EverGrace Church

Dennis White: This is Pastor Dennis here at Evergrace Church and we welcome you guys. If we could open our bibles to First Peter, chapter four. We're going to finish the chapter, so we're going to start in verse 12 through 19. First Peter 4:12-19. Again, a big chunk of verses, but we're going to see what Peter and what God has to tell us today. Amen?

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Amen.

Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil doer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And when it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Heavenly Father, we just thank you so much for this day. We ask that you will expound upon your word. We ask that your voice will be heard and communicated through mine, Lord. But we ask that more importantly, what you have to share to us will be heard today. Maybe in our heart there are lots of distractions. Maybe through the music we still didn't sense your presence because of all the baggage that we are carrying, Lord.

But we ask, Lord, that this moment right now there be nothing hindering us from hearing what you have to say to us. Let us lay aside those worries, lay aside those burdens, those concerns. Let us stop looking around at our neighbor. Let us stop looking around in the new building and wondering what's going on or what this noise was or what that light flickering was. Let us be focused, laser-focused on you right now, Lord.

We thank you and we praise you. Thank you for this building. Thank you for Anthony opening up. Lord, we pray that you'll provide a permanent custodian to open and close for us. Thank you for the kids in the school. Thank you for this community that you have put us in. Help us to reach it for the name of Jesus. Lord, we ask if it's possible, if it's your will, that you would fill this room—not only these chairs but extra chairs—all for the glory of God.

We pray for redemption stories. We pray for people to be broken from the chain of alcoholism and drugs. We pray for relationships to be restored and healed. We pray for demons to be cast out, Lord. We just thank you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

This passage is an amazing, amazing passage. There are several words in this passage that actually, in our life, cause a visceral reaction when we hear them. I like that word because it means that it's nonsensical. Sometimes there is a reaction that happens in our lives and the reaction makes sense. If I were to slap you in the face, which I will not do because I love you, there would be a reaction born out of something that made sense. It would probably be anger or maybe you would clench a fist.

But a visceral reaction is something that is nonsensical. It is a reaction that should not be happening. We look at these words. I say that they are a visceral reaction because the way we think about these words is very natural. But when we look at these words from the eyes of God, the reaction that we have should be very different.

Now, here are these words. In verse 12, we have two of them. The first one is "trial." What just happened? Did you like that word? No, you didn't, did you? As we read these words, actually, you're going to feel it boil up inside of your soul. "Trial" and "test" in verse 12. How many of you guys enjoy trials and tests? Can we have one every Monday and Friday, please? Lord says, "Coming right up."

Verses 13, 16, and 18, three times we hear the word "suffering." Verse 14, a new word that we haven't heard yet is that you have been "insulted." Do you guys like being insulted? I was actually talking to a guy who was at Boscov's down here at the mall a couple weeks ago, and he was buying three suits. He was carrying the suits around and got tired of carrying them, so he put the suits down on a counter.

The worker says, "What do you think you're doing? You can't put those suits there." The gentleman says, "What would you like me to do with them?" And the worker began to cuss the man out. I can't say anything here because it's being recorded and there are kids here, but it was a potty mouth. How many of you enjoy being insulted?

This guy also was a cop who was being insulted. He says everything in me wanted to just jump over and slap that guy silly. But he said, "I couldn't because I am a child of God. I had to walk away and process this with God." He was insulted and he didn't like that.

Verse 17, another word that we don't like is "judgment." Every one of these words is a part of our daily life, isn't it? We have trials, we have tests, we have sufferings, we are insulted, and there are judgments that are brought across us that are not due. Every single day of our life, we spend most of our energy and most of our time trying to avoid any measure of these things.

How can I avoid trials? How can I avoid tests? How can I avoid suffering, insult, and judgment? Any measure that I can avoid these things, I am going to apply that so that way my life is easier. We will work, we will spend money, we will sideline people, we will quit jobs, all so that way we can avoid any measure of these things.

I was thinking about this because I do this at work, don't you? I used to have people underneath me. Now if I have a problem, I have no one to call or complain to or no one to give the harder job to. I used to have a helper. Now I don't. But I used to say, "Hey, I don't like this. Why don't you go do it? You're the new guy, you're the minion." We would say at work, "Go and do what I don't want to do."

Let's think about this. We remain silent to prevent trouble. Have any of you ever seen or heard something and inside of your heart you feel like you should say something, but you remain silent so that you yourself stay out of trouble? We attempt to fix problems very quickly so that we can band-aid any measure of trials, tests, sufferings, or judgment in our life. Anyone ever do that in your daily life?

You just want to put a quick patch on that issue. You're not really going to deal with it. You're just going to kind of go over it. You're going to ignore it so that you don't actually have to deal with it. We detach ourselves emotionally from people. We spot danger over there, so we completely avoid it. Some of these are all good things, I understand.

One dangerous thing is that we tend to deal with problems alone, don't we? In doing so, we avoid many other judgments, many other insults, and many other problems. All of this is because we say these words are bad. Why do we say these words are bad? Very simply because we look at them as inconveniences. We look at them as non-essentials. We look at them as lies because they have no value in my life. They are an inconvenience because they have no value.

Isn't that true? Trials are an inconvenience. Why? Because they have no value in my life right now. I don't need this; I need to be encouraged. I don't need to be insulted right now; I need to be empowered. I don't need to be judged; I need to be glorified. I don't need more tests and trials to humble me. They are an inconvenience and they have no value in my life.

Americans are very famous for this one idea of having self-confidence. Actually, I hate that word because that's what we tell everyone now. "Just believe in yourself. Just think about it and be more positive and you can do it." Again, there is a value to having a positive outlook on life. But having a positive outlook in life is very different than having joy in the midst of our trials.

Joy is not determined by the situation. Joy is not determined also by our own positivity. Joy is determined in our relationship with God and that alone. Joy is not me changing my brain, changing my mind, and being positive. That is not joy. Joy is found in my walk with God. That was in last week's sermon. First Peter, chapter four, verses one through 11. That I have joy and it comes from my relationship with God.

This is why I say that we have a visceral reaction to these words because they have no value. When we read today's passage in First Peter, chapter four, verse 12, Peter uses this word to kind of support this idea, but he says, "Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes." Why am I surprised? I'm surprised because this was an inconvenience and it has no value in my life.

That word "surprised" is not what you think it means. Ever have someone scare you and you jumped up and screamed? Happens to all of us. My favorite is when you do it to a grown adult man and they scream like a little child. I've done that to my dad a few times. I'm pretty sure Elias has done it to me and I screamed at the top of my lungs. Elias was like, "Is that you? Was that your voice?" I'm like, "No, it was someone else. It wasn't me."

This idea of surprise is not this initial response of shock. The word "surprised" that Peter is using is completely different. It actually means that there is a—and this comes from the Greek also—continual state of astonishment or bewilderment. That you are bewildered and you are continually bewildered. It's not someone scares you and you jump and your heart is beating and after a few minutes you calm down and you're normal.

But actually, you are living in a state where you are continually looking at God and saying God is not on the job. Have you ever jumped to that conclusion and said God is not on the job? That's what Peter is saying. "Don't be surprised by fiery trials." Remember that Peter is living during the time of Emperor Nero and Rome was burnt down by Nero.

Nero blamed the Christians. And he persecuted them. He would take them and he would skewer them alive and dip them in oil and he would burn them alive when he was having his garden parties. Doesn't sound like a very appetizing party to be at, does it? So what is my heart doing? Am I responding to God and saying, "God, you're not even on the job"?

I want to stop here and ask you this question. Have you ever asked these things: "God, where are you?" Last Friday I got an email and that's exactly what I was saying. "God, where are you? Of course this is happening now. This is not what I need." Have you ever said, "How long must I endure this trial?" Have you ever asked the question, "Is this my lot in life? Is this the way my life is going to be?"

Have you ever even said, "I am tired of this"? Anyone here ever say these things? The rest of you are all liars. These things come out of our mouth very often. Where are these coming from? They are the thoughts of a believer who is surprised. They are the thoughts of a believer who is bewildered by their circumstances.

Bewildered has this idea that we are unable to understand what is happening in our life. We are deeply confused by our present life circumstances. I am a believer in God. I read my Bible in the morning, I serve him, I pray hard, I go on evangelism. You guys can fill in your own things. What do you do for God? You can make a long list and wear it as a badge of honor and say that this actually earns me the right to avoid inconveniences.

This earns me the right to be free from trials, tribulation, insult, judgment, and sufferings. See God? Then when trials and tribulations come and I ask God, "What are you doing? Are you even on the job in my own life? What is happening that I am bewildered by my present circumstances?" I'll tell you right now that there can be people who live their entire life this way.

To be honest, their lot in life could stink. We could draw all these conclusions, but ultimately the reason that these things can happen to good people is very simply that we live in a fallen world. There's nothing about this planet, there's nothing about this school, there's nothing about the country we live in that guarantees us the freedom from any one of these words: trials, tribulation, sufferings, insults, or judgment.

So when we ask these questions, we are the believer who is surprised by these things. This word "surprised" in First Peter 4:12 adds another layer to our walk with God. It means that I become resentful and bitter towards my circumstances. Surprise is not just me being shocked or scared from behind, but I am in a continual state where I say God is not on the job.

I look and I say these circumstances are not able for me to understand. In my life, what happens is that I become resentful and bitter towards my circumstances and actually I become bitter towards God. We can say that long-term bewilderment will lead to long-term bitterness.

Now let's turn our bibles to Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 15. Hebrews 12:15 says, "See to it that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled." That's a good verse. The word "troubled" here is in the active voice, meaning that I produce the action of being troubled. There are things that are happening in my life, and then I choose to respond by being troubled.

I produce the action of being bewildered. I produce the action of having the heart attitude and saying that this has no value and this is an inconvenience. That is something that I decide to do. I don't care about the circumstance. There are some circumstances that are very hard, but I choose how I respond to those circumstances.

Do you know what I don't choose? I don't choose if I am defiled or not. The word "defiled" actually is in the passive voice, meaning that if I decide to be troubled, then also what's going to happen because of that is that I will become defiled. You see how that works? By me responding in a non-godly manner to my trials, tests, sufferings, judgments, and insults, I decide that in my heart this is going to trouble me. If that continues to pervade in my heart, then I become defiled.

That is how people become angry. It's because something bad happened again and again and again, and they are tired of these circumstances. They say to God, "Is this my lot in life? God, where are you?" They become bewildered and decide in their life that they're going to respond by being troubled. Then what happens in their daily life?

They are a child of God, they're meant to live in joy, they're meant to have life more abundantly, but now they are living in anger. They're living recluse, very simply because they made a decision to receive these kinds of troubles and say that they have no value and become angry. What does defilement look like for a believer?

First Peter, chapter four, verse 15 tells us. Peter says, "Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil doer or as a meddler." What does defilement look like? Well, Peter is saying that you are going to be persecuted. You're going to go through all these things. You're going to be judged, you're going to be insulted, you're going to go through tests and trials and suffering. Now, how are you going to respond? Peter says here because of your persecution, persecution or bewilderment is no excuse for lawlessness.

Christians are not to retaliate. Because of my persecution in my life, I don't now have a license to sin. "You know what? My life stinks. This person has insulted me, beaten me, or physically caused me harm, so therefore I'm going to be a murderer, a thief, or an evil doer." I take the response system becomes my reaction to people in the world on how I'm being treated.

God says you are defiled when you respond this way. I'll say it again. A Christian, when they are persecuted or bewildered, that is no excuse for us to live lawlessly. That is no excuse for us to live as the world is living. This is what was happening to some Christians. They would suffer, suffer, suffer, and then, "I'm tired of this. I want to take matters into my own hands, and now I am going to take this. I'm going to solve this problem."

Peter has already said this and now he's emphasizing it even more. In First Peter, chapter three, verse nine, he says, "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For in this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." It's so easy for us that when we are going through these circumstances, our defense system is beaten down.

We're all in the same boat. I'm not preaching to you; I'm preaching to us. We can be beaten down. The devil wears us down, people wear us down, and circumstances wear us down. But how do we respond? First Peter 3:9 says that we should bless in those opportunities. Now I want to ask you a second question for today. Are there areas in your life that you compromise under pressure?

Because that is what's happening here. I am a believer, now I'm being persecuted, and the pressure—I can handle it in the beginning, but then it just keeps piling on and I feel like I've got to have bigger shoulders and bear this weight, but eventually I break and I compromise. I go to meddling, I go to evil, I go to being a thief. Fill in the blank. Are there things in my life where I know that they are wrong, but under the immense amount of pressure, I succumb to those sins?

The answer is yes, of course, every one of us. But here's something amazing and I want to stop you right there. Let me remind you of something. In First John, chapter three, verse one, it says that you are a child of God. First Peter 2:9 says that you are a royal priesthood. Second Corinthians, chapter five, verse 20 says that you are an ambassador for Christ. Philippians, chapter one, verse one says that you are a saint and you are God's holy people. We could go verse after verse where God says who you are in his eyes.

And let me ask you, are you surprised when there are fiery trials? When there are tests, suffering, insults, and judgments that are against you, are you surprised? Look at who you are. You are royalty. You are children of God. You are saints. You are political ambassadors for the kingdom of God. Every one of these things is who you are.

Are you surprised when the world, the flesh, and the devil come against you as an onslaught and try to beat you down, take you out of the game, take you out of Christianity, take you out of the church? Are you surprised when someone offends you? Are you surprised when the devil takes something from you? Are you surprised by these things?

The devil did it to our Lord, didn't he? The religious rulers did it to our Lord, didn't they? The world system did it to our savior, didn't they? If they did it to our master, our Lord, and our savior, what makes you think that they're going to skip right over us? If they're skipping over us, actually, maybe it is a sign that you don't represent the kingdom of God somehow.

In our life, we should not be surprised. We should not look at these things and say they have no value. We should not be asking the question, "God, where are you?" We should be saying, "Thank you, God." Actually, at the very end of First Peter, chapter four and verse 19, it says what our response should be. It should not be surprised. It should not be bitterness. It should not be defilement. But it says in verse 19 that we entrust our souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

That word "entrust" means to give to someone to keep safe. How many of you guys have safes at your house? No, we might have a safe. What do we put in there? Things of great value. We put things that are valuable in the safe. Where do we give our money? We give it to the bank. Why? Because the bank is safe. We entrust. This is something we do on a daily basis.

Here it's saying that as a believer, I look at my soul—that part of me who reacts to trials, tests, sufferings, judgments, comments—and what do I do with my soul? Say, "God, it is yours. I see that there is something that is very inconvenient. I see that there's something happening in my life that could cause bitterness and anger towards others, towards you even, Lord. But you know what? Despite that, I give you my soul."

Lord, I want to do that on a daily basis. I want to learn to be so in love with you that I am not filled with anxiety or fear when troubles happen, but I am depending and trusting on God completely. Look at the words that Peter uses here to describe our savior. He is a "faithful creator." I love that because it describes God as being full of love and full of power.

If he would have just used "creator," we would understand that he has the authority to change circumstances or to create circumstances. But then without love, we'd be asking the question, "Then, Lord, why am I going through these troubles?" Because you are creator and you have created this situation for me. But why? What have I done that is so wrong that I have to go through these troubles? Just "creator" means God, you have power, but you're not changing my situation.

But no, there is love and power. Not only does he have the power to change my circumstances, but he also loves me so much. I know that in the midst of my tests and trials and all those words, I know that my savior loves me. Does he have the power to change my circumstance? 100%. Why doesn't he do it? I have no idea, but I know he still loves me.

If I had the power, how many circumstances would I be avoiding or recreating so that I don't have tests, trials, suffering, judgments, and insults? Every single one of them. I want to read a verse in Matthew, chapter six, verse 26 through 34. Matthew 6:26-34.

You guys know this passage. It says, "Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? And which of you, being anxious, can add one single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these flowers. But if God so clothed the grass of the field, which is alive and tomorrow thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For these the Gentiles seek after. And your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

What do you see in this passage? You see the love of God, don't you? But you also see the power of God. Isn't our savior a faithful creator? Amen.

So in today's sermon, we had two questions. The first one was, have you ever questioned God's faithfulness? "God, where are you? What are you doing? Is this my lot in life?" Have you ever done that? The second question was, have you ever compromised your faith under pressure? And the answer to those questions is absolutely 100%, daily, multiple times a day or every hour.

But we don't want to leave you today asking these questions. Peter wanted you to walk away with some absolutes. What are some of these absolutes that we see today? The first one we see in this passage is—listen carefully—that your suffering is God's will. Your suffering is God's will. There's no way around it. We need to start with a place that says that the suffering you are going through is part of God's will. Verse 19: "Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will."

Suffering can be a part of God's will for your life. But what precedes that is that you are blessed. In this passage, it says that we are blessed not because of the lack of trouble we have, but because of the content of our heart being that Jesus is there. You are blessed today. We listed four of those blessings. You are a child of God. You're an ambassador. You're a saint. Those are some of the blessings that you carry around with you right now.

And the last absolute: God is faithful. I want us to remember those things because it's very easy for us to get caught up in all these questions and we become introspective in our life. It causes some trouble sometimes in our own heart when there's introspection. Sometimes introspection is good because we can ask the right questions, but it needs to lead us to the right place.

That is why it is so important for us to look at the absolutes of our walk with God. It is absolutely true that suffering is a part of God's will. It is absolutely true that you are blessed and it's absolutely true that God is faithful. Those are things that we can take home and we can put them in the bank or as Peter says, that we can entrust our soul to our faithful creator. Amen? Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this day. Thank you for this community that you have put us in. Lord, we open these scriptures and we look at our life and there are so many things. We ask the question, "God, are you on the job? Are you even here? Do you care? Is this my lot in life?" Lord, I just want to grow in the ability to say, "I trust you, Lord."

I trust you for this situation. I trust you for this other situation. I trust you for this... and we can go down the list of situations that we have and we can say, "God, I trust you." I deposit this area of my life into the holy bank of Jesus Christ, that you will guard and you will protect it. Lord, we give it all to you. Just thank you for today. In Jesus' precious name. Amen.