From the Free Presbyterian Church in England and Wales, we present Let the Bible Speak. Once again, it's time to Let the Bible Speak, and I invite you to stay tuned as we bring the Gospel in message and song, preaching Christ in all His story. And this is Leslie Curran saying hello and welcome in the Saviour's name to our Gospel broadcast. I'm delighted you're tuning in and joining us for the program and I hope you'll stay for the next quarter hour. With us to bring the Lord's message today is the Reverend Gordon Ferguson, Minister of the Free Presbyterian Congregation in London And he's preaching another message in his series from the New Testament book of 1 Peter. And today he lets the Bible speak from 1 Peter 4, verses 14 to 19. And that message is coming up right after we hear these words in song. Purest Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, Purchased of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood, This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, always at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, praising my Savior, We're reading tonight from 1 Peter chapter 4. We're going to commence at verse 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator. We have noted in past nights that this particular section of God's Word deals with the suffering of the child of God. The child of God will suffer. The child of God is not to be surprised when he or she is persecuted. Indeed, a child of God is not to be ashamed of suffering for the sake of Christ. You are suffering for the most precious name and for the most wonderful person, your Saviour, the one who died for your sins on Calvary's cruel cross. Now, Peter puts in a note of caution in the verse 15. He tells us, but let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evildoer or as a busybody in other men's matters. You see, as I pointed out last night, not all the sufferings of Christians are sufferings as Christians. We cannot just draw a line under it all and say all my sufferings were for the sake of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we suffer because of our own folly and our own rebellion and our own stupidity. When you suffer for those things you are not of a clear conscience and you cannot expect God to comfort you if you are suffering for wrongdoing. Don't suffer that way, live a holy life so that your sufferings will be for the cause of Christ and not because you have done something that is sinful. But what we want to think about tonight is how we can find comfort when we are persecuted for our faith for the sake of Christ. One way we will find comfort is to remember that we are in the best possible company because in verse 13 it says that when we suffer that we are to rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. You are in the best company when Christ comes again, when his glory is revealed, you will rejoice with him, you will be glad with him with exceeding joy. You are in good company. Jesus Christ suffered, you are with him when you suffer for his sake and incidentally you are in the company of all the godly of all the ages. They suffered for Christ, when you suffer for him you are part of that same fellowship. Then another comfort is that when you suffer for the sake of Christ you can expect a special outpouring of the Spirit of God upon you. Verse 14 tells us, If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of God. I believe it's one and the same thing because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Glory. The Holy Ghost comes upon those who suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't it a blessed thing to be filled with the Holy Ghost when you're suffering for the Saviour? That's what happened to Stephen. Stephen suffered, he was stoned, there was physical pain, But the Bible tells us that in that last great sermon of Stephen's he was filled with the Holy Ghost. He spoke as a man filled with the Holy Ghost. Those who looked upon him saw his face like the face of an angel. That man suffering full of the Holy Ghost could look up into heaven and see Jesus waiting to receive him. There's a comfort in your suffering. When you're really suffering because you're out and out for God you're not only in the best possible company but the Holy Spirit will come upon you in a very special way. That's what enabled the martyrs to go to their deaths in such cheerfulness. They weren't daunted they weren't afraid they went with a smile on their face because the spirit of God rested upon them the spirit of glory they had a foretaste of heaven even as they were being tied to the stake with the flames licking about at their ankles they had a foretaste of glory expect such a blessing when you suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ but then something else to strengthen you and to comfort you in the midst of suffering, anticipate the doom of the ungodly. speak of the judgment of God. They tell us the time has come that judgment must begin. Those who oppose us will themselves be overthrown. Their most bitter opposition will not suffice to ruin us. What it will do simply, with all the hatred they show, is suffice to ruin them. One day you and they will stand before the judgment throne of God you will be vindicated if you have suffered for Christ they will be judged and they will be cast away from the presence of God their time to do you a mischief is very short they can hurt you now, they can cause you pain now they can say nasty things to you now but soon the judgment of God will beckon and soon they will be called to give an account of how they have treated you and how they themselves have lived in this world. Then something else to comfort you and it's really an action that will bring comfort. Commit yourself fully to God. Peter closes the chapter by saying wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful creator. What will bring you the most comfort in suffering? Giving yourself completely. Committing yourself completely to the Lord. You can trust Him because He's worthy of your trust. He's worthy of your love. He's worthy of your all. Give yourself completely to Him. May I urge you if you do not know Christ to commit your soul to Him, turn from your sins, turn to the Saviour who died for sinners on the cross and give yourself to Him, call upon His name for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak, the radio ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church in London, which meets in South Grove Free Presbyterian Church, Markhouse Road, Walthamstow, each Sunday at 11am and 6.30pm, and you'd be most welcome to come to these meetings. If we can be of further spiritual help, then I invite you to write to our minister here in London, the Reverend Gordon Ferguson. at 29 Cheltenham Road, Leighton, E10, 6EU. That's the Reverend Gordon Ferguson, 29 Cheltenham Road, Leighton, E10, 6EU. If you wish to contact him by telephone, please use our answerphone service on 020 Thank you for listening, and may the Lord richly bless you. I trust you'll join us each day, Tuesday to Saturday, at this same time, when we turn to the Scriptures and let the Bible speak.