Chapter 10, we're going to begin there. Proverbs chapter 10 is where we started last Sunday night, and you're going to notice verse number 12, hatred stirs up strife, love covers all sins. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. I think it's interesting that in chapter 10, Peter likes that. He quotes it later in 1 Peter chapter 4. We discussed that last week. Look at chapter 11 now of Proverbs. You're going to find another verse that he quotes in 1 Peter chapter 4 out of Proverbs chapter 11. We're looking at verse number 30 and 31. Proverbs 11 verses 30 and 31 reads, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. If the righteous will be recompensed, is the New King James, I think it is even in the Old King James, the word means rewarded. If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner? So Solomon writes here, it makes sense that if the righteous will be rewarded on earth, then you know the ungodly and sinner will be too. Now that doesn't make any sense if we're talking about reward being purely good things you get for good things done. It makes a lot of sense if reward includes difficulty brought your way because of things that you have done. If it means that, then the second phrase of the verse makes a whole lot more sense. If the righteous will be rewarded on earth even for the bad things they do, how much more the ungodly and the sinner? Maybe that makes a little bit more sense. And Solomon is saying, if you can count on receiving a reward or a judgment for the things that you've done here, then don't you think that the wicked and ungodly will get that too? So you see the argument. Let's go now to 1 Peter chapter number 4. 1 Peter chapter number 4. Does anyone have a page number in the pew bible? 1489, thank you sir. 1 Peter chapter 4. These will be the last verses that we will cover in 1 Peter because we've covered the rest of them. Maybe I'll send out an email that will be a little bit less involved than the ones you've received this week on where in the world all these recordings are because I keep telling you we covered that already. You're like, when? And a lot of chapter 5 we covered a year ago when we did almost three months on what you should be looking for in a pastor. And we did that chapter 5 verses 1 through 4. Anyways, I promise you I'm keeping good track and I will send you out a list of the dates and the recordings for both James and 1 Peter. Here we are, 1 Peter chapter 4, look at verse number 12. Beloved, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you. That word strange there is the word in the Greek xenos, you know, that the fear of strangers or the fear of immigrants is xenophobia. That's the word here used, except not the phobia part. Strange, like alien. Don't think it's an alien thing. Don't think that it's a Zeno thing, a Xenos thing. Don't think that it's a strange thing, that you are enduring fiery trials, as though some strange Xenos thing happened to you. So here, the xenophobia is a fear of the unknown. And he says, don't think that this is supposed to be something you don't experience. Okay, let me put it this way. Christians are supposed to assume that this is normal for a Christian. Trials are supposed to be normal for us, not the exception. The exception is when we don't experience trials. Isn't that something? blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for so persecuted they the prophets which are before you And he says, great is your reward in heaven. Leap for joy. Matthew 5, 10, 11, and 12. Okay, so here you have this, oh, I can't believe it. I just thought of another parallel, but we'll focus here. You have this parallel with James, and here it is again in 1 Peter 4, 13. They're saying the same stuff decades apart. And he says in verse 13, rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings. That is why I say that the second greatest discipline that Christians can have is choosing to rejoice. First, prayer. Second, rejoicing. The scripture says in Nehemiah chapter 8 that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and I fear, brothers and sisters, that if you and I don't figure out how to simply rejoice, if we don't figure out how to rejoice our way into joy, we will not have the strength needed to endure. So we're being told this, not because it's good character, but because it's survival. If we don't figure out how to rejoice in order to survive, we will not have the strength we need to endure. So that means that sometimes we give thanks to God in ways that do not reflect how we currently feel. And we are rejoicing with the intent that how we feel will soon match what we're doing. Okay, that was super popular. But I have a feeling it's because you're thinking about it. And in verse 13, rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. when his glory is revealed. You might remember we talked about this last week as well. But anyways, for example, you might notice that it was mentioned in verse five when he comes to judge the quick and the dead. And he says his glory is going to be revealed. We're going to talk about that in just a moment. Might be eye opening. When his glory is revealed, he may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you. There it is again. I can get off of that. You're happy. If you are reproached for the name of Jesus, for the name of Christ, you're one happy fellow. Blessed are you, blokes and sheilas, whoever you are that suffer for Jesus. Blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, he's blasphemed. On your part, he's glorified. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busybody. That is only used there in the New Testament in the Greek. And the word episkopos is a part of it. The first part of the word in the Greek is another, alas. And the second part of the word is episkopos. It basically means someone who oversees someone else's business. Okay, so let's read it with that understanding. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or someone who always makes someone else's business their business. In other people's matters. And if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. Let him put God on display in the way that he suffers as a Christian. It's madness. Unless it's true. Verse 17, for the time has come, judgment must begin at the house of the God. Judgment, 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? Here we are again, the person who is an unbeliever tonight is called disobedient, not merely an unbeliever. Remember that from chapter 2. And he's going to give you a proof text. Now, and then he quotes Proverbs 11, verse 31. If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? So you'll notice over there in verse 8 across the page, we covered last week, he quotes Proverbs 10, 12. Love covers a multitude of sin. Now, in verse 18, he's quoting Proverbs 11, 31. It's pretty clear here, Proverbs is on his mind. It's a major part of Peter's understanding of the Old Testament. So let me just pause there and ask you a question that's not in my notes. If it's that big of a deal to Peter, and if you need it to survive your Christian life, are you making the Proverbs a disciplined part of your daily biblical reading? And let's remind ourselves, you get no bonus points for finishing the whole book in a month. Okay? I do realize there are 31 chapters, and I do realize there are 31 days. I also realize I've quit that Bible reading plan a hundred times. The lesson is not how much do you read, but do you remember what in the world you read? Yeah. So if one verse is all you've got time for in your morning devotions, you are not a bad Christian. Sometimes you're short on time, but open the book. Go without the fruit loops and read your Bible. If you're short on time, leave the fruit loops, read the Bible. Job 23, 12, neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, but I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. All right. That goes well with a verse we're going to quote from Job 23 in just a moment. We'll see if we get to it. Verse 19, therefore, Let all those, let those who suffer according to the will of God. It's like, can you suffer not according to the will of God? That's the implication. And it's defined as verse 15, when you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or someone who just, they're just always poking their nose in someone else's business. Verse 19, let those who suffer according to the will of God, not like evildoers that we listed in verse 15, but those who suffer in the will of God, let them commit their souls. Picture you going up in the old days, we used to make deposits in the bank. Do you remember that? And he used to drive up to a window or maybe a drop box, and sometimes he went up to a bank teller. Does everyone remember those days? And he used to fill out a deposit slip. I don't know if you remember that. But you would deposit that thing, and it would, it would just, on faith, you just suspected somebody, when they came in for their shift, was going to pick it up and somehow make a computer entry, and you could trust them. Here's what he says here. Deposit your soul in the bank of God. commit their soul to him in doing good as to a faithful creator. The one who created your soul will keep it if you'll let it rest with him. That's great. That's the word of the Lord. Father, in these next few minutes, we want to do a good job. We've worshiped well these first 33 minutes and these last 27 or so. We would love to worship well with our attention. Walk these aisles, sit on these pews, trouble our hearts, comfort our afflictions, afflict our comfort. Help us to be stirred and changed. I pray that you would glorify yourself and bring some saint closer to your bosom this evening. I do pray for that one in here tonight that is not saved. They might be a church member, a frequent attender, a first-time returning guest maybe. I pray that you would help them to have eyes open to the magnificence of Jesus Christ. Thank you for bringing all these dear people back that understand it's the Lord's day before it's Father's day. And I pray that you'd bless them for their faithfulness. Thank you for your kindness through Christ our Lord. Amen. So we have a few things to cover this evening, only nine of them. And that means that we've got one every three and a half minutes, two minutes and 45 seconds rather. Let's see how this goes. Alrighty, so first thing, normal part of a Christian life, verse number 12. I want you to notice how this is a reoccurring theme in 1st Peter. Would you please look at verse number 7 of chapter 1? Let's take a look at what he says there. And then maybe you'll make a little note next to 1 7. Maybe you'll put 4 12. Next to 1-7 put 4-12. You'll notice 1-7. Look at 1 6. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you've been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire. See that? Your faith is tested by fire. Does everyone see that? Now look over at 4 12. Let's see the similar language in 4 12. Chapter 4, verse 12, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to test you as though some strange thing happened to you. All right. So you can see here that there is this talk of your faith being tested in fire. This is also a thought that first comes to us in the book of Job, chapter 23, verse 10. I know that when he has tried me, I'll come forth like gold. So 1st Peter, Peter shows us that he was not only a student of the Proverbs, he was a student of the book of Job. Probably the first book written in the Bible. All kinds of things we could say about that. All of them would be good. All of them would be completely off target. But in verse 12, you might notice that he says, listen, you've got to start expecting trials. Now the problem with this is that we should be We should be expecting that people from the outside are bringing us trials. But Jesus showed us in his life, specifically in the prophecy of Psalm 41, that we should also be expecting trials from people that are close to us. Psalm 41 tells us that Jesus, in the spirit of the writer in Psalm 41, said, I could have really endured the testing that I was being put through, but my own familiar friend that went with me all the way to the temple, he lifted his heel against me. Here, Peter is saying that the possibility exists not only that people on the outside will victimize you because they're just godless, but every now and then someone on the inside will hurt you as well. There will be other Christians that try you and make life difficult on you. If you don't think that that's true, notice verse number nine, in verse number eight, above all things have fervent love for one another. Verse nine, be hospitable to one another. You can see that one another-ism is a part of this chapter. You can see that Peter is not dealing with the possibility that you might be persecuted by people. Oh no, he's guaranteeing that we will be persecuted by people. And he says, listen, Life is fragile, and so is your faith. And I just want you to be assured that you can probably expect at some point in your life, someone that you thought would go the distance with you in Christianity is going to bail on you. And when that happens, the people that you are told to be charitable towards and be hospitable towards, they're going to rough you up. It's too bad. But if Jesus washes the feet of Judas, then I think you and I are probably going to serve some people that are going to really hurt us. And Peter says, verse 12, make sure you don't think that's an alien experience. The fallout is that you and I are going to start being guarded in our relationships because we don't want to be hurt. We're not gonna tell our secrets. We're not gonna share our prayer requests. Small group will be a ruse. We're not gonna thank anyone that legitimately cares about us. We're gonna think that everyone is out to hurt us because somebody was out to hurt us. And this scripture says, listen, part of following Jesus is rejoicing in the fact that John followed you all the way to the high priest's courtyard and in the fact that Judas ended up hanging himself because of what he did to you. Life is filled with those expectations. That's the whole point of chapter 2, chapter 3. Do you have any questions about that? Peter and James again, we discussed that. Peter and James, you're gonna notice that like in verse 13, this will be quick because we already said it while we were reading. This is where Peter and James sound a lot alike again. Somehow, James writing in the 40s, Peter writing nearly 17, 18 years later is saying the same thing. We have to develop the discipline of looking up towards heaven and saying, thank you for what that person did to me. Somehow, you're not gonna waste that. Thirdly, eschatology again for the second week in a row. Let's do a little math here. Look at chapter four and look at verse number 13 again. Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings. See, there it is. It's Christ's sufferings. We're just suffering like he did. that when his glory is revealed, you can also be glad with exceeding joy. This is another way of saying, if you'll partake in his sufferings now, you can partake in his glory later. Is that attractive to you? It is to me, that when the Lord of glory returns, all those who suffered with him will reign with him. This is throughout the New Testament. Romans 8.21, we're waiting for the revelation of the children of God. his glory Colossians 3 1 through 4 if you then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God set your affection on things above not on things in the earth for you're dead and your life is hid with Christ in God and when Christ who is our life does appear you will also appear with him in glory 1 John 3, 1-3, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we'll be like him, for we'll see him just as he is. And everyone that has this hope in him purifies himself, just like he is pure. Just hang on, friends. The race is almost over. A few more long strides, and we're there. Isn't that great? Yes, amen. And so that word glory there, the revelation, end of verse number 13, his glory is revealed. That word revealed there is the word apocalypse. It's the word apocalypse. Did you notice here, he doesn't say something strange. Now I'm going to say it, and then I suspect you'll have about three days to get over it before we see each other again, many of you. But you'll notice it doesn't say, we're waiting for a secret catching away. Now let's do a little math here. I wanna make sure that we're letting the scripture define the terms. I need 30 seconds more of your time before you start reading your footnotes. You're gonna notice here in verse number 13, it says, when his glory is revealed, when the apocalypse of his glory is revealed, you will also be glad with exceeding joy. It seems like if the thing we're waiting for first is a secret snatching away, he would have said that. But he didn't. He said when his glory is revealed, look at chapter 1 verse 13. Just reoccurring themes. Chapter 1 verse 13. We're just going to let scripture define scripture here. We're going to let the text speak. You're going to notice chapter 1 verse 13. Now whatever that means, we're going to let the scripture be the boss here. That word behind revelation, guess what that word is? You're right, it's apocalypse. That's correct. So twice in the same book, Peter says, and here he speaks like you're in Egypt waiting to be brought out. At what event, Peter? Verse 13, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. Yes? Alright, so why don't we now allow the scripture to keep speaking? It doesn't say the secret snatching away It says the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. That's what you're waiting for So why don't you we look at Revelation chapter 1 hold your place in first Peter. Let's look at Revelation chapter number 1 Super important we've got a we're gonna let the word we're gonna let the word speak Revelation chapter number 1 and wonder what this book is about, I'll bet you we could figure it out in the first verse. Let's do that, should we? Here we go. The revelation of Jesus Christ. Guess what that word behind revelation is there? The apocalypse, which God gave him to show his servants. Now he's revealed, his glory is revealed in chapter number 19, and yet it's called the apocalypse, and that's what Peter says we're waiting on. Now there's a lot of other questions that need to be answered, but one of them is not, shall we believe the Bible? You're gonna notice in verse number seven, behold, he is coming with clouds and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him, even so, amen. It seems like if the next event on the calendar is a secret snatching away, he would have said that, but he doesn't. He says, let me talk to you about the apocalypse of Jesus Christ, one in which verse number seven, every eye will see him. Please, before you raise your hand and say, doesn't that mean we're going to be snatched out? It says in 1 Peter 1 13, we will be taken at the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. That's what it says. Look back at 1 Peter 1 and look at verse 13. Let's see it again. And then let's let God be God. gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at," there it is again, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. Notice it doesn't say anything other than the grace will be brought to you. That should imply that you're here and grace is brought to you when he's revealed. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're with him, and grace is brought to you. So I want us to make sure, not that we adopt Bill Sturm's eschatology, I don't care about that. I've been wrong before in my eschatology. What I want us to do is believe the apostles. And here we're told that we're waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ. Number four, we're looking at back at 1 Peter chapter number four. 1 Peter chapter number four. Hopefully, some of you are thinking, Pastor Bill, how can you believe that we're waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ and that we should be expecting his return? That's a good question. I'll answer this some other time. I'm preaching the text, friends. 1 Peter chapter 4. Okay, well, let me just settle it for you so you can put your thumbs away. I do believe Jesus can come any moment. So how do I believe both of those? Like I said, some other time. All right. 1 Peter 4, verse 14. If you're reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you. All right. There are biblical counselors everywhere in this congregation, and I want to make sure that you have the faith that you are one. You don't need to go, necessarily, for our problems with joy outside of this body. Scripture says that you and I are a body of Christ together. We've covenanted one with the other. We ekklesia together. We're the body of Christ. Scripture teaches over and over and over and over again, just like last week in chapter 4, verses 10 and 11, that all the gifts needed for our survival are in this body of Christ. If there's something we feel like we're lacking, the Lord will provide that gifted member on his good time. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 27 says, the Lord has set members in the body as it has pleased him. That means that if the answer is in the Bible, everyone in this room should become at some point more fulfilling, more fulfilled in their knowledge of the scripture, and able to counsel one another with the scripture. Biblical counseling is a major thing. Are there specialists? Sure. Should the average expectancy of a Christian be, I need to go outside the body of Christ for my help? No. All of the flourishing for the body of Christ is contained in the gifts that our good Lord has put in that body. That means, dear friends, that if you feel like you're lacking in some gifting, we need to get that on our prayer list and ask God to send it to our church. And in His good time, He will. But everyone in this room who's growing in their knowledge of the scripture has the ability to look at someone who is struggling and say, I know you feel like things are awful and that you can't endure. But this week, you will have the opportunity to look at a grieving soul in the eye and say something like, listen, you're a blessed person. And here's why you're blessed. Verse number 14, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Well, this is just a repetition of Isaiah, down here, chapter 11, verse 1. Jesus Christ is described, the bottom row, if you can see it. Huh, strange. Okay, I don't know how that worked, but anyways, it probably helped up there. You're going to notice down here we have the Isaiah reference and on the right you have first Peter referencing Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 11 verse 1 and Isaiah 61 1 tell us that when the Lord comes, he's going to have the Holy Spirit upon him. Did he or not? When did it happen? That is baptism. And so the Lord in 1 Peter 4, 14 says that we can be described this, oh, yes, this is great. We can be described the same way. Now listen to this, this is so good. Oh man, this is so good. I didn't see this till just this moment. There is a reason why in verse number 16, he uses the word Christian. If anyone suffers as a Christian, All right, let's work through this. What does the word Christ mean? Messiah is the Hebrew version of the word Christ. What does it mean? The anointed one. Why was Jesus Christ called the anointed one? It's really simple, we just said it. Because he was anointed by the Holy Spirit specifically at his baptism. You're called, and I'm called a Christian, a little anointed one. Because, end of verse 14, that same spirit of God rests upon you. Boy, that's great. If I'm at home learning that, I'm running around the garage like an idiot, thankful that I just saw something amazing. There is something in the sufferer for Christ's sake that has allowed him or her for just a moment to live in another world through a foretaste of glory that they will share when the Lord returns, according to verse number 13. Let me say it again. You get a foretaste of the glory that will be in little moments when the spirit of glory, verse 14, rests on you. Okay, all right, all right, all right, listen. All right, let's work through this again. We will enjoy Christ's glory when he returns. We get a foretaste of that that will take place at the end of verse 13 when that Spirit of Christ rests on us. You'll notice that it calls this Spirit of Christ the Spirit of glory in verse 14. Do you see that? Don't you think it's strange that he calls the Spirit of God the Spirit of glory? You should not if the flow of context means anything to you. Peter is getting you to see that the proof that greater glory awaits you when Christ returns, that proof is when the Holy Spirit rests on you in a moment of crushing weight with your persecution in this life. When that weight of crushing burden comes down on you in day-to-day life, with that comes a crushing weight of a different kind. A weight of glory. In that moment. That's just like 2 Corinthians 4.17. We know that what's working for us is a far more and exceeding weight of glory. So why should you be happy when you're suffering? Because it's when you feel the presence of glory more than at any other time. Isn't it true that you feel closer to the Lord when you're suffering? Well, that means that when we suffer, it's a gift from the Lord. We want a foretaste. What's heaven going to be like? You get a special taste of what heaven's going to be like when you suffer. All right.