Well, please open your Bibles with me over to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 5. So I understand that, you know, there's like no sports to watch unless you're into fishing, which I commend you, but there's no basketball to watch, no baseball to watch, nothing, right? But I found a new sport. I found a new sport this week. Around one o'clock in most afternoons, there's a new sport called a press conference, and I'm waiting for that sport to show up on ESPN. Actually, it might be longer, better than spelling bees in my opinion, but nonetheless, press conferences are not only informative as we go through this crisis, but they can be downright entertaining and competitive. And it's interesting that there's silence during the presentations of a press conference, whether it's the governor or the president or one of their advisors giving stats and information and updates. I mean, it's just quiet, right? But once the floor opens for questions, it's a sea of yelling. It's a chaos crescendo, a humorous competition. And everyone speaks up and yells out their questions that they have to have answered. And when one of the reporters does get the floor, it's amazing how in two seconds they can get five questions out. I actually think it's pretty cool that they're skilled like that. But it is competitive and it's kind of interesting and entertaining to watch. I have David Jesse sitting over here filming me and he's in that world and he's shaking his head no. It's a matter of survival. But here's a question I asked this week. I was wondering why are they so intense in the press corps? Why so intense with the questions? And the answer is pretty simple. and you kind of understand the intensity, because these reporters must get answers to key questions so that they can get busy doing what they need to do with that information, right? Well, sometimes we can relate to reporters more than we realize, especially during problems in our lives. especially when we're with problem people in our lives or when we're experiencing pain in our bodies. Or how about this? Especially when we are in the midst of a pandemic that we have no idea how long this is going to last. You know what? We've got some questions that we want to get answered and we're pretty intense about it. We understand. And the question is, what do I do in a time of suffering like this? What do I do? Because sufferers like you and like me want stability. And we believe in order to get stability, we need to get some answers. And so what we do is we open our Bible and we find that the Bible teaches us that we're going to suffer often. and whether or not we initially take that as good news is yet to be determined. But your Bible's open to 1 Peter right now, and do you know why Peter wrote this? Peter wrote this first epistle to tell us that we're gonna suffer. We're gonna suffer. And it's important for us to not just start suffering well, But it's important for each one of us to finish suffering well. Go all the way to the ninth inning and still be suffering well. So I want us to act like reporters for just a moment. We're at a press conference with Peter, and he just wrote us five chapters in this letter that we're going to suffer. And then comes the open floor for questions. and you and I have four questions that we're yelling out. And just jot these four questions down, because these four questions are gonna be answered in one verse, in 1 Peter 5, verse 10. Question number one that we yell out, why is life hard? That's our first question. Why is life hard? Now look at 5, verse 10. Peter starts this verse out with these words, after you have suffered. Isn't that encouraging? After you have suffered. So we need to stop here and ask this question, why is life hard? Why do we have to suffer? And it's here that two reminders really help answer that question. Reminder number one is this, suffering is very likely. The Bible's clear on this one. The cards are out on the table, if you will. Job in chapter 5 verse 7 reads, for man is born for trouble as sparks fly upward. And in Job 14.1, I read, man who was born of a woman is short-lived and full of turmoil. Great verses for your devotions with your coffee, right? Even the wisest person who's ever lived outside of Christ, Solomon, put it this way in Ecclesiastes chapter two, verse 23, all man's days, his task is painful and grievous. Even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is vanity, it's emptiness. See, I'm not seeing the encouraging part of this, this first reminder that suffering is very likely, all men suffer, and Christians don't get a pass on this one. We don't. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.12, indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Paul also wrote in Philippians 1.29, it's been granted unto you, believers, not only to believe, but also to suffer. Wow. Actually, this is exactly why Peter's writing this epistle, because Christians suffer. As a matter of fact, Peter's theme for this epistle, I like how Jim Burke puts it, it's this. You're gonna suffer, so you might as well suffer well. Do it well. Look at chapter one of 1 Peter in verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled, will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That's all good news, isn't it? Look at verse six. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, remember that phrase, a little while. If necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." He's saying, I'm writing to you so that you will suffer well. And then he goes into more details as you go over to chapter two of this epistle. He says, here are two of the sources of your suffering. One will be the government, perhaps. One will be your employment, if I can put it that way, perhaps. And then he goes into chapter three and he says, some of your suffering will come from your marriage or your family relationships, perhaps. And then we get to the rest of chapter three and then chapter four, and Peter's basically saying, since you're going to suffer and you want to suffer well, look at the one who suffered the most and suffered the best, and it's Jesus Christ, our example. And then we come into chapter four again, excuse me, chapter five, and we find out that another reason we suffer is because of Satan himself. Look at chapter five, verse six. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. And then look at this, verse eight. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But resistant, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. So Peter says, I'm not only going to tell you you're suffering, you're going to suffer, I'm going to tell you where it's going to come from. Everything from the government all the way to Satan himself will be involved. But we have the ultimate example of Christ. So that's the first reminder. Suffering is very likely. But there's a second reminder from chapter five, verse 10, and it's this. Suffering is not only likely, but understand this. Suffering is limited. There are confines as to how much you'll suffer. In chapter one, you saw suffer a little. But look at verse 10 again, after you have suffered for a, what does it say? A little while. This is a Greek word that it just means brief, small in duration, small in intensity compared to something else. Now I find that interesting because if something is small or little or brief, it's small or little or brief in contrast to something that's big. and eternal. I like to go fishing with Alan Davis in our church, and he'll take me to a different pond or different lake with some other guys from the church from time to time, a lake I've never been to. We'll be out there as the sun's coming up, the stars are going away, and I love to fish for bass. And he'll take us over towards some lily pads or some weeds, and he'll say, cast over there with a floating lure, and I'll do exactly what he says, and a bass will hit that lure, and I'll bring it in. And remember, I've never been to this particular lake before. And I'll hold the bass up in the boat after I take the lure out of its mouth, and I'll show Alan. And Alan might say something like this, that's a nice bass for a small one. Now, when Alan tells me that this bass I'm excited about is a small one, what is he also implying? There are bigger ones out there. Go get them. When Peter says that suffering, as painful as it is, is only for a little while, that means there's something bigger out there I need to fixate on. And that's exactly what Paul writes about in Romans 8.18. Listen to this. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that's to be revealed to us. or as he wrote to the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17, for this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. So two reminders here as I look around and I want to know why is life so hard? Well, the truth is Suffering is very likely, but understand that suffering is limited. You say, well, who's limiting my suffering? And can I trust them, whoever's limiting this suffering? And that leads us to the second question that we wanna ask this verse. Not only why is life hard, but we wanna answer this question, get an answer to this. Where can I look? Where can I look during suffering? I mean, as much of a foreboding shadow that the suffering, or for example, the COVID-19 is casting over us, there's a bigger shadow that overcomes that shadow. I want you to look again at verse 10. After you have suffered for a little while, look at this. The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. I wanna unpack some very important points about God here as we answer this question, where can I look? We look to God, but we have more information about God in this verse. I wanna work backwards in this verse, okay, from the front, or from the back to the front. You see, first of all, you see that he, God, is personally present in your suffering. Look in the middle of the verse. God himself is doing something special. He's not delegating this to someone else. And he's not sending his manager. He himself is in your suffering moments, even in the loneliness of your home during a pandemic. He himself is with you. It's what Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 10, 13. God is faithful. In every trial, he is faithful. And listen, folks, my brothers and sisters, he's never faithful from a distance. He's always and only faithful up close. So He's personally present, God Himself. A second look at God in this verse says this, it reveals this, that He has set His eternal love on you and eternity passed. What does that mean? It means this, He's not meddling with something that doesn't belong to Him. You're His. It says here in this verse as we move towards the front, he's the one who called you to his eternal glory in Christ. And this is a calling that happened in eternity past. As a matter of fact, Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 1.4, he chose us in him before the foundation of the world so that we would be holy and blameless before him. So we are a precious possession that he chose to set his love on before time began. But then we come to the top of the verse here. It says, the God of all grace. What does this mean? It means that his endless shelves of grace will never be bare. It makes sense. He's the God of all grace, the God of all help. I have to admit, I've enjoyed going to Kroger with my wife twice in the last week. Trying it at different times. And no, we're not hoarding the toilet paper. We're not part of that problem. But we do need some things for some recipes, maybe some meat, things like that, and just like you. But she never usually lets me go to the grocery store with her. I don't know why. What I like to do is, she's the one with the list, and she's the one on the mission. I like to control the cart and just follow her so she can cross off the list, throw things in the cart, and I'm serving her. But I always get in trouble when we get to the checkout counter, because I have to explain how that can of Pringles got in there, you know? or that box of pop tarts, or that box of donuts, or that canister of beef jerky. I have to explain. I have to say why. Maybe it fell off the shelves. I don't know. And so she's instituting new accountability rules for me if I go with her this week, whatever, on that. While we're in Kroger, I am seeing shelves that are bare in certain aisles, dealing with cleaning elements, or cleaning agents, or paper products, or bread, or meat. Listen, I'm gonna tell you something. The God who is with you in your suffering, why? Because you're his precious possession. He brings with him into your moments of suffering all of the storehouses of his grace and help. And you'll never empty the shelves. Paul calls him the God of all comfort and the Father of mercies. You say, wow, is this God that I trust and love? Is he really up to something specific in my suffering? And that brings us to the third question that we wanna get an answer to, and here it is. What is his purpose? What is his purpose? And now look at verse 10 again. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, listen to this, will himself do four things. Perfect, or I think your ESVs out there say restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Now, these four words are really getting at the same concept, but they are distinct words, and I just wanna point something out. This word perfect is a word that means to fix something that's broken, like fix a net where there was a gaping hole in the fishing net. You gotta stop fishing, you gotta fix that net. What does that mean? Well, it means he's gonna, through your suffering, fix what's broken. He's going to use pain to expose flaws in your life and address them so that you are restored to a place of usefulness. That's what perfect means. The second word, confirm. This is an interesting word. It means to support. One translator puts it this way, to prop you up. I'm not old enough yet to use a walker. My mom did. But if you need something to prop you up, you put a lot of confidence in whatever's propping you up with a cane or with a walker. Why? Without it, you'll go down. And this is the grace of our God. He comes to you and he comes to me in our suffering when we are weak and we're ready to fall. And he props us up. Proverbs 3.5 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. What does that mean? It means that he is supporting what's weak. Third word is strengthen. There's nothing hidden in this particular Greek word. This just means to increase strength, to increase potential and power. What does this mean? It means that he's building your muscle. He's building your spiritual muscle. I remember Jared who hit six foot early in high school. wanted to slam the basketball, and his youth pastor told him what he did when he was a teenager in order to slam a basketball, and that's you put two cinder blocks, stack them one on top of another, and you stand on one side of that pile, and you jump sideways over that pile of cinder blocks, and then back and forth, back and forth, back and forth for a whole summer, and you're going to develop the particular muscles needed to slam a basketball. Well, Jared did that back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all summer, and he went from touching the bottom of the net to his hand extending fully above the rim by the end of that summer. But it took repetition, and it took painful workouts, but he did that. That's his idea. And then the fourth word is settle. What is this particular word? It means to lay an unmovable foundation, an unmovable foundation. that even an earthquake won't move. What does this mean? It means that he is anticipating your future. In other words, the suffering today is putting down a strong foundation, listen, that will weather the suffering of tomorrow. This is interesting. So these four words say that God himself in your suffering of loneliness or depression or fear. He is fixing what's broken. He's supporting what's weak. He is building your muscle and he's anticipating your future. Yeah. Wow. That answers my question. What is his purpose in my suffering? Jerry Bridges puts it this way. God does not delight in our sufferings. He brings only that which is necessary, but he does not shrink from that which will help us grow. Or as another person put it, in order to mold his children, God first has to melt them down. It's true. You say, okay, I got one more question. I got answers to the first three questions for this verse. I have one more question, and it's this. And everyone wants the answer to this question about the pandemic or about any suffering in their lives. And here's the question. When does it end? When does it end? And I just want to direct your attention as we close to verse 11. To him be dominion forever. He said, well, that's a doxology. That's a finishing thought for verse 10. When does it end? When does our suffering end? When does this pandemic end? The answer is, I don't know. I don't know anything. I don't know when the pandemic's gonna end, but I know there's gonna be suffering after that. When does suffering end in our life? I don't know. I don't know. But what I do know is that he is the sovereign who has dominion over every detail. And when I come to future suffering and when you come to future suffering after this tunnel, he'll still be there as the sovereign, still personally present with you, his precious possession, and strengthening you and molding you so that you have a foundation to move forward. That's the answer to that last question. I don't know when, but I know who, right? Puritan Thomas Brooks said, God hath in himself all power to defend you, all wisdom to direct you, all mercy to pardon you, all grace to enrich you, all righteousness to clothe you, all goodness to supply you, and all happiness to crown you. Amen. You might be listening to this live stream or you might be listening to it after the fact as a recording, but maybe you don't know this God personally. Maybe you've never accepted this free gift of eternal life that is available only through Jesus Christ, through faith and repentance. I encourage you to, today, call on the Lord. Say, Lord, I know I'm born a sinner, as your word says, and I deserve your wrath. But you came and lived a perfect life and died the ultimate death so that I wouldn't have to die for my sin. And I accept that gift by faith. and I accept your righteousness that's credited to my account, I repent of my sin. My brother or sister, to be, I pray that you will make that decision and pray that today. So don't just start suffering well, finish suffering well. You have the answers to the four questions in our press conference now. Why is life hard? Where can I look? What is his purpose and when does it end? I guess after we understand verse 10, the press conference is over, right? We got our answers. We got our stability.