This is the Word of the Lord. 1 Peter 4, verses 12-19. 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 sufferings, 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. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer 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 if it begins with us, what will be the outcome 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. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word this morning. These are poignant words. These are sometimes scary words, but these are also words of great comfort, and we pray that you would comfort us this morning, as we know some are suffering even now. Lord, speak to us through your word, and it's in your son's name we pray, amen. You may be seated. You know, the church in America has not really known true persecution. But recently, some have said that the current or recent sexual revolution is the canary in the coal mine, and that canary just died. Tangible persecution is coming. The speed of the sexual revolution has been stunning and bewildering, knocking many of us off balance. In the span of roughly 20 years, positions on gay marriage and transsexuality, once considered normal and accepted since the beginning of recorded history, are now considered wrong and evil. Recently, Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, was lambasted in the liberal press for accepting a teaching job at a Christian school, which holds to a historic Christian position on homosexuality. Those who are woke, which by the way is just a 21st century way of saying enlightened to the truth, make it their mission to persecute those who are not on board with their sexual revolution. That said, the movement shows signs of cracking, of turning in on itself. Martina Navratilova, who I'm sure many of you remember was, if not the greatest, one of the greatest female tennis players ever. She won nine Wimbledon titles, competed and won six in a row. She was actually a long-time champion of gay rights as well. She recently came out against transgender women competing with cisgendered women. She argued that due to the biology of a male's muscle, his denser bone structure and more red blood cells, that even if a biological male identifies as a woman, it has undergone hormone treatments and surgery, that that person still has an unfair advantage and would ultimately ruin sport for cisgendered females. It seems like a a reasonable position. Even as a longtime champion for gay rights, she was destroyed by the social media, by those on the left who will not tolerate anything other than complete affirmation of their agenda. Now, hopefully, this is a situation where, as Tim Keller says, God allows just enough evil for it to defeat itself. Now as followers of Jesus, we must be ready for suffering. But in the US, that trouble, that persecution and suffering are still largely out on the horizon. We're here, we're meeting this morning. You have probably a copy of the scriptures with you on your phone and 20 more at home. It's not that way everywhere. But nevertheless, we must prepare for it. In the meantime, in our American context where we face very little suffering due to association with Jesus, what are we gonna do with this text this morning? What do we do? Suffering and pain. are a large part of our existence. They exist outside of persecution as well. Now, that may sound down or glum, and I know there are many optimists among us here this morning, and I am thankful for you, but we need to wrestle with the truth of our existence. Tim Keller said, when we hear of a tragedy, there is a deep-seated psychological defense mechanism that goes to work. We think to ourselves that such things happen to other people, to poor people, or to people who don't take precautions. Or we tell ourselves that if we only get the right people in office or the right social systems in place, nothing like this will ever happen again. Such thinking fails to take seriously or to admit the lived truth of the terror of creation, of the rumble of panic underneath everything. And that panic comes from death. Death is irreducibly unpredictable and unavoidable. A brother commented to me this week, you know, it seems like every book of the Bible has something to say about suffering. And he is right. It is a theme woven throughout all of scripture. And not only do we see it in the scriptures, take a moment to think of all the suffering that take places here in the U.S. amidst so much material wealth. The untimely death of a loved one, or even death in the normal course of life, just because it is normal doesn't make it okay. Cancer that comes despite a healthy lifestyle, a dead marriage, career reversal, loss of wealth, abuse at the hands of a spouse or someone in authority, divorce, estranged children who walk away from Jesus, loss of reputation due to lies and slander. If we aren't going through something right now, then we definitely know someone who is. Suffering is the sine qua non, the without which there is nothing on this side of Eden. But it's not all bad, it's not all bad. Suffering refines us and shapes us in ways that nothing else can. I think Chuck Swindoll said it well. Suffering has a way of teaching us things we didn't know we needed to learn. And it draws us near to the heart of God who suffered for us. So even though our situation here today in the US is not as dire as our brothers and sisters in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, we do know and experience suffering. And today we'll learn something about suffering as Peter calls it the fiery trial. We'll see that suffering is necessary, that it can bring blessing, and that for the follower of Jesus, there is reason for hope. in suffering. So let's look at their first point in our outlines, the necessity of suffering. There is in all of us a sense that when we give our lives to God, in return, we will receive freedom from pain. Maybe not all pain, but definitely the really bad stuff. You see this most clearly in the health and wealth gospel, where God wants to give you your best life now. But even those who stand on more solid biblical grounds often come with a transactional mindset when they come to God. Lord, if I do A, B, and C for you, you will do X, Y, and Z for me. And that includes keeping suffering out of my life. The problem is you won't find that anywhere in the Bible. God's not a God of transaction. And that's why Peter says, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you as if something strange were happening. Peter is using a general rebuke to get his people's attention. He says, guys, wake up. Don't be so naive. Don't be such a rube to think that life in Christ means freedom from suffering. On the contrary, beloved, this is what you have signed up for. Suffering is a part of this broken world. It's so common and accepted and understood that almost every worldview has a way to explain it and to move through it. And I just wanna give us some context and then we're gonna compare how that looks to a Christian worldview. So let's look first at a moralistic view. They say that suffering is a result really of just whether you've been a good person or a bad person. Pain and suffering are really just a result of a failure to live rightly. And we could look at the Buddhist as well, say that suffering is a result of your desires. It comes from a lack of understanding that you are ultimately not an individual, but part of a larger consciousness. In order to get through suffering, one must transcend their desires by detaching their heart from people, the world, material things, et cetera, and understand that their identity is part of this larger consciousness. In Islam, suffering is a result of fate and destiny arranged by the inscrutable will of Allah. Allah cannot associate with you in your suffering or understand what you are going through, but may be merciful to take it away. So the best thing you can do in the face of suffering is to submit without questioning or complaint and doing so will bring righteousness. Now in Hinduism, suffering is the result of karma, how you lived in your previous life. So if you are suffering at the bottom of Indian society, a Dalit or an untouchable, it is because you did not do your duty. your dharma in the last life. Hope is found then in the idea of doing well in this life, and then in the next life, and so on and so forth, until you can finally be elevated to a new existence free of all suffering. Now note how in each one of these, in each one of these, it recognizes that suffering is a part of life, and it gives some kind of hope. Live well. Transcend your desires, and so on and so forth. Compare that to our current culture. What does our current culture have to say about suffering? And the reason we're gonna spend a little bit more time here is because this is where we live, and whether we like it or not, we're affected by the culture around us. Now, it's what we might call a secular humanist culture. meaning that it's functionally atheistic. There may be an acknowledgement of a God, but that God will look strikingly similar to man and man's image, desires, and ways. And in this mindset, God exists to benefit us. Not the other way around. And in this mindset, there's no good reason for suffering. It is simply bad luck or a random chance encounter in your life that is really just an interruption to your story. Because your story is about accomplishing your goals. Chief among them, the pursuit of happiness. And in that worldview, there is no meaning to suffering. No reason for it. It's an interruption. And because there is no meaning to suffering, it should be avoided at all costs. When suffering comes, it should be done away with as soon as possible. Life is about the pursuit of happiness and suffering has no place in that pursuit. You manage suffering by escaping from it, not by asking questions about the deeper meaning of life. The problem with this worldview is that when hard suffering comes, there is no answer. And people are ultimately left to wrestle with this question of suffering, and there is no answer. On December 14th, 2012, a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 26 people. Six of those were adults, 20 were children ages six to seven. On April 20th, 1999, two gunmen entered Columbine High School and started shooting up the high school. After that shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, social media was ablaze with people saying that they were praying for families, people who had no real faith walk at all, saying that they were praying for the families in Newtown. In Jefferson County and in Littleton, churches saw an explosion of attendance in the weeks and months after Columbine. People that would not normally darken the door of a church came because they were looking for answers. So what does the Bible have to say about suffering? How does it answer questions like, why has this happened? God, why did you allow this? God, have you forsaken me? Are you punishing me? Have you left me? Where are you? Well, let's just compare real quick. Unlike the moralistic view, it tells us that it's not about whether we've lived a good life or not. If you're familiar with the book of Job, we know that Job was one of the best men to ever walk the face of this earth, and yet he saw suffering unparalleled by other men. It wasn't about whether Job was a good person or a bad person. Unlike Buddhism, it tells us that it's not a matter of transcending our desires and removing our desires. Desires for good things like family, resources, a job, time for recreation, for the Broncos to start winning again. These are all good things, but they must not supplant the best thing. Luke 14, Jesus says, if you wanna be my disciple, you gotta hate your father, your mother, your brother, and your sister. Now, was he saying that you had to actually hate your relatives? Of course not. What he was saying was, in relationship to how much you love me and how much you're willing to sacrifice for me, it will look like you hate your father and your mother and your brother and your sister. It's the same thing with our desires. Now, like Islam, The Bible shows us that in suffering, God is God. And his ways often are inscrutable. We can't always understand them. But very much unlike Islam, God is there with you in it. He is with us. He is approachable. He is loving. He is our heavenly father, our good shepherd. We aren't expected to suffer alone with a stiff upper lip. unbowed by the grief and weight that it brings. Did you know that of 150 of the Psalms, fully one third are laments? These are people crying out, God, where are you? Help me. Unlike Hinduism, we're not punished in this life for the sins of the former life. The Bible teaches that this is the only life that you have. And if you're trusting Jesus for salvation, then he took the punishment for all your sins on the cross. And unlike our secular humanist culture, it tells us that suffering is for our testing. This is the fiery trial. Warren Wiersbe says, a faith that can, excuse me, a faith that can't be tested, can't be trusted. A faith that can't be tested, can't be trusted. Peter calls suffering a fiery trial. It's not a huge bonfire or a fire in your fireplace, he has in mind, but he has a refiner's fire in mind when he says this. Now, refining gold requires temperatures approaching 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, temperatures this high, the gold is melted, but it's important to note it is not vaporized. It's melted, but it's not vaporized. The refiner's fire melts the gold in order to remove and skim off the top the impurities. And like a forger's fire, it is used to reshape the gold into something more useful. But the fire does not destroy it. And unlike our secular humanist culture, it tells us that God is sovereign over evil. He allows evil. You may not be able to completely reconcile how this is possible, but I think you can reconcile it in part. Remember what happened to Joseph? Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery after they first plotted to kill him. They sold him into slavery, he became a slave. And because of his gifting, because of the Lord's hand in his life, he was raised up and made head of the household. And then the mistress of the household accused him of rape. He was thrown into jail and was in prison for many years. And then as the Lord would have it, he interpreted a dream appropriately and became number two over all of Egypt. And then when the famine struck, and his brothers, the same brothers that threw him into the well and then decided it'd be better to sell him into slavery, came and asked for food. And when he finally revealed his true identity, that he was one of their brothers to them, he said to them, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. And unlike our secular humanist culture, it tells us that God, this is, I think Romans 8.28 is just consistently listed as people's favorite verse in the Bible, that God is working all things together for good for those who love Jesus and are called according to his purpose, even suffering. Now, you may not be aware, but sheep have a propensity to be attacked by external parasites. And so what? The shepherds do is they take the sheep and they dip them in an antiseptic bath. And this antiseptic bath creates a shield for them around these parasites that would bring disease. Now, this is a terrifying experience for the sheep. They actually have to be submerged all the way under the water. And if they try to get out, the sheepdog snarls and bites at them. So they stay inside this bath and they've got to go all the way down. I watched a video on YouTube yesterday and they're scrambling and clawing and trying to get out. All the way under they go, all the way they come back out and they actually go down again. It's a terrifying experience for them. They're doing everything they can to remove themselves from that situation, but their shepherd knows what they need and what's best for them. We're the same as those sheep. All these comparisons to other worldviews are helpful and useful. but they pale in comparison to one life-changing fact, one thing that is so different about Christianity than anything else. And verse 13 tells us what that is. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings. Our God is the infinite creator, the sovereign one, the one who is with us, but most critically, he is the suffering one. Now Jesus doesn't look upon us and wonder what it is like to suffer, for he has suffered himself. Philippians 2 tells us that he did not regard equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, took on the form of a servant and he became a man. And having come to earth as a man, he did not float above the suffering. He did not float above the suffering that comes with being a human. He felt hunger, he got sick, he went through puberty. Is that not suffering? In his body, he experienced all the effects of the fall. He knew betrayal. He selected Judas to be one of his 12 disciples. Judas walked with him and labored with him for three years. And Judas sold him for a bag of silver coins. And Peter, who was one of his closest friends in his inner three, and whom he sort of appointed as his leader amongst all of the rest of the disciples, one of the men that he invested so much time with and love into, denied him at his hour of greatest need. His own people, the Jews, rejected and despised him. He was beaten by Roman guards, crowned with thorns and mocked as the king of the Jews. Think about it. His own creation, was subjecting him who created them to suffering, physical, mental, and emotional. But this wasn't his greatest suffering. The pain of broken relationship strikes a different, deeper chord than other types of suffering. There are different kinds of punishment that a prison warden can dish out to inmates who have broken the rules. But when the infraction is serious, an inmate is put into solitary confinement. An inmate is in their self by themselves for 23 hours a day with only an hour for an exercise break. And even that is by themself. Their only interaction is with the guards through doors and in shackles, and rightly so, they are there for a reason. The point is that solitary confinement, separation from other human beings, from relationship, is seen as the worst thing that you could do to a human outside of death. At the cross, Jesus suffered great physical pain, but I can imagine worse, more painful, more prolonged physical deaths. And what we see in Jesus' physical pain is an outward representation of an infinitely greater inward suffering. At the cross, when our sin was placed on Jesus, God the Father broke fellowship for a brief time with the Son. In that moment, what had existed from eternity past was broken, the relationship between the Son and the Father. We know this because Jesus cried out, Eli, Eli, lemma sabachthani. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The deepest, sweetest, most intimate relationship between two persons ever was broken. This is suffering on an infinite, ungraspable level. He was forsaken by the father. He was forsaken for our sake. He made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might be the righteousness of God. This sets apart the Christian faith from all other worldviews. We may not always know why, but what we do know is that we have a suffering God who saves us from our sins and is with us in our suffering. His suffering all makes him a God who is able to sympathize with our weakness and our suffering. Because he has suffered, we can be comforted that he knows what it is like. Hebrews 4 verses 15 and 16. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, but who in every respect was tempted as we are and yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Now, before we move on to point two in your outlines, I want to give you some practical ideas for when you were in the fiery trial. There are some things we can do, but there is not necessarily one formula that works. What we can say is that the basic disciplines of the Christian life will be needed. in times of great suffering. And that starts with prayer. It has been said that prayer is like oxygen. It's the oxygen of breathing of spiritual life. And I think you'll find when you are in those times of suffering, it's the very first thing that you do. Scripture reading. You know, if prayer is the oxygen, then God's word is our spiritual food and water. We need it. You know, there's a reason why soldiers are given a little Bible, and it's got all the New Testament, and it also has the Psalms, because the Psalms are a great comfort. Now, I will say that for others, in the deepest suffering, sometimes the Psalms are actually not always the most helpful. There's a tendency when we are in deep suffering that we kind of turn in on ourself. We focus on our suffering. It's almost impossible not to. That's what happens. So it might be useful when you find yourself in that place to actually do real, hard, in-depth study. It takes the focus at least for 30 minutes or an hour off of yourself. And the thing that's beautiful about it is those subjective feelings that are swirling all around inside of you are set aside for the objective truth of God's word. Fellowship. Now again, for some of us, this is gonna be supernatural. I wanna be with God's people. Some of us just wanna be left alone. I would encourage you for those who are wanting to be left alone, reach out to the body. And the body should be reaching out to you as well, but come. you will find rest for your soul. And then lastly, lament. I think depending on our background and where we're from, my family is, one half of my family is Swiss by descent, very much a Stoic people. And there might not necessarily be room for this type of weeping and wailing before God. But as I've already mentioned, read the Psalms. There's a reason why the Lord allowed those Psalms to be in our scriptures, because he wants us to know that in our darkest, deepest hour of need, he just wants us to come to him. It can be a total mess. It will be a total mess, but we can still come to him. Having said all that, it is preparation for suffering that's probably the most important thing. And this is what Peter's getting at, be prepared for the fiery trial, don't be surprised. Just like a bridge is built not just to carry the load of the cars that cross it, it's also built to withstand the buffeting of hurricane force winds. So it is the believer who knows their Bible will be able to withstand when the buffeting of life comes to them. The believer who knows their Bible and the God who wrote it may get flattened when the fiery trial comes, but unlike someone who has not invested the time and discipline to know God's Word deeply, They have the resources to bring to mind what they know is true about God, more than just feelings, but the actual, real, tangible truths of God's word. Those truths will be a defense and a shield to you when you need it the most. They will be your anchor in the storm. I'll just give you two of those truths this morning. God is God, and God is with us. So suffering is necessary, but there is blessing in suffering as well. Let's look at how that can be in verses 13 through 16. Point two in your outlines now, the blessing of suffering, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. Peter says rejoice twice. First, we rejoice when we share in Christ's sufferings now, so that secondly, we can rejoice at his return. Now the second rejoices co-joined with be glad. And in other translations, it's actually written overjoyed. So we rejoice now when we suffer so that way we may be overjoyed when Jesus glory is revealed at his return. But how can there be joy in suffering? Suffering is by definition, miserable and painful. I think it's important to make a distinction between joy and happiness. The two are most decidedly not the same. Happiness is a good feeling. It's a sense of wellbeing, usually associated with our circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, comes from a much deeper place than our circumstances or how we feel. True joy is based upon unshakable truths that are outside of ourselves. True joy is based upon God's promises for our salvation. for his return, for our vindication, for the living hope of eternal life with God. Now, Frederick Douglass, if you may recall, was a famous American slavery abolitionist. He spoke of the difference between happiness and joy in slaves. He said, I have often been utterly astonished since I came to the North to find persons who could speak of the singing among slaves as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake. Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart, and he is relieved by them only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears. This is why Paul, who suffered greatly, stoned once, beaten with 39 lashes five times, beaten with rods, shipwrecked three times, adrift at sea for a night and a day, danger from Gentiles, Jews, false believers, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, without food, cold and exposure, and daily bearing the weight of shepherding many churches, This is how he could say in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 10 that he was sorrowful yet always rejoicing. His circumstances brought him sorrow but he rejoiced in the unshakable foundation of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now furthermore, suffering from Christ's name results in communion with him. We share in Christ's sufferings. We are reminded of Jesus' words in John 15, 20. The servant is not greater than his master. If we are following Jesus, this is our call, to suffer with him. But look at the word communion. In Greek, that word is koinonia, which is a multifaceted word meaning fellowship, partnership, participation, and sharing. What kind of depth and breadth of relationship we have when we suffer with Jesus. It draws us closer to him. That is an unmitigated blessing of suffering. And how counterintuitive is the Christian response to suffering then, that we would rejoice? It runs contra to all that surrounds us, and yet it delivers us in a way that the thinking of this age is completely unable to do. The blessings of suffering are not just communion with Jesus and joy at his return, but also for verse 14, which says that the Spirit of God rests upon believers who are suffering. Now in the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go. He didn't never rest on somebody, but when you accept Christ as Savior and you're trusting in Him, you receive His Holy Spirit forever. It's the seal of your, He is the seal of your salvation. Some number of sermons ago, we dug into the Greek word for Holy Spirit, which is paraclete. and found that we could also translate his name as the called alongside strength provider. That's who the Holy Spirit is. And in this verse, we see that our called alongside strength provider gives refreshment, relief, and a break from the burden of suffering. Lastly, verse 16 shows us that the blessing of suffering includes no fear of shame. Suffering as a Christian will be vindicated by God himself. And so there is no need to be ashamed. I think Dorothy Sayers summarizes why suffering brings blessing. She says, it seems to me quite disastrous that the idea should have got about that Christianity is an otherworldly, unreal, idealistic kind of religion that suggests if we are good, we shall be happy. On the contrary, it is fiercely, even harshly realistic. insisting that there are certain eternal achievements that make even happiness look like trash. We've looked at how God allows suffering as a necessary tool to refine us and shape us, and we've just looked at how suffering can be a blessing. But remember what Paul told us back in chapter three, verse 15, that we need to have a ready answer for the hope that we have. And everyone who has suffered deeply has asked the why question. Why is this happening? Why are you allowing this? You know, C.S. Lewis said, God whispers to us in our pleasures. He speaks in our consciousness, but shouts in our pains. It is a megaphone to arouse a deaf world. So let's look at verses 17 and 18 now. Verse 17, for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God, and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome 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? In verse 17, Peter speaks of judgment, but it is not one of punishment and destruction. It is about purification and refining. Remember, this letter is to believers. And for believers, all sin has already been judged at the cross. Jesus took care of it there. In verse 18, Peter says, if a believer is saved only by the perfect sinless life of Jesus Christ, how could someone who does not trust Christ possibly be saved? That person cannot be saved. There is no other gospel. God will judge the unjust. 1 Peter 4, excuse me, 1 Peter 4, verse five. They, that is those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. God's judgment is an everlasting judgment. It cannot be reversed. There is no purgatory where one can work off their sins and still enter heaven. Hell has no end. The doctrine of hell is a very unpopular one. And even for the firmest of believers, it can be uncomfortable. But Jesus himself said when he was sharing the parable of the sheep and the goats, in Matthew 25, he said, truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Hell is real and it is unspeakably unbearable. But for the follower of Jesus, the judgment Peter speaks of was put upon Jesus at the cross. That is the heart of the Christian faith. A believer trusts that his or her sin was judged at the cross and that Jesus took the punishment for sin on himself and exchange gave us a judgment of not guilty and restored us to a right relationship with God. But for the unbeliever, for the doubter, even for the one who thinks that Jesus is nice and that coming to church is great, but has not fully submitted to God, The judgment Jesus speaks of is not dealt with at the cross, but will be meted out forever by God. This is what Peter tells us here. And if you have not submitted to Jesus as Lord, you currently stand under the judgment of God. Whatever hope you think you have to get through suffering, it might get you through today. Maybe it'll get you through tomorrow, but it's not gonna get you through eternity. So I hope that if you are going through something right now, that you hear God screaming at you, come to me, find rest in me. I pray that as C.S. Lewis says, that this suffering is planting the flag of God's truth within the fortress of your rebel soul. Thankfully, Peter doesn't stop just here at Judgment. He does give us great hope, this hope that we've been speaking of. Verse 19, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. How do we suffer according to God's will? By entrusting ourselves to him. Sounds simple, right? I think for all that have been in suffering, all that have walked with God for any amount of time, no, trusting God on a day-to-day basis isn't always the easiest thing. But I will tell you that this word here in trust is a word used in banking when a depositor places money with the bank for safekeeping. Peter is telling us that we can trust the Lord, not just with our souls, but for every day today. Everything that we're dealing with on a day-to-day basis, we can trust Him because He's sovereign. He's got us in the sheep dip and we're being dunked over and over again. And we don't know why, He knows why. And we can trust Him because He is good. And as the scriptures tell us, He is a faithful creator. The same creator that subjected Himself to us to suffering at the hands of man is a faithful creator. This is a sweet and good and sure and faithful and living hope for all who put their faith in Christ. Elizabeth Elliot trusted God like that. And I'm sure many of you know her story, For the sake of context, I'll provide it. Elizabeth Elliot was married to a man named Jim Elliot. And they went to South America with a burden to share the gospel with a native people, the Waorani Indians, with a native people in South America to share the gospel with them. Jim and a couple of other men went to go do that. And the very first time they made contact with these Indians, they were killed, speared to death. She lost her husband, they had a baby girl at the time. Two years later, Elizabeth Elliot went back to that village of natives and was sharing the gospel with them. 15 years after her husband, her first husband, Jim Elliot died, she married a man named Addison Leach. He was a professor of theology at Gordon Cromwell in Philadelphia. Three and a half years after they were married, he got cancer and died. She married again, and she did last a little longer than him, but the last 10 years of her life, she suffered from dementia. It's a woman who knows what suffering is. Imagine dedicating your life to bring the gospel, not just food, not just water, eternal food and eternal water. And it seems like, and God kills your husband. This is what she has to say after that. There's been some hard things in my life, of course, like there has been in yours. And I cannot say to you that I know exactly what you are going through, but I can say that I know the one who knows. And I've come to see that it's through the deepest suffering that God has taught me the deepest lessons. And if we will trust him for it, we will come to the unshakable assurance that he's in charge, that he has a loving purpose, and that he can transform something terrible into something wonderful. You're suffering. is never for nothing. Would you stand with me in prayer? Oh God, we come to you this morning, and some of us are way down, by the burdens of this life, by suffering. Some of us are maybe not in the depth of suffering that we once were, but we feel the scars, we feel the pain of suffering that we've gone through and passed. It comes to mind again this morning as we're reminded that following you, being obedient to you as your disciple means that we will suffer. We are not greater than our master. Oh, but what a great master you are, Father. And what a great Lord and Savior Jesus is to walk through our suffering with us. Father, we love you and we thank you this morning. In your son's name we pray, amen.