,900 I don't think it has a pool. 664 00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:50,100 I didn't read. 665 00:34:50,100 --> 00:34:50,370 It does. 666 00:34:50,370 --> 00:34:50,969 At least, maybe it does. 667 00:34:50,969 --> 00:34:51,330 I don't know. 668 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:53,010 They're not there to get their hair cut. 669 00:34:53,969 --> 00:34:56,335 They're there to stay focused on what's there, the mission. 670 00:34:57,405 --> 00:34:57,615 Y'all. 671 00:34:57,615 --> 00:35:00,375 Let's not be derailed by the amenities of this world such that 672 00:35:00,375 --> 00:35:01,875 we begin to lose sight of eternity. 673 00:35:02,415 --> 00:35:05,325 Heaven and hell are at stake with the conversations that you have with your 674 00:35:05,325 --> 00:35:08,175 barber heaven and hell are at stake with the conversations that you have with 675 00:35:08,175 --> 00:35:10,305 your neighbor and your coworker there. 676 00:35:10,695 --> 00:35:12,345 This is what we're dealing with here, y'all. 677 00:35:14,415 --> 00:35:18,825 If we get to eternity and, and, and your, your neighbor. 678 00:35:19,215 --> 00:35:22,515 Let's say eventually somebody saves them and, and you and your neighbor 679 00:35:22,515 --> 00:35:24,705 both get to heaven at the same time, and you look at each other and 680 00:35:24,705 --> 00:35:26,985 they look at you and they're like, you were saved that whole time. 681 00:35:29,265 --> 00:35:30,345 Why didn't you say anything? 682 00:35:32,445 --> 00:35:37,005 Didn't you know that for 50 years of my life I was hanging like a spider on a 683 00:35:37,005 --> 00:35:38,685 thread dangling over the fires of hell? 684 00:35:39,070 --> 00:35:41,445 Why didn't you do anything? 685 00:35:45,645 --> 00:35:48,915 Understanding how gives us a reminder of what's at stake for you and me, 686 00:35:48,915 --> 00:35:50,295 and our neighbors and our coworkers. 687 00:35:51,255 --> 00:35:52,695 It reminds us that we're not on a cruise ship. 688 00:35:52,695 --> 00:35:53,415 We're on a battleship. 689 00:35:55,035 --> 00:35:57,825 It reminds us that we're not the church on vacation, but the church 690 00:35:57,825 --> 00:35:59,415 on exile, the church on mission. 691 00:35:59,805 --> 00:36:02,385 That we're not just here to run out the clock on our deployment. 692 00:36:02,595 --> 00:36:05,085 We are here to reach the lost still. 693 00:36:05,085 --> 00:36:07,485 You may be wondering, okay, but, but what is hell? 694 00:36:10,335 --> 00:36:11,625 Where is hell? 695 00:36:11,655 --> 00:36:12,525 Maybe we start there. 696 00:36:12,525 --> 00:36:13,845 Well, it's not at the middle of the earth. 697 00:36:14,595 --> 00:36:15,795 The way the cartoon's depicted. 698 00:36:16,635 --> 00:36:18,495 It's also not Satan's domain. 699 00:36:19,635 --> 00:36:23,715 You don't have Satan with his pitchfork guarding the presence of hell there. 700 00:36:25,935 --> 00:36:26,925 Did I give the second point? 701 00:36:26,925 --> 00:36:27,525 I think I did. 702 00:36:27,795 --> 00:36:28,245 There it is. 703 00:36:28,245 --> 00:36:33,405 If I did, hell Is is a place, as the Bible describes it. 704 00:36:34,530 --> 00:36:38,220 Where the, the people that reject the Lord, the unbelievers, those who 705 00:36:38,220 --> 00:36:43,410 don't obey the gospel will suffer and they will suffer in intense anguish. 706 00:36:43,470 --> 00:36:46,050 Luke 1624 says, it's a place of anguish. 707 00:36:46,530 --> 00:36:49,230 Luke 1628 describes it as a place of torment. 708 00:36:50,340 --> 00:36:54,360 Matthew eight 12 describes it, A place of darkness in weeping and gnashing of teeth. 709 00:36:55,470 --> 00:36:58,560 Mark 9 43 describes it as a place of unquenchable fire. 710 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,350 We could go on and on, and these are all things that Jesus. 711 00:37:02,580 --> 00:37:04,080 Spoke of about hell 712 00:37:07,890 --> 00:37:12,840 is hell eternal, that's been bantered about on social media and, and 713 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:15,330 YouTube channels for a while recently. 714 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:21,180 In short, yes, lemme just give you three reasons why I'm going to suggest to you 715 00:37:21,180 --> 00:37:24,630 that hell is eternal, meaning those that are there will never, ever be destroyed. 716 00:37:24,630 --> 00:37:27,210 They will never get a moment's relief while there. 717 00:37:28,620 --> 00:37:31,710 The first reason why is the language used in Matthew 25 46. 718 00:37:32,850 --> 00:37:34,020 Matthew 25 46. 719 00:37:34,020 --> 00:37:37,920 Jesus says, these will go away into eternal punishment, but 720 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:39,510 the righteous into eternal life. 721 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,250 So there you have Jesus comparing the destination of 722 00:37:44,250 --> 00:37:46,020 both the lost and the saved. 723 00:37:47,100 --> 00:37:50,160 We don't look at an eternal life and say, well, there must be an end 724 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:53,580 to eternal life somewhere there's a termination point to eternal life. 725 00:37:54,735 --> 00:37:58,815 And so because Jesus is using the same word, eternal, within that close context 726 00:37:58,815 --> 00:38:04,005 with each other, you've got eternal death or eternal punishment and eternal life. 727 00:38:04,935 --> 00:38:08,655 And so the language used tells me that hell is a, a place of eternal suffering. 728 00:38:08,655 --> 00:38:14,055 Second, the language used of torment implies a conscious existence. 729 00:38:15,260 --> 00:38:18,225 I, I can't be in torment if I'm not conscious of it. 730 00:38:20,370 --> 00:38:22,260 I say, well, what does that have to do with how long it lasts? 731 00:38:22,260 --> 00:38:26,220 Well, revelation chapter 20, verse 10 tells us that the false prophet and the 732 00:38:26,220 --> 00:38:30,000 antichrist are going to be thrown into the lake of fire where it says they will be 733 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,450 tormented day and night, forever and ever. 734 00:38:34,350 --> 00:38:37,710 The false prophet and the antichrist, both of those are human beings. 735 00:38:39,405 --> 00:38:42,165 They will be thrown into the lake of fire where there will be tormented 736 00:38:42,165 --> 00:38:44,865 day and night forever and ever. 737 00:38:45,135 --> 00:38:48,255 Now you fast forward to Revelation 20, verses 13 through 15. 738 00:38:48,255 --> 00:38:52,275 What we find there is hell with all of its inhabitants is going to one 739 00:38:52,275 --> 00:38:57,135 day after the great white throne be emptied into the lake of fire as well. 740 00:38:58,095 --> 00:39:01,095 Where we can safely assume that those will also be tormented 741 00:39:01,095 --> 00:39:03,375 day and night, forever and ever. 742 00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:07,065 With the false beast and the prophet, the false prophet 743 00:39:07,065 --> 00:39:08,145 and the beast, the antichrist. 744 00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:11,700 And so the language of torment implies a conscious existence. 745 00:39:11,700 --> 00:39:14,070 And then finally, there's good reason to believe that those 746 00:39:14,070 --> 00:39:15,750 in hell never stop sinning. 747 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,540 In Romans chapter one, Paul writes three times that God gives the godless 748 00:39:21,540 --> 00:39:25,980 over to their passions and their lusts to the things that they desire, which 749 00:39:25,980 --> 00:39:27,750 are not the things that God desires. 750 00:39:29,010 --> 00:39:31,980 And so there's no reason to believe that in hell that that's gonna stop. 751 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:36,360 In fact, RC Sproul. 752 00:39:37,245 --> 00:39:39,735 I saw a clip of him this week preaching on hell. 753 00:39:41,085 --> 00:39:43,905 If you get a chance, if you see it, it's, it's worth your time. 754 00:39:43,905 --> 00:39:47,445 But he says in hell, there's gonna be two people, two types of person. 755 00:39:48,255 --> 00:39:52,965 There's gonna be the one person that dies and awakens in the, the torment of hell, 756 00:39:53,775 --> 00:39:56,955 realizing that they missed it because they thought they were with the Lord. 757 00:39:56,955 --> 00:39:58,725 These are the people that say, Lord, Lord, didn't we know 758 00:39:58,725 --> 00:39:59,925 do all these things for you? 759 00:39:59,925 --> 00:40:00,945 And He's gonna say it apart from me. 760 00:40:00,945 --> 00:40:01,605 I never knew you. 761 00:40:02,715 --> 00:40:05,295 And these are the people that swirl describes 'em in hell, that there's 762 00:40:05,295 --> 00:40:07,065 not enough tears for them to weep 763 00:40:09,225 --> 00:40:14,205 over the anguish and the sorrow that they missed it, that they put their 764 00:40:14,205 --> 00:40:15,945 trust in something other than Jesus. 765 00:40:18,675 --> 00:40:22,335 And then there's gonna be the second group in hell, and that's the group 766 00:40:22,335 --> 00:40:24,495 that's just furious that they're there. 767 00:40:26,055 --> 00:40:28,725 This is the weeping in the gnashing of teeth as sprawl said. 768 00:40:28,725 --> 00:40:31,035 Those that are gonna look at God and say, how dare you. 769 00:40:32,385 --> 00:40:33,015 Put me here. 770 00:40:38,235 --> 00:40:39,585 This is the nature of hell. 771 00:40:42,585 --> 00:40:48,165 Whatever you may think of it, I plead you to guard against ever thinking 772 00:40:48,375 --> 00:40:49,785 that it's not gonna be that bad. 773 00:40:51,765 --> 00:40:56,725 There's nothing worse than what awaits those that do not obey the gospel of God. 774 00:41:00,495 --> 00:41:03,435 So on the one hand, as we suffer, that puts our suffering in perspective here. 775 00:41:03,435 --> 00:41:07,335 As a church, our suffering is, but for a moment, this light, 776 00:41:07,335 --> 00:41:09,975 momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. 777 00:41:11,655 --> 00:41:16,215 But the other thing that I hope it does is I hope that it compels us to 778 00:41:16,215 --> 00:41:19,245 look at those in our lives that right now are just like Jonathan Edwards 779 00:41:19,245 --> 00:41:23,505 said, that's spider dangling over the fires of, hell say, what can I do? 780 00:41:24,495 --> 00:41:27,795 To get the gospel to them such that they might repent and believe in Jesus Christ. 781 00:41:29,235 --> 00:41:30,135 God gives faith. 782 00:41:30,135 --> 00:41:34,185 You can't do that, but you can be faithful to pursue them with the gospel 783 00:41:36,195 --> 00:41:37,455 as far as humanly possible. 784 00:41:39,615 --> 00:41:41,925 So think of hell to gain perspective. 785 00:41:42,705 --> 00:41:44,865 But there's one last hurdle for us to overcome here. 786 00:41:44,955 --> 00:41:47,655 One last question that may have been in the back of people's minds. 787 00:41:48,765 --> 00:41:49,005 Okay. 788 00:41:49,815 --> 00:41:50,835 Suffering is here. 789 00:41:50,835 --> 00:41:51,735 It's going to happen. 790 00:41:51,735 --> 00:41:58,305 I've got a perspective shift on this, but is this all just happening at at random? 791 00:41:58,305 --> 00:42:02,175 And if not, is God behind This? 792 00:42:02,265 --> 00:42:04,665 Is this part of his plan for my life? 793 00:42:05,925 --> 00:42:07,335 Peter answers that in verse 19. 794 00:42:07,665 --> 00:42:08,235 He says this. 795 00:42:08,235 --> 00:42:13,185 Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to 796 00:42:13,185 --> 00:42:15,315 a faithful creator while doing good. 797 00:42:16,140 --> 00:42:19,290 Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a 798 00:42:19,290 --> 00:42:21,090 faithful creator while doing good. 799 00:42:21,390 --> 00:42:22,200 Those who suffer. 800 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:23,640 Those are, that's the believers. 801 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,950 This is what we've been talking about all the way back from verse 12. 802 00:42:25,950 --> 00:42:30,180 In fact, when he says, therefore in verse 19, he's summarizing not just 803 00:42:30,180 --> 00:42:33,660 verses 17 through 19, but really he's summarizing all the way back in verse 804 00:42:33,660 --> 00:42:35,370 12, all the way down through verse 18. 805 00:42:36,090 --> 00:42:38,760 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fire trial when it comes upon 806 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:41,280 you as though something strange were happening to you to test you. 807 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:43,080 Th this is all of this. 808 00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:45,780 He's saying, those who suffer, let those who suffer. 809 00:42:45,780 --> 00:42:49,410 And then he says this phrase here, according to the will of God. 810 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,770 That's a phrase that's both comforting and hard at the same time for us. 811 00:42:57,300 --> 00:43:01,080 We should expect to suffer as those that that follow the Lord, and 812 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:02,430 this is part of his will for us. 813 00:43:02,550 --> 00:43:05,430 Some of the things that we should expect to suffer for, he's already talked 814 00:43:05,430 --> 00:43:07,560 about in the letter you're an elect. 815 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:08,190 Exile. 816 00:43:08,910 --> 00:43:09,180 Okay? 817 00:43:09,180 --> 00:43:11,550 That, that the word of being in exile, that should imply that 818 00:43:11,550 --> 00:43:12,540 I'm gonna suffer to an extent. 819 00:43:12,930 --> 00:43:15,750 You have a, a living hope, but that hope's not here. 820 00:43:17,265 --> 00:43:19,635 If it was here, it wouldn't be hope anymore. 821 00:43:19,935 --> 00:43:22,455 Our hope is in something that's in the future, not present. 822 00:43:22,455 --> 00:43:24,195 What's present is going to disappoint us. 823 00:43:24,225 --> 00:43:25,395 It's going to discourage us. 824 00:43:25,395 --> 00:43:27,465 It's going to lead to suffering your inheritance. 825 00:43:27,465 --> 00:43:29,445 That what you're hoping for, it's, it's not here. 826 00:43:29,655 --> 00:43:31,455 And so you're not chasing after the same thing. 827 00:43:31,455 --> 00:43:33,615 The world's chasing after that's gonna lead to suffering. 828 00:43:33,975 --> 00:43:36,165 You have a future deliverance that's coming. 829 00:43:36,165 --> 00:43:41,025 You're not delivered yet again, it's with difficulty that we're going to be saved. 830 00:43:41,865 --> 00:43:42,970 You're called to be holy. 831 00:43:43,665 --> 00:43:48,075 To be holy is to be separate, to be distinct, to be called out from the world. 832 00:43:48,525 --> 00:43:51,615 You're ransom from the world's ways, meaning again, that you are 833 00:43:51,615 --> 00:43:54,585 not to participate in the ways of the world that's gonna cause 834 00:43:54,585 --> 00:43:56,055 friction with the world around you. 835 00:43:56,265 --> 00:43:58,515 You're a people for his own possession. 836 00:43:59,310 --> 00:44:03,270 And so God wants to use you for his glory and his good and his work, which is gonna 837 00:44:03,270 --> 00:44:08,190 be counter-cultural like we talked about last week, and your sojourner and exiles. 838 00:44:08,190 --> 00:44:11,760 So Peter's been telling us we should expect this, but now he's telling us 839 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:13,500 because it's part of the will of God. 840 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:16,560 And maybe that's begging the questioner or inviting the question 841 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:21,750 from you is, is isn't that harsh for God to will me to suffer right now 842 00:44:23,910 --> 00:44:25,500 a few things that we should remember. 843 00:44:26,475 --> 00:44:29,565 Number one, his will is good and perfect. 844 00:44:30,825 --> 00:44:34,005 Scripture says that we need to do what we can to discern the will of God. 845 00:44:34,005 --> 00:44:35,385 That which is good and perfect. 846 00:44:36,765 --> 00:44:39,195 And so if God's will is for me to suffer, I need to know that 847 00:44:39,195 --> 00:44:41,205 God's will is good and perfect. 848 00:44:42,375 --> 00:44:46,095 Second there, there's a limit to our suffering here, right? 849 00:44:46,095 --> 00:44:50,115 We've been talking about that we're suffering here temporarily, and so his 850 00:44:50,115 --> 00:44:51,945 will is not for us to suffer for eternity. 851 00:44:52,425 --> 00:44:53,865 It's to suffer for a time. 852 00:44:54,390 --> 00:44:55,560 For the purpose of his glory. 853 00:44:57,450 --> 00:44:59,700 Third, our suffering is ultimately for our good. 854 00:45:01,050 --> 00:45:02,280 He doesn't waste your suffering. 855 00:45:03,210 --> 00:45:06,750 He uses any suffering that you undergo to like the, the, the artist 856 00:45:06,750 --> 00:45:08,940 with the hammer and the chisel to make you look more like Jesus. 857 00:45:10,230 --> 00:45:12,360 And so our suffering is not purposeless. 858 00:45:12,450 --> 00:45:15,900 It's not random, it's not pointless, but because it's for 859 00:45:15,900 --> 00:45:17,310 our it's, it's part of his will. 860 00:45:17,310 --> 00:45:18,150 It's for our good. 861 00:45:18,150 --> 00:45:20,040 And then finally, we don't suffer alone. 862 00:45:21,510 --> 00:45:23,040 Look back at verses 13 and 14. 863 00:45:24,345 --> 00:45:27,825 Verses 13 and 14 say this, but it rejoice insofar as you share Christ's 864 00:45:27,825 --> 00:45:31,485 sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 865 00:45:31,695 --> 00:45:35,055 If you're insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed because the spirit 866 00:45:35,055 --> 00:45:37,185 of glory and of God rests upon you. 867 00:45:37,665 --> 00:45:40,635 So if you're suffering right now, you are suffering according to the will 868 00:45:40,635 --> 00:45:42,345 of God, but you're suffering with him. 869 00:45:42,465 --> 00:45:44,775 He's with you in your suffering right now too. 870 00:45:46,425 --> 00:45:48,345 These are reasons why I would say it's, it's not harsh for 871 00:45:48,345 --> 00:45:49,220 him to will us to suffer. 872 00:45:50,745 --> 00:45:52,425 And because of that, what, what do we do? 873 00:45:52,425 --> 00:45:53,085 What should we do? 874 00:45:53,085 --> 00:45:53,715 What can we do? 875 00:45:54,165 --> 00:46:00,345 We should entrust our souls to our faithful creator while doing good to 876 00:46:00,345 --> 00:46:06,135 entrust our souls is to hand our souls over to the care of another, to say, 877 00:46:06,135 --> 00:46:08,720 Lord, I'm, I'm gonna trust you with my very being, with my very life. 878 00:46:09,260 --> 00:46:11,925 You have my good in mind. 879 00:46:12,975 --> 00:46:15,645 And it's not just the, the sovereign Lord of the universe. 880 00:46:15,645 --> 00:46:18,915 It's not just God that Peter says. 881 00:46:20,055 --> 00:46:22,755 But that we should entrust ourselves to our faithful creator. 882 00:46:24,135 --> 00:46:26,955 This is why I wanted to read Psalm 1 39 with us during our scripture 883 00:46:26,955 --> 00:46:31,665 reading this morning, because there we see the Creator God who knits you 884 00:46:31,665 --> 00:46:34,755 together in your mother's womb, who knows the number of hairs on your head. 885 00:46:35,055 --> 00:46:37,425 Who knows the number of days that you will live before even 886 00:46:37,425 --> 00:46:38,655 one of them comes to pass. 887 00:46:39,765 --> 00:46:44,475 That's the God that you entrust yourself to far from a deistic God. 888 00:46:45,675 --> 00:46:49,695 He's a God that is intimately involved with everything going on in your life. 889 00:46:50,655 --> 00:46:53,865 And so God wants you to entrust your soul to him. 890 00:46:54,435 --> 00:46:57,075 But like I said at the beginning, that's not an entrusting, that's 891 00:46:57,075 --> 00:47:01,395 a let go and let God because of the last thing he says here. 892 00:47:01,995 --> 00:47:03,135 While doing good. 893 00:47:04,530 --> 00:47:08,400 We trust him and we stay active in what he wants us to be doing. 894 00:47:08,820 --> 00:47:12,090 We trust him as we walk through the valley, and yet we recognize 895 00:47:12,090 --> 00:47:13,470 he doesn't sideline his suffering. 896 00:47:13,470 --> 00:47:15,240 Saints, he gives them center stage. 897 00:47:15,900 --> 00:47:17,820 We trust him and we keep walking forward. 898 00:47:17,820 --> 00:47:21,540 We keep moving forward and trusting him while we do. 899 00:47:21,570 --> 00:47:21,900 Good. 900 00:47:21,900 --> 00:47:23,970 Point number three this morning is this, respond to your 901 00:47:23,970 --> 00:47:25,620 suffering with active faith. 902 00:47:26,850 --> 00:47:29,190 Respond to your suffering with active faith. 903 00:47:31,635 --> 00:47:34,395 Let those who suffer according to God's will and trusts their souls. 904 00:47:34,395 --> 00:47:37,605 There's the faith to a faithful creator. 905 00:47:37,605 --> 00:47:41,205 Again, Psalm 1 39, that creator that knows you so intimately 906 00:47:41,535 --> 00:47:42,915 wonderful are your works. 907 00:47:42,915 --> 00:47:46,515 My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately 908 00:47:46,515 --> 00:47:47,775 woven in the depths of the earth. 909 00:47:47,775 --> 00:47:51,435 Your eyes saw my unformed substance and your book were written. 910 00:47:51,435 --> 00:47:52,035 Every one of them. 911 00:47:52,035 --> 00:47:55,575 The days that were formed for me when as not yet there was any 912 00:47:55,575 --> 00:47:56,775 of them that had come to pass. 913 00:47:58,350 --> 00:48:00,510 So we entrust our souls to this faithful creator. 914 00:48:00,510 --> 00:48:02,850 But again, it's not letting go and letting God, it's, it's quite the opposite. 915 00:48:02,850 --> 00:48:06,270 It's holding fast and saying, okay, I'm gonna hold fast and let, God, 916 00:48:06,270 --> 00:48:08,940 I'm gonna hold fast to what you want me to do, Lord, to your promises, 917 00:48:08,940 --> 00:48:10,110 to your commands in my life. 918 00:48:10,170 --> 00:48:13,350 And here that command is while doing good. 919 00:48:14,640 --> 00:48:17,280 In other words, Peter's words in these verses weren't meant to be 920 00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:20,490 the dead bolt on our holy huddles to get us to, to hang out together and 921 00:48:20,490 --> 00:48:24,840 just ride it out until Christ comes back and trusting him in that sense. 922 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:30,480 But rather it's entrust your souls to him and get on the front lines and trust 923 00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:32,670 your souls to him and, and be motivated. 924 00:48:32,670 --> 00:48:35,130 Be spurred on live with greater abandon. 925 00:48:36,660 --> 00:48:38,850 George Whitfield is, is, is one of my favorites. 926 00:48:39,420 --> 00:48:42,360 He wrote, we are, IM mortal on Earth until our work is on earth is done. 927 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:45,120 Your life's not gonna end before God's done with the 928 00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:46,140 work that he has for you to do. 929 00:48:46,140 --> 00:48:46,740 In other words. 930 00:48:47,730 --> 00:48:48,720 So get busy doing it. 931 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:51,510 Whitfield was also the one who said this towards the end of 932 00:48:51,510 --> 00:48:52,535 his life, he said, Lord Jesus. 933 00:48:53,385 --> 00:48:56,295 I'm weary in thy work, but not of thy work. 934 00:48:57,525 --> 00:48:59,805 I'm weary in thy work, but not of thy work. 935 00:49:00,255 --> 00:49:03,825 If I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for 936 00:49:03,825 --> 00:49:07,550 thee once more in the fields, seal thy truth and come home and die. 937 00:49:09,420 --> 00:49:12,960 Uh, one of the, uh, just awesome things, uh, about Whitfield's life 938 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:14,040 is he, I, I've said this before. 939 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:17,100 He literally preached himself to death on the night he died. 940 00:49:17,310 --> 00:49:20,250 There were crowds outside his home that wanted to hear from him again. 941 00:49:20,490 --> 00:49:24,390 He had been preaching all day long, so he grabbed his candle, he set it on the 942 00:49:24,390 --> 00:49:28,530 window sill and opened the window and sat down on the stairs out of weakness, and 943 00:49:28,530 --> 00:49:31,020 he preached until the candle burned out. 944 00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:34,710 He got his candle, he went back upstairs, he climbed into bed, and 945 00:49:34,710 --> 00:49:35,970 he entered the presence of the Lord. 946 00:49:39,195 --> 00:49:42,495 Woodfield a week before that was quoted as saying, I would 947 00:49:42,495 --> 00:49:45,225 rather wear out than rust out. 948 00:49:46,995 --> 00:49:51,375 Oh, may that be our mentality, church, to entrust our souls to our 949 00:49:51,375 --> 00:49:54,585 faithful creator to say, God, you've got me, so I'm gonna go do good. 950 00:49:55,690 --> 00:49:56,510 You've got me. 951 00:49:56,685 --> 00:49:58,875 Whatever the suffering is coming, I'm gonna go do good. 952 00:49:58,875 --> 00:50:00,525 So don't sideline yourself, Christian. 953 00:50:02,295 --> 00:50:04,215 Don't tap out, out of fear. 954 00:50:04,215 --> 00:50:06,615 Don't tap out out of I'm, I'm, I'm just wiped. 955 00:50:06,615 --> 00:50:07,215 I'm, I'm too. 956 00:50:07,335 --> 00:50:08,955 There are seasons for rest. 957 00:50:09,045 --> 00:50:10,035 Yes, there are. 958 00:50:11,175 --> 00:50:12,555 So that we get back in the game. 959 00:50:14,210 --> 00:50:15,975 Do, do Don't get to heaven with your tanks. 960 00:50:15,975 --> 00:50:18,945 Still three quarters of the way full with energy that you're not 961 00:50:18,945 --> 00:50:19,995 gonna need when you get there. 962 00:50:22,875 --> 00:50:25,005 I'd rather wear out than rust. 963 00:50:27,810 --> 00:50:31,170 Let's be that entrust our souls to a faithful creator while doing good. 964 00:50:31,170 --> 00:50:35,490 Wherever you are, God has you there as a part of his will. 965 00:50:35,520 --> 00:50:38,190 Not to just passively wait for the return of Christ. 966 00:50:38,190 --> 00:50:43,950 Not to run out the clock on your time here, but to be active in doing good. 967 00:50:45,180 --> 00:50:50,190 Obeying him, reaching the loss, loving the church, praying, reading your Bible. 968 00:50:53,580 --> 00:50:54,990 He's not the divine watchmaker. 969 00:50:58,410 --> 00:51:01,110 It's easy for us to acknowledge God's sovereignty and omniscience 970 00:51:01,110 --> 00:51:02,700 and, and will in certain contexts. 971 00:51:02,700 --> 00:51:05,250 But how quickly when we suffer, do we shift into this mindset that 972 00:51:05,250 --> 00:51:06,420 says, God, are, are you there? 973 00:51:07,710 --> 00:51:08,310 Do you know? 974 00:51:09,240 --> 00:51:09,810 Do you see? 975 00:51:09,810 --> 00:51:11,190 Do you, do you care? 976 00:51:12,990 --> 00:51:13,620 He does. 977 00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:15,810 He's not the deistic God. 978 00:51:16,770 --> 00:51:20,310 He's intimately involved in your life, has you exactly where he wants you. 979 00:51:20,865 --> 00:51:23,325 To be used by him and for him. 980 00:51:23,595 --> 00:51:25,995 So hold fast and let God, let's pray. 981 00:51:28,245 --> 00:51:35,235 Lord, you are kind to us far more often than we acknowledge or give you credit for 982 00:51:36,255 --> 00:51:40,095 your goodness in our safety, your goodness in the food that you provide for us. 983 00:51:40,095 --> 00:51:43,035 Your goodness in the family that we have, your goodness in our 984 00:51:43,035 --> 00:51:47,595 health, your goodness would in in the sun that's shining outside. 985 00:51:48,975 --> 00:51:52,275 And yet, there are times that you bring the opposition, you bring the refiner's 986 00:51:52,275 --> 00:51:56,775 fire, you bring the chisel and the hammer to our lives, and it does hurt. 987 00:51:56,775 --> 00:51:58,425 And it is hard and it is difficult. 988 00:51:58,425 --> 00:52:01,995 And yet I'm so thankful that it is not without purpose. 989 00:52:03,165 --> 00:52:05,895 You do those things for our good and for your glory. 990 00:52:07,395 --> 00:52:10,185 I pray that you would make our church useful to you. 991 00:52:10,305 --> 00:52:14,925 Whatever the cost refine us, make us an instrument in your hand to 992 00:52:14,925 --> 00:52:18,315 exalt Christ and to be an effective lampstand here in this world. 993 00:52:19,875 --> 00:52:23,565 Father, I pray that you would use us in the lives of the lost to call them to 994 00:52:23,565 --> 00:52:28,575 faith and repentance, to call them to follow Jesus, that they might no longer 995 00:52:28,575 --> 00:52:33,405 have to fear hell, but may be able to look forward to eternal life with Christ. 996 00:52:35,340 --> 00:52:40,140 But we are so thankful for Jesus in that day that we will be with you and with him. 997 00:52:40,860 --> 00:52:45,210 In the meantime, may we be faithful to entrust our souls to you while doing good. 998 00:52:45,450 --> 00:52:46,800 We pray this in Jesus' name. 999 00:52:47,040 --> 00:52:47,790 Amen. 1000 00:52:48,030 --> 00:52:48,390 Amen.