A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Peter said when you're going through the fiery trial, what should you do? Probably the most important thing out of everything we've talked about today is entrust, commit all that I am, my soul to my faithful creator. I trust you, Lord. I believe you, Lord. I'm committing this to you with confidence. Commit yourself to God. It's the most important principle when you're facing a fiery trial. I don't understand what's happening, but I do understand and I do know that you love me, you have a plan for me, I commit my life, my soul into your care, and I choose to walk by faith and not by sight.

Have you been through a fiery trial recently? We all experience them. So it's not a question of if, but when. In 1 Peter chapter 4, we'll see that we are to expect trials, to embrace them, endure them, examine them, and entrust them to the Lord. We're going through the Bible here on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. Join the journey. Here's Pastor John in 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 12 through 19.

John Randall: When we go through the fiery trial, we are not alone. The Lord will never leave us. He will never forsake us. Think back to the book of Daniel in chapter 3. Do you remember the three Hebrew young men that said, King, if you don't bow to this statue, you're going to be burned in the fire literally. We have a furnace prepared for you. They said, King, we're not going to bow. He was so furious that the Bible says he heated it seven times hotter than it already was and took those men, bound them, and then when the guards went to throw them in, the guards were incinerated. They were burned alive.

They threw them in, and then Nebuchadnezzar said, how many guys did we throw in there? There were three, right? I see four in the fire. He said the fourth one is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar had to ask them to come out. Come out of the fire! He had to call them out. They came out of the fire and the Bible tells us that the only thing that was burned were the ropes that held them. It says their clothes didn't even smell like smoke.

Why is that? Because there was someone with them in the fire. Friend, you and I need to know today, we need to be reminded that the Lord is with us if you're in the midst of your own fire. Listen, Isaiah 43 says it this way, so powerful: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

You can endure because I know the Spirit of God rests upon me, rests upon you. Jesus said, I'll send you another helper, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. He will come alongside you, he'll strengthen you, he'll remind you of everything I've told you. Whenever you're facing a fiery trial, expect it. Don't be surprised by it. It's part of the Christian life. Embrace it. Choose to rejoice in the Lord because he's going to receive glory. Endure it knowing that you're not alone.

Fourth, examine the trials to be certain of the reason. Examine the trials to be certain of the reason. It says in verse 15, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busybody." Isn't that interesting that he adds busybody in there? Murderer, thief, busybody in other people's matters. "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."

When it comes to trials, there are the ones that the Lord allows for our good and others that we can create by our bad decisions. The disciples went into the storm on the Sea of Galilee because Jesus told them to get in the boat and to go to the other side. That was in obedience to his command, a storm perhaps of refining. Yet Jonah went into a storm because he tried to run away from God, do the exact opposite of what God said to do, and encountered the chastening of the Lord.

Peter says when you're going through a trial, make sure that you're not suffering for the wrong thing and then claiming, "I'm being persecuted." Actually, that's not persecution. "I can't believe it. I was late to work because I was in prayer. My boss wrote me up. Persecution." No, you were late. Just those kinds of things. You're doing what you're not supposed to do. So examine it.

For example, if you are currently living right now in disobedience to the word of God, you are choosing to live a sinful life habitually. I'm not talking about, "I stumbled, Lord forgive me." I'm talking about willingly, knowingly choosing to live a life outside of God, but show up in church but then go out of here and live like you don't know God the rest of the week. Listen, if that's the case and you're starting to reap the consequences of what you're sowing to, you shouldn't question God, "Why is this happening to me?" You should repent before God because you know why it's happening. These are the decisions that you've made that have led you to this point. You can't lay this at the feet of God. This is stuff that you've done, stuff that you've chosen to do, and yet you want to blame God for the outcome.

But listen, the Lord loves us. He loves us so much that he will allow us to be corrected through trials. The psalmist said in Psalm 119:67, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word." I was doing my own thing pretty much until you allowed the rod and the staff were a comfort to me, brought me back in line. You love me, you chasten me. Trials offer us the opportunity to stop and take stock of our life with the Lord.

Isn't it amazing how many prayers you offer up when you're in the midst of a trial? I'm praying without ceasing. Why are you praying so much? "God, what's going on? Why is this happening?" You never read so many chapters in the Bible looking for answers. Suddenly you're just reading trying to get on track, you want to hear from God. Fellowship is a priority. We are at church, we are not going to miss it. One prayer in the day of prosperity, multiple prayers in the days of adversity. So we pray and we ask God, "Lord, show me what's going on here." Trials allow us to really examine where we're at with the Lord, don't they? I say, "God, what's going on? Is this refining or am I off somewhere? Show me." I'm examining this thing. I want to make sure.

The apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 13:5. He told them, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?" It's okay to ask the Lord. Do you remember Isaac in the Old Testament, book of Genesis? His wife was having trouble getting pregnant and so he prayed for her and she got pregnant with twins and she was having some serious problems inside of her womb. The Bible tells us in verse 22 of Genesis chapter 25, "But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If all is well, why am I like this?' So she went to inquire of the Lord."

The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger." In other words, she's having this struggle internally and she's saying, "God, what's going on? I want to know." The Lord told her, "Let me tell you what's going on in there. There's a battle going on in there in your womb. You've got two of them they're duking it out. Two nations are coming out." Of course, Jacob and Esau were born eventually.

The apostle Paul, New Testament example, had a severe physical affliction. He called it the thorn in the flesh and it was painful. This is the same guy that was used to heal so many people, the same guy that wrote the majority of the New Testament, planted multiple churches. But he got to this point where he inquired of the Lord, "Why is this happening to me?" 2 Corinthians chapter 12:7, here's what it says: "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me."

He said to me—here's God's response to Paul's fiery trial, his thorn in the flesh—"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul said, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." He was struggling. This was painful. This hurts. "God, why?" God said, "Listen, here's what I'm going to tell you: my grace is enough for you. It's going to sustain you. That's what you need to know. My grace is sufficient for you. I'm using this." Paul could say this was used in my life to keep me humble before the Lord. So I choose to rejoice because I know that when I really experience this weakness, that's when the strength of the Lord really kicks in in my life.

It's okay to ask the Lord for clarity. You may get the answer, you may not. It may be later on. I think there are certain things that we go through that only heaven will reveal. But it's okay to ask God if you're in a season of refining and you should not be ashamed as a Christian if you're going through this, but rather choose to glorify God. Interesting that Peter uses the word "Christian." Do you know that word is only used three times in the New Testament? Just three. Christian.

Back in those days, it was kind of a term of derision. They'd call them Christians as if it was derogatory. "You little Christs, you think you're Christians." It was looked negatively. But for believers, they took it as a badge of honor. We are Christians, we want to be Christ-like. This is what it means to be a Christian. It's not just Christian in name. "Are you a Christian?" "Of course, I'm American." No, it's not in name. That's what some people would associate. A Christian means somebody who actually follows Christ, who's a disciple, not just in name only but in life. That's what it means to be a Christian.

Here Peter says if you are suffering as a Christian, as a believer for the cause of Christ, or he's taking you through some fiery trial, don't be ashamed. You don't have to be ashamed of that. Nothing to be ashamed of. I choose to glorify God in this. I read something someone said: "Faith makes a Christian, life proves a Christian, trials confirm a Christian, and death crowns a Christian."

Finally, Peter, having encouraged the church to expect the trials because it was part of the Christian life, to embrace it and just choose to rejoice, to endure it knowing that you're not alone, to examine it to discover the reason for it, but fifthly, to entrust your trials to the Lord, for he is faithful. In verse 17, it says, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

Just pause there for a moment. Very interesting passage. First of all, let me bring some clarification. Peter's talking now about believers and non-believers. When Peter mentions judgment begins in the house of God, he's not talking about the final judgment. Guys, listen, our judgment ultimately for sin was taken care of at the cross. Jesus was judged in our place. So when I stand and when you stand as a believer before Jesus, we're not judged to condemnation but rather to accommodation where we'd be rewarded for the life that we have lived.

When he's talking about this judgment beginning in the house of God, in the context, he's referring to the chastening, the fiery trials that the believers were going through at that moment. In other words, he's saying, "Hey listen guys, this is our time. This is our season. This is the time that God has appointed for us to be refined. It's happening right now as we speak." This is what's happening to us.

But he also says something interesting. He says, "If the righteous one is scarcely saved." He's not saying, "Oh man, you're not going to make it." Salvation. You're not going to be saved. He can't save us. I don't know if he can get us through if we're scarcely saved. What he's talking about here, again in the context, is referring to the fact that as believers, scarcely does anybody avoid suffering. I mean really, everybody to some degree will have it. Scarcely does anybody not experience that. Your suffering or mine compared to others may be different, but scarcely does anybody not experience that.

So if it's our season right now for the fiery trials to come through and refine us and purify us, he compares that to what about the non-believer who doesn't believe the gospel? What can they hope to experience? Because I'll tell you this, the non-believer cannot say, "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes." They can't claim those promises. They can't claim the Spirit of God rests upon me if they don't know the Spirit of God.

But the believer can claim that as their own. They can trust in God. They have this assurance that God is with them. As born-again believers, we are not immune from tragedy, hardship, or sorrow because we live in a fallen world. But we collectively can be sure and know for a fact that God is for us and that his promises are yes and amen to those who believe. Ultimately, he will be glorified even in this.

But when Peter asks in verse 17 and 18, "What's going to be the end of those who don't obey the gospel?" Who do not respond to Jesus as Savior and Lord? What can they expect to find in the end? Friend, you know what they can expect to find? Separation from God and eternal judgment. At the time that Peter's writing this letter, the believers were being persecuted. The refining had started. The fire that we endure in the trials that God allows purifies us.

On the other hand, the fire that the ungodly will experience doesn't purify them, it punishes them. There's a difference between purifying and punishing. We might experience, we will experience, Peter says, you can expect it, hardship, fiery trials, but God is using even this to purify us. But the non-believer, they don't have that assurance, they don't have that hope. The Christian does suffer some of the same things the ungodly do in this world. But listen to this: the purpose of God is different and the effect is also different. Why? Because the Lord's involved. Because the Lord is with me. Because the Lord's with you. And that is what Peter wants his believers to know. If Christians suffer now for doing good, what will the unsaved suffer in eternity for all their ungodly deeds?

That's a sobering question. Peter now brings everything to a conclusion in this fifth point of entrusting our trials to the Lord. He says in verse 19, "Therefore," that is a word that connects everything I've just said about suffering in this context, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." This fifth and final point is that we are to entrust our trials to the Lord, for he is faithful. The word that Peter uses here for "commit," do you know what it literally means? It literally means to place something beside or set alongside, place before someone. It was actually used in the Greek language meaning it was a banking term. It's to give someone something to deposit it to them knowing that it's going to be safe and secure and no one can touch it. It's deposited.

Peter's saying when you're going through the fiery trial, what should you do? Probably the most important thing out of everything we've talked about today is entrust, commit all that I am, my soul to my faithful creator. I trust you, Lord. I believe you, Lord. I'm committing this to you with confidence. Again, it is used in what is called the present imperative, which means simply it is a command. Do it now. This is the attitude of entrusting oneself to the Lord. Commit yourself to God. It's the most important principle when you're facing a fiery trial. I don't understand what's happening, but I do understand and I do know that you love me, you have a plan for me, I commit my life, my soul into your care, and I choose to walk by faith and not by sight.

Paul said it this way in writing to Timothy, 2 Timothy: "I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him." There's a lot of things I don't know, but here's something I do know. I know that God is faithful to keep what I've entrusted to him. I've committed it to him. This was in 2 Timothy when Paul was right before his martyrdom, weeks perhaps away. His final letter he says that. "I know, I believe, I've entrusted it to God."

Did you know that the word that Jesus uttered from the cross when he died is the same word that's used here? In Luke chapter 23:46, Jesus from the cross said, "Father, into Your hands I commit, I entrust My spirit." Jesus said that. If Jesus said that, then we should be able to say the same thing. If Jesus committed it, I'm saying I commit it to you too, Lord. I entrust you with this. We're trusting our souls to the faithful creator because we know that he remains faithful.

When does that trusting God move from theory to reality? When does it turn from simple knowledge to action? Do you know when it happens? When you're put through the fire. That's when this isn't a theory anymore. God is faithful. Actually, he is faithful. I've experienced it, I know it, I've seen it, I've felt it. It's real.

There was a man by the name of Pliny. He was a Roman governor in Asia Minor during the second century and he was puzzled by all of the Christians who were being brought to stand before him for trial. He wrote about one of his experiences to Emperor Trajan and he was asking him for advice and his letter actually became famous in history. Pliny wrote that there was a certain unnamed Christian that was brought before him and finding little fault in him, Pliny threatened him. He said to him, this believer, "I will banish you." He said, "You cannot, for the entire world is my Father's house."

"Well, I'll slay you and you will be blotted from eternity," said the governor. "You cannot," answered the Christian, "for my life is hid with Christ in God." "Well, I'll take away your possessions," continued Pliny. "You cannot, for my treasure is in heaven." "Well, I'll drive you away from man and you will have no friends left," was his final threat. The Christian calmly replied, "You cannot, for I have an unseen friend from whom you are not able to separate me." Folks, it's not a matter of if we will encounter fiery trials as a Christian. We will. You're either in a trial right now, coming out of a trial right now, or about to go back into it. That's just the life of the believer.

What is my response? Remember you're loved by God, that is the most important. Beloved, expect the trials because it's part of the Christian life. Embrace it with rejoicing. Endure it knowing that you're not alone. Examine it to discover its purpose and entrust our trials to the Lord, for he is faithful. Amen.

Guest (Male): This is A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. We're going through the Bible right now. You can listen to our recent programs on our website at adailywalk.org or at oneplace.com. Look for us wherever you get your podcasts too. And I should also mention our free mobile app. Do a search for Calvary South OC. Jesus chose twelve ordinary men to be his disciples: fishermen, tax collectors, political zealots. And the Master shaped these disciples for greatness. He wants to do the same with you and me. In his book *Twelve Ordinary Men*, John MacArthur draws helpful principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original disciples, applying it to today's modern disciple. That's you and me.

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We're very grateful to the Lord when we hear back from our listeners. Write to Pastor John today by email at adailywalk@gmail.com. He loves to read listener letters and emails. Let him know what's going on in your life and how we can pray for you at adailywalk@gmail.com. Maybe you're one of our new listeners. Let us know what you think of A Daily Walk when you write to us at adailywalk@gmail.com. Well, that'll do it for this edition of A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. May God richly bless you and strengthen you in your daily walk. Join us next time as we continue our journey through the Bible.