Embrace Suffering | Francis Chan

we went around and just shared like what are you most grateful for? What are you most thankful for? And and as I thought about it, um man, I was just sharing how I don't know that I've ever been this thankful for the church. Um this church, I mean, just just my church experience of all these years, I go, gosh, right now it's just good.

It's good. You know, even worshiping with you guys today was just it was awesome. seeing Jonathan up here with the team leading and it was just I don't know it just things just feel right coming in the presence of God. Um, as I thought of different ones of you, I've just been so grateful because I, you know, when I read scripture all these years, I mean, been a Christian for like 30some years and and I'd always read about the love that was supposed to be in the church and I just didn't get it because there was such a gap from going to a church service to what I would read in the Bible.

But then as we've grown together, I'm seeing that gap narrowed and going, "Wow, I'm starting to see that love that the Bible talks about." Not just, "Oh, I love you, brother. I love you." You know, but like practical love where you're letting people into your home. You're you're giving up your evenings.

You're, you know, the pastors here, you know, just giving up their free time to shepherd others and care for them and and just hearing more about how you're caring for one another and loving each other. and and it's so cool to be a part of a church that's known for that.

Um and and and growing in that. I I was thinking about how um how grateful I am that so many of you are not ashamed of the gospel. And it's not like a group of five people that go out and share their faith, but it's like you all do, you know, like on a weekly basis.

It just seems like wow, people are are not just saying, "Hey, come to church." But you're actually telling people about God and about Jesus and about your relationship with him and it's it's natural to you. It's it's right to you and it's the norm here. It's like, wow, I always I always wanted to be a part of a place like that.

And and then I think about the growth I've seen in some of your lives, you know, that's happening in your lives. I I go, man, where you were a year ago to where you are today, you know, as I start thinking about some of your faces and and and where you came from and where you are today, I'm just going, God, the the growth is happening.

And then I then I hear about more and more of you getting into the word of God every day. And and for some of you, this is the first time you've been spending daily time alone with God, and you're growing more in love with him. and uh and you're coming to the prayer gatherings when we come together to pray and dogs just coming out of everywhere.

You know, these are all good things. I'm grateful for um but uh I I I just I I think about the church and uh I just want to say, man, I'm just grateful for what we have right now. And and sometimes I I think too much about the future and what's going to be like.

I start worrying like, oh man, what barely fit in here? What's going to happen when it gets bigger? you know, this and that. And um rather than just thanking God for the moment and going, you know what, today is a good day. And uh it's just nice to be around a group of people that are pretty like-minded.

I know some of you guys are new, some of you are visiting, but I'm just saying there's a family being developed here where we've got the same attitude like, man, we'll we'll take the shirt off our back. We'll give the back we'll we'll give stuff. Um, we'll we'll we'll do stuff for each other.

You know, we're going to go out. We want we have a picture of what we want to be and we're all going after it. And I love that. And um I was praying for you guys this morning because I have a message to give and I've been praying that you would accept it.

Um, not because it's like a weird obscure verse that I'm going to, you know, point something out and hope you believe me. Uh, no, it's it's an obvious teaching. It's all through the New Testament. You read about it this week several times. Every week you'll read about it.

It's just that you don't hear a lot of people preach about it. So, you you almost feel like it's not really in the Bible. And I'm going, "No, it's it's all over the thing." And the topic is suffering. That's right. And how as believers, we need to learn how to embrace suffering.

As I've been praying for you, because as a church, I get it. Okay, man. We're we're we're doing so well in these different areas. And if we can really embrace this and get this truth that you'll see all through scripture. We read about it all week long, all year long.

If you understand it and accept it, man, that's what's going to make us unstoppable as a church. Once you learn to embrace suffering, because there's so many churches out there that are going, "Oh, if you follow Jesus, everything will be good." That's not what Jesus taught. He taught the opposite.

Every time he called people to himself, he goes, "You sure you want to do this? Because this isn't going to be easy." He goes, "Hey, don't make don't think that I came to bring peace to your family. I actually came to bring division." This is what Jesus said.

I I I actually came to bring a sword. I mean, sometimes you're going to have to stand up against even family members because I'm bigger than all of that. And I want you to love me with all your heart, soul, mind. He goes, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He says, "If you want to follow me, you're going to have to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me." I mean, Jesus laid it out from the start. And it's so different from how we teach Jesus nowadays where we just want to talk about the good part.

And man, of course, we want to talk about the grace of God. Of course, we want to talk about his forgiveness. What is there without God's mercy? But at the same time, Jesus was very truthful and very upfront. You know, we don't try to lure people into becoming Navy Seals by saying, "Oh, it's going to be a blast."

Right? You just lay it out and go, "Okay, are you sure you want to do this? Okay, it's going to be worth it in the end. You're going to be a stud. I mean, you're going to be amazing. You're going to be ripped. You're going to be like no one else on, but you sure you want to do this?"

And that's the way Jesus taught. He goes, "Look, this is like a treasure in a field. There's nothing greater than this, but I'm telling you the truth. It's going to be tough." He goes, "I don't even have anywhere to sleep tonight. I'm worse than a fox. I'm worse than a bird.

I don't even know where I'm going to live tonight. You sure you want to do this? That's the way Jesus taught. And and Peter, we we read through First Peter today uh this week, right? Those who are doing the Bible readings and what what an what an amazing book.

But I caught some things in uh in chapter 4 that that just really stood out to me as I was I was praying on Wednesday like when am I going to teach? What am I going to teach on? And then I went through the reading and I'm like, whoa, this is it.

This is what I want to teach on on Sunday. He says in chapter 4, 1 Peter chapter 4:1, he says, "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God."

Okay? He says, "Since Jesus suffered in the flesh, okay, everyone, you with me? You guys agree? Jesus suffered in the flesh?" Okay, he didn't live a comfortable, easy life. I mean, it was suffering. It was rejection nonstop. He had that one moment, the triumphal entry, where everyone's cheering for him, but a couple days later, the same people are yelling, "Crucify him."

Okay, his life was crazy. He was he was a man of sorrows. And he says because Jesus did that then he says arrselves with the same way of thinking. Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. I thought arm yourself. That that's we don't normally think this way.

Arm yourself like think of armor. I I was going to bring my motorcycle helmet and I forgot. Um and I called you and you didn't answer your phone. Okay. my my because I was just going to put on a motorcycle helmet and have you throw things at my head, you know, because I want to show like I love like like you know I was uh Zeke was playing baseball this year and every time he had his batting helmet on I just couldn't help but throw things at his head, you know, cuz it's just funny, you know, it just bounces off.

Don't you know, hit him with the bat. It's just that's the idea of armor, right? You can't hurt me because I got my armor on. And he says, he goes, "This is this is way I want you to think. It's like armor." When you arm yourselves with the thinking that Christ gives you, he with that same way of thinking that look, following Jesus is going to hurt.

He goes, "Once you arm yourself with that mentality, you can't get hurt anymore. you realize I actually expect suffering and I kind of want some. See, once you you you get what Jesus says, you know, like Jesus taught in Matthew 5 in the biatitudes, he goes, "Look, hey, when they curse you, when when they say just malicious things about you," he goes, "Rejoice.

Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven. This is what Jesus taught. Okay? So if you arm yourself with that kind of thinking where you go, wow, he wants me to rejoice when I suffer for the kingdom, when I suffer for his name, because that's a great reward and my reward in heaven is is greater than any suffering.

And this is like light and momentary trouble. So then you're like, "Oh man, I hope someone curses at me for the name of Jesus because I'll get an eternal reward today." He says, "Once you arm yourself with that, who can hurt you?" Then it's then I have nothing to fear.

Like if I suffer for the gospel, I get eternal reward. whatever pain that that that they inflict on me. Whatever rejection, he promises me a great reward. So if I arm myself with that mindset, the same mentality that Jesus who endured the cross, why? For the joy set before him, the reward was going to be so great.

This relationship with us to him, he saw that as valuable that that we would be his children, that we would be with him forever. that the father would exalt him to the highest place and give him the name above all names. It's like, man, I'm going to endure this.

I I I'll I'll go through the cross. So, when we can arm ourselves with the same mindset and we actually expect suffering, it's like putting a helmet on. Go ahead, throw things in my head. It It's not going to bug me anymore. See, it's just this false teaching that tells you, "Hey, follow Jesus.

He'll make you rich. He'll make you healthy. He'll make everything work out. Your family back. This, this, this, this. I mean, you just heard from Deario's uh testimony, right? I follow Jesus. Not everything came together and perfect what we call blessing. Things get tough in the home. I I remember because I used to speak at youth camps all the time and and and kids would come forward and I'm like, "Okay, God, now just bless them like crazy.

Show them that by following you. It's just it's just awesome. Everything's great." and and they'd go home and their parents were divorcing or a brother or sister dies and I'm like, "Lord, what the heck? I thought I thought you were just going to make everything nice and smooth and the opposite would happen."

And you start realizing, okay, that's not promised in scripture. That's just what people say. What the scriptures say is arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. See, Jesus' way of thinking. He says, "Look, the son of man didn't come to be served." He knew that ahead of time.

He goes, "I did not come on the earth to have everyone serve me, even though I'm your creator, and I would think that would make you want to serve me. Like, you didn't exist until I made you." He goes, "But when I came, I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many."

So Jesus understood, look, I didn't come here to have all of you worship me and serve me. I actually came here to serve you and actually to die for you. That's what I came with. See, do we even have that mindset coming here today? I I think people even come to these gatherings to be served, you know, and so then we get disappointed.

Well, I didn't really like the songs they chose. They didn't like the, you know, they didn't sing the one I wanted and he didn't teach, you know, the verse I wanted taught and that, you know, the testimony. I was hoping for someone older, you know, and then you go home, it's like, man, outside really it's cold and it's hot.

It's like, I don't even know what to do. What is this about? Why? because he came to be served. Well, the son of man didn't come to be served. He came to serve and he came to give his life for many. And he says, "Hey, arm yourself with this way of thinking."

Then you won't ever be disappointed. See, then you go back and you you go gather next week, you know, in the house, and your mindset is, I actually came to serve other people. I actually came as a servant. Can I clean up the bathroom afterwards when you guys are done?

You won't be disappointed, you know, if that's your mentality because the bathroom will always need to be clean. Okay, it's like you're not going to be let go. It's like, okay, that's cool. Reward in heaven. Let me go actually encourage someone else. Let me go in to die to myself to use my gift for other people is arm your yourselves with that way of thinking because whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Have you ever thought about that? I I love that phrase. Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. Okay, once you get this, this is when you can walk away from your sin. Is when you understand suffering. Like when you can rejoice in suffering, which I got to ask you, have you ever think this through.

Have you ever done that? Rejoiced in suffering where you go to bed at night and go, "That was good." Cha-ching. You know, it's like reward, reward. Oh, I took this. I took this. I took this. I'm actually glad. That was a good day. I got rejected. I one of my buddies was telling me he was on a campus um just they were talking about abortion and he was trying to hand something out to this gal and this girl looks at it basically throws it on the ground and says f you you little you know yeah beep beep you know you should have been aborted and he's like wow the first time someone said that I'm like man that's so cool, you know, I mean, if you He goes, "Man, I tried to do it in love.

I, you know, it wasn't like he was being at church, you know, and I know the guy real humble. It wasn't like and and it was like, wow, that's awesome, man." I remember being out in the TLS with Sean Brady one time and and uh, you know, I get this phone call, hey, Sean just got punched in the lip.

I'm like, wow, that's so awesome. You know, like it's just this is good. This is good stuff. As long as we're going in love. But have you do you have that mindset? He says once you get that, he goes, that's when you can cease sinning. Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Look, the conquering of sin requires suffering. The conquering of sin requires suffering. So if you refuse to suffer, you will remain in your sin. Can you kick heroin without suffering? No. Yeah. You You go nuts, right? Can you kick anything without suffering? It's all about suffering. Even those of you that are right now addicted to pornography.

You every time you walk away, that's it's it's suffering. You you can't get away from your sin without suffering. That's why he says, "Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." It's those of us who refuse to suffer. You're going to remain in your sin for the rest of your life.

But those who suffered in the flesh ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. See, I I hear people, man, I've been a pastor a long time, and I hear people whine about, well, but I prayed to God that he would take away my desire for, you name it, for weed, for alcohol, for pornography.

I prayed and I begged God to take it away from me and he didn't. So, in other words, you were hoping to defeat sin without suffering. You were thinking God would just magically take it away and you wouldn't have to suffer at all. I'm just saying that's not what the scriptures say.

People go, "Well, it didn't work. It didn't work." Look what the scriptures say. Unless you're willing to suffer, you're not going to overcome your sin. Whatever it is. And then he goes on and um he says, "No longer for human passions, but for the will of God. you can spend the rest of your life once you get this mindset that this suffering is good.

You know, whether it's that glance at that girl or just that the putting down of the drink and walking away from it and you can just walk away and rejoice and go, "Man, I did it. That was good. That was difficult, but I did it." He goes, "Until you get that, you're not going to be able to figure this out and be able to to no longer live for human passion."

See, we live in a day and age now where people say, "Man, God can't tell us to not live for our own passions, our own desires. If I want to do something, he put that desire in me, and so he should make me free to do whatever I feel like doing."

I'm like, man, that's a whatever philosophy that that's not that's not biblical. What is he saying here? The whole point is that you wouldn't live for your human passions, but you'd live for the will of God. the passion or desire of God. And he goes on, I love verse three.

I love this whole thing. So, I want to say that a lot. I love the Bible. Um, but verse three, it says, "For the time that is passed suffices." Love that word. The the time that is passed suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do. living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, lawless idolatries.

He's speaking to the believers and he goes, "Come on, the time that's passed, that's enough, right? Have you had your fill of sin, okay? I I don't care how much sin you've had or how little sin, but look back to who you used to be. Was that enough for you?"

He Peter's Come on, you guys. You saw where that led you. Are you at a point right now where you go, I've had enough. Just that one word, enough. I'm done with it. I saw where that took me. I saw what that was doing to me. I saw that what that was doing to my relationship with God.

I'm done with it. Whatever I did in the past, or is there a part of you that goes, "Man, I kind of want to go back." Maybe maybe just one more day. Maybe just one more month and then I'll start January 1. I'll change my life first of January.

Or are you right now go? No, I've had enough. I've had the enough of the old me and where I was taking myself. I want Jesus now. I want to die. I'm willing to suffer because I want this, man. The the the past it suffices. It's good enough.

Did I do everything I wanted to do? No. You know what? I did enough. I I I did enough to see where that led me and I'm done. It's enough. You know, we read this this week also in second uh Peter 2 how it talks about how the dog returns to his vomit, right?

And the pig returns to his mud. Why is that? Because a dog's always going to be a dog and a pig's always going to be a pig. That's such a gross picture. It's it's Picture Picture me vomiting right now. It's beautiful, huh? You know, just all over. Then we all just go like, "Oh, gross, gross."

And then I come running back with a spoon. Exactly. But that's what I've seen many people do. You saw how ugly your sin was and then you go running back with a spoon. It's just gross. Or pig. You You wash it all off. Spray it all off and what's the first thing it's going to do?

Just look for some mud, right? I saw this for the first time a couple weeks ago over at this ranch. You know, they washed this pig out, then they had to just, you know, chain it, you know, hog tie, you know, whatever. Just keep it away from any dirt because that's just his natural tendency is to run back to the dirt.

Why? Because he's still a pig. See, and that's what Jesus can change in you is he can change your very nature where you're no longer a pig. You're no longer a dog. It's like I'm a new creation. So I don't go back to my vomit. You know, I it's not me where I go back to my mud.

It's like whatever is done, the past suffices. I'm good now. I'm a new creation. Oh man, I'm so done with all the stuff the unbelievers do, the Gentiles do. I'm not in it anymore. Whatever I did in the past, that was good enough. I know where that leads.

Is this a great passage, man? This is what we read this week. Then he goes on verse four with respect to this. They're surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

This has happened to some of you, right? You give your life to Jesus and then suddenly your whole crowd, it says they're surprised when you don't join them anymore. Remember the first time you looked at some of your friends and you're like, I just don't want to do that anymore.

I'm not into that anymore. And they just look at you like, what? What are you talking about? this is our whole lives. This is all we've ever done. And you just go that that day when you made that break. And you just go, man, what I've done that that was enough for me.

I don't need anymore. I don't want anymore. I'm a different person now. I don't go back to that. I used to do that. And it says that they get surprised like, what do you mean you're done with it? How does a pig not go back to mud? And you have that opportunity to share them.

You I've got this new nature now. It's like my desires are different. I used to be a slave to sin and now I'm like a slave to what's right. And when I do sin, it's not even fun anymore. It's like I hate it. I hate that. It it just it's just not even enjoyable because I've got the spirit in me now.

And it's like every time I do something that's evil, it's like ah it's like this master beating me. I don't want to enjoy it anymore. I've got this new nature. I don't enjoy rolling around in the mud. I don't know. It's weird. But it's not fun like it used to be.

The time that of the past that that sufficed. And it says they they don't join you. They're surprised when you don't join them and they malign you. They start talking trash about you. They start talking about how you're the one that's off. See, and this is where the suffering comes in, right?

And Jesus is saying, "Okay, when that happens, don't don't give into the pressure of," oh man, now they're talking bad about. No, rejoice in that. Arm yourself with that thinking, knowing, "Hey, when I go back to my friends and tell them, I'm not going to live that way.

Expect suffering. Put on that helmet. Arm yourself going, okay, this is what Jesus went through, and I'm about to get some of this, and I'm going to get some eternal reward right now. They're going to reject me. I'm just expect I'm not going to expect them to go, "Oh, that's beautiful."

You're following Jesus now. You're not going to do Don't expect that. Arm yourselves with the way of thinking that Christ had. He says, "They malign you." But verse five, this is why we don't go back. But they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

This is why we don't join him, right? It's either we suffer now or we suffer later and forever. Look, sin's tempting. I'm not saying that, like I said, it's suffering to not give up our sin. Some of you guys are in relationships you know you shouldn't be in.

You know, Jesus would not have picked that person for you. And to give that person up, man, you talk about suffering. You talk about weeks on the couch crying yourself to sleep is suffering. It's big time suffering. But you suffer now, you suffer later. You know, walking away from your friends.

I mean, there and I'm not saying walk away like never talk to them, but walk away from what they do. And maybe you need to take a break if you're not strong enough. But man, that's suffering when those are the only friends you've got. It's suffering. And he says, "Man, but do it because when they malign you, you got to understand they're going to give account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead."

I'm not making this stuff. Read it yourself. Right? It's right there. The one who is ready. When people say, "Oh, God doesn't judge. God doesn't judge what he's ready to judge. That's why he's like, "Come on. Come on." You know, he's right there. It's the moment you die, he's right there.

He's ready. You know, people who say, "Well, just just one more week." I mean, I used to I used to work with youth a lot, young people, and they'd always say, "Well, when I'm older right now, I want to have fun. when I'm older, you know, maybe on my hospital bed, maybe, you know, when I've got a few minutes left.

Really, man, why don't you take a walk with me through a cemetery sometime and let's just read the tombstones, how long they lived. You think everyone lived to 80? No. You see five year olds, you see two year olds, see 12 year olds, 20 year olds, 30 year olds.

Just just just look at just just read the dates, man. And God's on the other side just waiting. He's ready to judge the living and the dead. It doesn't matter that no one knows. See, some of you, you're doing stuff that none of us know about. Here I am going, "Oh, man.

What an awesome church." But there's stuff hidden. I know. And I don't know about it. But you're not getting away with anything. You You reap what you sow. God says it right there. He's ready to judge. He's on the other side. He's waiting for it. He says, "For this is why the gospel was preached, even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh, the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does."

He's talking about those who are now dead. People who have died that heard the gospel. That's why the gospel was preached to them. It may you may not have seen it on in life, but they they see it now. They're living like Jesus did who died and rose again.

See that? That's why we do this. It's you you can follow Jesus. That's what it means to follow Jesus. We follow him in his suffering and we follow him in his glory. And it's like, okay, I'll suffer on this earth. I'll suffer what I need to suffer. In fact, I want to suffer.

Give me some of that because I really believe something better is coming. And he says the gospel was preached to these people who are now living the way God lives. You see, you can end up like Jesus or you could end up like your old friends. For some of you, your old friends, where are they going to end up?

TL laying in the streets talking to themselves or hold up in an SRO with all the curtains shut paranoid just waiting to die and then face the judge who's standing and ready to judge on the other side. That that's the way you want to end it. Or for others of you, maybe it's not like that.

Maybe on earth it means you're rich and you're comfortable and you're laying on your couch watching movies, spoil your kids, golf and shop the rest of your life and then you stand before the living God and what you do with your life. See, or or do you want to be like Jesus?

Do you want to join us? And go, you know what? I'll take one on the chin. I'll do it. I'll do what I need to do. I actually want some in my life. And I want to rejoice in some of this because I'm not living for this world.

Like, Jesus, you know what? I can die to myself. And I actually have armed myself with this way of thinking. So, even if some of you hate this message today, please tell me. Like, I want it. I I I I want you to tell me. I'm insane. You know, suffering's okay.

And I'm learning more and more. Man, I'm like you. Okay. It's not like I in the flesh like to get beat up. It's not like I like to be rejected, but when I arm myself with this mindset, it's actually okay. It's all good. And so, we join together and work together at this.

And uh and then he says in verse 7, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be self-controlled, sober minded for the sake of your prayers. Because look, we're the end's near. We don't got much longer. He goes, "So, be self-controlled. Show some self-control. I know you want to do this.

You want to do that. Show some self-control." He goes, "And be sober minded, your your mind clear. Don't get it all foggy with all of this junk in there. all this media, all these movies, all this this this this just it's just like a I'm just cluttered with all this stuff.

He goes, "No, don't be be sober minded, clearminded." And that takes self-control. It takes self-control not to be checking your phone every few minutes and go, "Oh, you know, oh, watch this video. Watch this video. Look at this. Look what this guy said. Look at" It's like, man, just calm down.

Get in the presence of God. Get your mind clear. Read the scriptures. Get in the word every morning. erase your mind of all the other junk and just stand before God without your mind just going 100 miles an hour. Show some self-control. He says so that for the sake of your prayers so that you can have a good prayer life, man.

If Christ is returning, you want to have a good prayer life. But that takes self-control. That doesn't just mean there's something supernatural that happens once you get in that room alone with God. No, it takes self-control ahead of time. What you do ahead of time is going to determine how your prayer life's going to be, whether you exercise self-control.

He goes on, "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins." Okay, Christ is coming. So, let's just love each other even more. Okay? He says, "Because love is what's going to cover up our sins." Look, I'm going to offend you. I'm going to sin against you.

But if you love me, you overlook it, right? Haven't you done that in your life where someone like I remember when Lisa and I were first dating like she she she has a Coke with her everywhere and uh she used to be more clumsy. I feel like you're less clumsy now, but when you were younger and she would just spill a Coke, you know, on the car, on me, on whatever.

And it was just like, "Haha, so cute. You spill Coke, you know. Why? Cuz I'm in love. I don't care. Spill it all over me. Why? I can't believe you're still going out with me." You know, you know, then over the years you get used to someone, it's like you spill again, you know, it it's but love, right?

Love covers over a multitude of sins. And so if you really love me, man, I'm going to do stuff that bugs you. Okay, but you love me so much. Ah, it's just Francis. All right, spill some more. You know, and for us to start looking at each other, if you get bugged by these people around you, it's because it's a lack of love.

You just just if you find yourself always getting bugged and annoyed by people, it's because you're not a very loving person. Um, man, I I'm talking to myself. I know when I love someone, they don't irritate me that much. So, you arm yourself. You keep loving each other.

You show hospitality to one another without grumbling. I love this word hospitality. It's it's to care and to love strangers. You show hospitality. You love strangers. People you never even met before without grumbling. Without grumbling. Key phrase there. You know why? Because when you complain about serving God, who gets the glory? when you walk in, oh, I'm so exhausted because, you know, I was calling my people all night and oh man, I like I'm fasting.

I'm just exhausted and you know, people are harsh on me. Who gets the glory right then? It's all you. Every time you complain, it draws the attention to you. But when you can just show hospitality and not complain about it's like, man, who gets the glory? Him. It's like, man, it's so good.

I get to be like Jesus. Why? Because Jesus changed your nature and you just love serving it. I mean, these these things I can't go through every verse. Um, okay, maybe one more. As each as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace.

Whoever speaks, as one who speaks the oracles of God, whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Because everyone has a gift. to serve as everyone's been given a gift.

You did not come here to be served today. Just put that helmet on. Put that mindset on. The same mindset of Christ. You didn't come for me to serve you, for Jonathan, the worship team to serve you, for for you know the people who cook to serve. You came to serve.

You came here to give. And that's what we do. All right, let me just keep going. Verse 12, because I'm using my gift like he says. Verse 12. I'm not doing it because it's like, oh, I have to do this. It's like, man, this is my joy. I want you to get this passage.

Okay. Verse 12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

If you're insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Okay? Can he be any more clear? He brothers, don't be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon you. And isn't it crazy that we read that passage, this passage on the same day that we read Daniel 3, where it talks about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneo being thrown into the fiery furnace.

That was crazy. They gave us an Old Testament reading, New Testament reading. He goes, "Don't be surprised at the fiery trial when those guys were like, "Hey, go ahead, throw me in the fire." I mean, God may have me die there, and he may rescue me there. I don't know.

I mean, just right there. That's a lot of good theology right there. It's not like, "Go ahead, throw me in the fire. I know God's going to rescue me." He goes, "I don't know. God may have me die here." God's had people die plenty all throughout the scriptures.

You see it on TV now. Pull it up on YouTube. our brothers and sisters are being killed. Okay. Sometimes that's his will and that's what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they go, "Go ahead. Throw us in the pit. I don't know what he's going to do. Either way, I'm not going to bow down to some gold statue you made.

I'd rather die than that. That's ridiculous. Look at that thing. That thing didn't create me. I'm not scared. I actually I'd be happy to die in the name of God. Throw me in there." And God rescues him. And he says, "Don't be surprised." See what I'm saying? Don't be surprised.

I mean, how many times do you hear Christians whine going, "Why? Why is this happening to me? Why is this so hard?" It's because we don't preach passages like this. If we preached what the Bible obviously preached, we wouldn't be asking why, except during times of comfort. Because the gist of this book, man, over and over and over is expect suffering.

Don't be surprised at the fiery trial. And most say this was written during the time of emperor Nero when he was taking Christians and he would just put fuel on them. He would just light them on fire just to light up his garden every night. Just grab a couple Christians.

And Peter's telling those people, "Hey, don't be surprised by this. You knew what you we were getting into. You remember what our our our master said? rejoice and be glad. And that's what the apostles did, right? You see in Acts five, they get beat up and what do they do?

They rejoice. They go, "Man, they just tortured us in the name of Jesus." So, this was not just a a vague, you know, like what we do to so many Bible passages. We can know this is the real thing. If you're insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed.

See, that's not what we teach today. We teach you if you're rich, you got a big old house and all this money in the bank, you're blessed. That's not what Jesus said. He as if you're insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed because the spirit of God, spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

It's like, oh man, you're a blessed person because you can endure suffering. That means God's spirit's really in you. That means just like Jesus suffered and rose, you're going to suffer and you're going to rise. Man, you're the blessed one because it's going to last. See, man, is that what you hear on Christian television?

Is that what you hear preached all around the states? It's what you see in the scripture, though. Verse 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a medddler. He just had to throw that in because Christians, man, sometimes we go, "Oh, man.

I'm so suffering for the Lord." You're hung over because you got drunk. That has nothing to do with the Lord. You're in prison because you shot that. That has nothing to do with the Lord. There's no eternal reward in that. Okay? Just make sure we don't get rewarded for hangovers.

You understand that? Okay? Okay? You lost your job because you didn't go to work. Okay? That's why you're laying the street. You were lazy. Okay, you don't get eternal like, "Oh, I'm going to be blessed in heaven." No, this is about suffering for the Lord. Then I actually made through the whole chapter.

Watch this at the end. Yet if anyone suffers at a Christ as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. Let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, memorize this verse if you can. Verse 19. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Got that? Let those who suffer according to God, it's going to be God's will that some of us suffer, probably all of us.

He goes, at that moment, just entrust your soul to God, to a faithful creator, going, "God, I know you see this right now. I know my soul, it is well. It is well with my soul. Blessed be the name. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I've got you, God.

We got this. We got this. Eternal reward. I'm trusting my soul. You're faithful. you see all this, I'm going to be blessed. And he goes, "While you're doing good, just keep doing good. Just take it. Take it on the chin." Look, I am so grateful, like I said, for this church.

Not just because, oh, good, we love each other. Not just good because I I feel like you guys got my back and and I got yours and it's it's just nice. But I I I I know that some of you, you'll suffer for the for the name of Christ.

And it may sound weird, but one of the things I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving is that I've got some brothers and sisters that are willing to suffer with me. I don't I don't know what the future holds, man. But I know some of you well enough to know, you know what?

I could look you in the eye in the midst of suffering and go, "Come on, let's take it. Let's take it." And it's an honor to serve and to suffer with some of you. And if that day comes where it gets real physical, man, that's what I'm really grateful for some of you because this isn't just a game to you.

This isn't just something you show up for on a Sunday morning. I know some of you well enough to know that and go, "When the persecution comes, you're not all going to run. I know some of you well enough that we'll look each other in the eye and go, come on, arm yourself.

We got this. We got this." Man, I praise God for that. is a real thing. Then as Jesus was lifted up, we're going to be lifted up together.