It's wonderful to be here. Thank you so much appreciate the music and All is happening here. I'd like to ask you if you would to take God's Word and go with me to 2nd Timothy chapter number 1 2nd Timothy chapter number 1 appreciate those testimonies and Where's mr. Val your she testified there. She is. All right, very good. I know your dad and so got to know him since I've been at Hickory and Enjoyed fellowship with him Second Timothy chapter one verse number eight and again that everything's been a great encouragement today and I encourage you to serve the Lord and do what God has given you to do Do it now in this place and God will use you to do it where he leads you in the future. I appreciate for the bill and His friendship also, dr. Spencer has been very instrumental in our church and is a man that I love and respect greatly and he's an encouragement to me. I appreciate him. Brother Miskoville were recently with us with the ensemble group. You guys did a great job and a great blessing to our church. And I want to thank you for that. Dr. Surrett was with us in May and preached several messages on the Bible and our stand on the authorized version of God's word. And it was a great help to our church. So I appreciate what the Lord is doing here and thank God for it. We do love having Jonathan and Emily in our church. They've been a great blessing just became new parents a few weeks ago and they're excited. The Lord's blessing in a great way. First 2nd Timothy chapter one and verse number eight. The Bible said Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. I want to speak to you on a subject that isn't really pleasant to discuss today. I like to have a good time and I like to encourage people and I want to do that. But I want us to look at a subject today that is not something that's going to make us all really happy. And that is the afflictions of the gospel. The afflictions of the gospel. I think about all of the dreams that you're dreaming right now and hold on to those dreams God gave them to you. God's going to. Fulfill those dreams he which hath begun a good work and you will perform it under the day of Jesus Christ. He has placed those dreams in your heart. He most likely will not bring them to pass in the way that you think He will. If you don't believe that, just study the life of Joseph and how God brought his dreams to pass. There was pits and prisons and experiences in Potiphar's house that God used to foster those dreams and to bring Joseph to the place where God could use him and the Lord wants to bring you to the place where he can use you and he brought Timothy to Ephesus and Paul is concerned about Timothy and so he writes this second epistle the first dealing with the theme of how he was to behave himself in the house of God which is the pillar and ground of the truth now he is encouraging Timothy in his affliction to endure those afflictions. I want you to know that the afflictions await you. The afflictions await you. You're dealing with them now, but more await. I think sometimes young people, and I'm guilty of this, and was guilty of this, and we get these ideas about what the ministry is going to be like, Some of you guys think, man, I'm going to pastor the greatest church and wherever it may be, right? That's your dream. That's your hope. Some of you guys are going into evangelism, man. You think I'm going to preach in the greatest conferences and the greatest churches and the greatest revivals in America. And you think, well, I'm going to be a missionary and God's going to bless and I'm going to be on one of the greatest fields in all the world. Wherever God puts you, it's going to be the greatest place because it's the place that God has chosen for you. But I want you to know that when you serve the Lord. And when you desire, as Paul did to know the Lord. You must be acquainted and you must be willing to be partaker. Of the afflictions of the gospel. Paul's trying to encourage Timothy Don't give up. Don't give in. Keep preaching the word. He said in chapter 3, the day is coming when perilous times shall come. Men shall be lovers of them own selves and they shall turn away their ears from the truth. I'm paraphrasing obviously. They will not endure sound doctrine. We live in those days, don't we? I want you to know to take the kind of stand that you're being trained to take, to do the kind of work that you're being trained to do, you're going to endure the afflictions of the gospel. But oh, what a privilege it is to be a partaker. of the afflictions of the gospel. Paul was all too well aware of that, wasn't he? In Galatians chapter 6 and verse number 17, he said, From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Paul, as he sat in a Roman prison and penned this letter, no doubt he could see his hands and his arms and his legs that were scarred from the scourgings that he received. No doubt Those broken, mangled bones that were caused by the stoning at Lystra gave him a lot of trouble. And he said to Timothy, Timothy, you're all too aware of the sufferings that I have endured, but I want you to understand that you must be partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. Shortly after, Paul, who was then named Saul, after his conversion on the road to Damascus the Lord spoke to Ananias and he said Ananias I want you to go help this young convert in Acts chapter 9 in verse number 15 the Bible said but the Lord said unto him go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake Can you imagine if the Lord had unveiled for Paul all of the great things that he was going to suffer? Would he have been so eager to sign up? I wonder if you and I would be so eager to sign up if God were to reveal to us the sufferings that we may be called on to endure. Just a few months ago, I saw the pictures of a Nigerian village that had been completely burned by Muslim extremists. because it was occupied by Christians. There were hundreds of Nigerian bodies laying there on the ground, their charred remains, some burnt beyond recognition, others burnt in areas of their bodies, but nevertheless a hundred dead bodies lying there. Why? Because they were partakers of the afflictions of the Gospel. I met a man two years ago when I went to India. He was from Orissa province in southern India. He's the pastor of a church there. And I said to him, I received an email about a month before I had gone to India. And there were pictures of people who had been burnt in fires as Hindu extremists sought to stamp out the name of Christ in their area. And he said, that's the church that I'm the pastor of. Those people that you saw are the people that I pastored. They tried to kill me, but God delivered me. They became partakers of the afflictions of the gospel. I want to ask you, are you willing to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel? Someone wrote must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and stale sailed through stormy sea. God has called all of us to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. I want you to write some things down I hope will be a help to you as we consider this theme of the afflictions of the gospel. Number one I want you to see the portion of affliction. the portion of affliction. Notice again in verse number eight, he said, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. A partaker is one who takes a part. He has a common share or portion. That's what a partaker is. So the Lord says by His Spirit, as He inspires Paul to write this, the Lord is saying, I want you to be a partaker of the affliction. I want you to have a share in the affliction of the Gospel. Affliction is a state of pain, distress, or grief. Sounds fun, doesn't it? A state of pain, distress, or grief. Paul's great desire was to know the Lord. Is that your desire? Do you desire to know Him? Paul said in Philippians chapter 3 and verse number 10, his prayer, the earnest desire of his heart and of his life was this, not that he'd build some great work, not that he'd be known across the globe. What is your great desire, Paul? It is this, that I may know Him. and I may know Him. I'll tell you, nothing substitutes, nothing substitutes for that one thing, knowing Him. Paul said that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Well, praise the Lord for that. To know the Lord and the power of His resurrection, what a glorious thought, but Paul continues, and the fellowship of his sufferings. I don't know if I like that Paul He said I want to know him I want to know him in the power of his resurrection but I also want to know him in the fellowship of his sufferings and then He had to say these last words in verse number 10 of Philippians chapter 3 being made conformable unto his death Paul said I want to know how to die You know the greatest lesson you can learn? Look here, just for a moment. The greatest lesson that you can learn is death to self. If you want to be used of God, if you want to experience the power of the resurrection in your life, the greatest lesson you can learn is death to self. That's the greatest lesson. If you want to know how dead you are, wait and see how it goes on the next quiz when you think you got an unfair question. Or you think you got the answer right and the teacher's wrong. That's when you find out how dead you are to self. There are many other tests, but that's just one for you. Paul said, I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death. He wrote to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter one in verse number twenty nine. And he said for unto you it is given in behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake. Peter wrote in first Peter chapter two and verse number 19 for this is thank worthy. If a man for conscience toward God endure grief suffering wrongfully for what glory is it When ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently. But if when ye do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even here unto where ye call, Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps. You want to be a disciple? You want to follow the Lord Jesus? He's saying you must be willing to endure suffering, even taking things wrongfully. Are you the kind of person that wants to straighten everything out? I can't believe I was treated that way. I am. That's the kind of person I am. But the Bible said that if I'm going to follow the Lord Jesus, I must be willing to suffer wrongfully and take it patiently Because God has a wonderful work that he wants to do in my life through it and I am becoming a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel Now in just a little bit brother bill Planned he's not going to be able to do this I'm so upset, but he planned to take me to the finest five-star restaurant in Lattimore, North Carolina I imagine that's the Hardee's. I don't know. I don't even know if there is a Hardee's in Lattimore, North Carolina. And we're going to have a meal together, at least we were, until he found an excuse to get out of it. That's what friends are for, you know? We're going to sit down, or we were, going to sit down and have a meal together. We were going to have great fellowship, but you blew it. I want you to know that. I want you to imagine that we're going to enter into a meal, a time of fellowship with the Lord. He said he's at the door, he's knocking. If we'll open, he'll come in and he will do what? Supper with us. We're going to have supper with Jesus. We're going to have fellowship. We're going to have communion. We're going to sit down and we're going to get to know him. Is that what you want? On the table there are wonderful portions of glorious things. They represent the power of His resurrection. There are portions of life. There are portions of love. There are portions of joy. There are portions of grace. There are portions of mercy. There are portions of wonderful things. And oh man, aren't we ready to dig in? But also on the table, there are some things that we don't want. There's suffering. There's sorrow. There's the pain of abandonment and the pain of betrayal. There's the pain of false accusation. There's the pain of reproach. And all those things are on the table. And we might say to the Lord, No, I don't think I'll have any of that, thank you very much. But He said, Oh, if you want to have fellowship with Me, you must be willing to partake of it all. you must be willing to partake of it all you see it is our portion it is his portion and therefore it becomes our portion to be a partaker of the affliction of the gospel 2nd Corinthians chapter number 11 in verse 23 through 28 Paul speaks of some of the afflictions that he endured He said, Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors, more abundant. In stripes, above measure. In prisons, more frequent. In deaths, oft. Of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day have I been in the deep. in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Now, I want to tell you something. I've just been I've just been a pastor for a little over three years, just just just a little bit. And I don't look young, but I am. I'm forty three. And. I went to visit a guy in the hospital the other day. He want me to go see his brother. He was one of our church members, said, I want you to come see my brother. I walked in the hospital room and he said, the church member, our church member was there. I didn't expect him to be there. He didn't expect to see me, although he asked me to come see his brother. And when I came in, this is what he said. He said, this is our pastor to his brother. He said, this is our pastor. He's not as old as he looks. Now, I want you to know that was encouragement. That's those afflictions of the gospel you got to partake of. Be a partaker of those. I've just been in it three years. Just a little bit of time. Before that, I served as an associate for several years. Just three years. The care of one church is enough to kill you. The care of one is enough to kill you. Paul said, I've got the care of all of them. plus all these things that we suffered. Listen, the next time, you know, the next time one of the teachers jump on our case in class because we were cutting up and we want to get in there and whine to our friends about it. Let's think about this. The next time we go soul winning, somebody slams the door in our face or somebody calls us a name. Let's think about this. The true afflictions of the gospel. Paul said, I want you to understand, this is your portion. This is this is a privilege. This is an honor that you can enter into fellowship with the Lord Jesus, that you can be a partaker of the affliction of the gospel. Listen, we're wonderful partakers of the glories of the gospel. Shall we not be willing to be partakers of the afflictions? That's what God's called us to do. The second thing I want you to see is the power. The power in affliction. Power. In affliction. Notice again, verse number eight, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Do you know what happens when we suffer the afflictions of the gospel? When we think it's so great for us, we cannot bear it anymore. We have a wonderful source of power. I want us to look at that power source that we have, how God strengthens us in the midst of those afflictions, that source of strength that God brings to us that causes us not to shirk, not to shun our responsibilities in the days of affliction, not to be ashamed of the gospel in the days of affliction, but rather to be bold concerning the gospel in the days of affliction. Paul experienced this firsthand. I want you to write these things down. Let me give you four things that the Lord uses to strengthen us in the midst of affliction. Number one, we're strengthened by the Lord's power. We're strengthened by the Lord's power. Second, Timothy, chapter one in verse seven, just just previous to verse eight, the Lord says, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Listen, we have the Holy Spirit of God living with us. He is in us. He is in dwelling us. It is the same spirit that caused the Lord Jesus to rise from the dead and that spirit lives and abides in us. We have the spirit of power. We're strengthened by the Lord's power. Secondly, we're strengthened by the Lord's person. I'm talking about the character of God and who he is. And as we come to know Him in a greater way, we understand that the Lord is faithful, and we understand that the Lord is wise, we understand that the Lord is omnipotent, His ways are perfect, He is accomplishing His will, and we are confident in His ability, and in His wisdom, and in His power, and in His strength. Paul wrote there, Verse number 12 of 2nd Timothy chapter 1 for the witch cause I also suffer these things nevertheless I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and Am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day We're strengthened by the Lord's person The third thing I want you to see is that we're strengthened by the Lord's people In verse number 15 of 2nd Timothy chapter 1, he said, This knowest thou, excuse me, this thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. And the Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my change. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. I want you to know this. There is always, no matter how bleak it may look, there is always an Onesiphorus. Someone to come alongside and encourage you. Let me encourage you. Why don't you be the Onesiphorus in your dorm? Why don't you be the Onesiphorus to that pastor where you attend? Be the Onesiphorus to Brother Bill. Listen, you don't know, you don't know, you don't begin to know the burden that this man is carrying. Won't you encourage him? Won't you pray for him? Listen, don't grumble, don't complain, because you know what? One day you're going to be in a place of ministry where people are going to be grumbling and complaining about you. Let's be people who strengthen and encourage one another. We're strengthened by the Lord's people. Then, fourthly, we're strengthened by the Lord's presence. Go with me to chapter 4, verse number 14. Paul said, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord rewarded him according to his works. Whom be thou where also for he hath greatly withstood our words. I want you to know there's always going to be an Alexander the coppersmith There's always going to be one and you know what we want we want God to kill him that's what we want But God is using There's always going to be someone like that God will use him in our lives and God will use him in the ministry. The Bible says that the Lord uses the wrath of man to do what? To praise him. In verse 16, he said, My first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, notice verse 17, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. Oh, friend, there's nothing like knowing that God is with you. He will strengthen you by his presence. And I want you to know the hour is coming. The day is coming in your life when you're going to feel like you're all alone. No more college days, no more college friends, no more chapel times. You're going to be out there serving God and you're going to be dealing with difficulties and you're going to feel as if you're all alone and that no man is standing with you. But I want you to know God is with you. And he will strengthen you. The power that we have. in affliction. There was a man in the States, his name escapes me, I can't remember who told me the story, maybe you, I'm not sure. He went to Asia and he began to work in the Pacific region there and God worked in a mighty way and people were saved, churches were planted and eventually missionaries in that part of the world were called to the field. They went to Afghanistan. You didn't tell me that, did you? When you get 43, you can't remember who told you anything. These missionaries, these Asian missionaries went to Afghanistan. They were kidnapped by the Taliban. They were held for a great period of time. They were beaten, they were treated disgracefully. And two of the leading pastors in that group were killed by the Taliban. Eventually they were released and they went back to their homeland. They went back to their churches. But every so often they get together. And as they get together and as they talk. About their experience there. They share that they miss that time. They miss being in Afghanistan. Now, friend, I would think, hallelujah, I'm out of Afghanistan. I want to be home with my family, with my church, with my friends. Praise the Lord. But they actually missed that time. You know why? You know what they have said? They said the Lord was so near to us when we were there in such a way that we've never experienced. You know what that is? That's the strength of God in the midst of affliction. That's the power that he gives us in affliction. There is the portion of affliction and there is power in affliction. Then I want you to see, lastly, the purpose. Of affliction. The purpose of affliction. I want you to go back with me, please, to verse number nine and second Timothy chapter one. The Bible said he had saved us and called us with a holy calling. not according to our works but according to his own what's the next word there purpose according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel notice verse eleven where to I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things. He said, I suffer these things because I have yielded my life to God's purpose. I suffer these things because God has himself appointed me as a preacher of the gospel. The Lord is working through this affliction to accomplish his great purpose in and through our lives. And I want you to know, the affliction, the suffering, the trials, it doesn't just have to be physical. Listen, it's emotional. I mean, just the burden, just the burden of the ministry. I had a friend say to me not too long ago, he said, I know why preachers are jumpy. He said, I know why they're jumpy. He's a pastor now. You know, when somebody comes up to you and says, Preacher, I need to talk to you about something. You're always going, oh my. Just when I thought it was going to settle down, here it goes again. I mean, you can have a glorious, wonderful service. It can be the greatest thing. I'm telling you, you can think heaven has come down to your church. And there'll be three or four that want to talk to you about some problem before it's over. You see? He said, I know why preachers are jumping. I think I'm learning that lesson myself. I hope I don't become jumpy. But I want you to understand God uses these afflictions, these trials. In your life. In my life. To accomplish his purpose and to work through us. Now, what is his purpose in affliction? Let me give a couple of things here. Write them down, please. Number one is the salvation of the lost. God works through affliction to bring the loss to him. Listen, let me ask you a question. How did the Lord Jesus purchase our salvation? Did he walk down the streets of Jerusalem and they said, oh, there's the king, let's make him the king. There was a time they wanted to do that. In their own selfishness, you see, they were looking They were looking for a king, they were not looking for a lamb who was coming to suffer for their sins. You see, it cost Jesus great anguish. When He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, it was great sweat drops of blood, and He said, Lord, Father, if it be Thy will, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done. What anguish, what suffering He was going to bear, and He was already bearing there in Gethsemane as He drank the cup of our sin for us. As He experienced for the first time in His eternity, In His eternal existence, for the first time, He was separated from fellowship with God the Father. That's the anguish, that's the suffering that He went through so that you and I could be saved. Are we not willing to bear that so that others may come to the Lord? Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 8 remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer even under the bonds even under bonds but the Word of God is not bound therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory Paul said, I'm willing to bear and be a partaker of these afflictions so that others may come to know the Lord. Paul said in Philippians 1.12, he said, the things which happened to me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. The church of Jerusalem at its zenith, when everything was going great, suffered great persecution and was busted up. And the people who were in that church, they were scattered across the earth. The Bible says in Acts chapter 8 and verse 4, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. What did God want them to do in the first place? Go everywhere preaching the word. You see, the purpose of affliction is the salvation of the lost. Secondly, it is the edification of the church. Colossians chapter 1 and verse number 24, Paul said, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." He said, I'm willing to endure these difficulties for the sake of the church. The third thing I want you to see for the sanctification of the believer. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, he says in verse number 11, He says, For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. In verse 17, he said, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. God wants to produce in you the image of Jesus Christ. He wants to sanctify you and he will use affliction to do it. Psalm 34, the Bible said many of the afflictions of the righteous. Psalm 119, the Bible said before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept thy word. You see, God knows how to use affliction in our lives to bring us to himself. Let me give you a fourth thing as far as the purpose of affliction, and that is the glorification of the Lord. the glorification of the Lord. Peter wrote in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice in as much as your partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you 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. You see, God uses affliction to bring glory and honor to his self. I think the best illustration of this is the life of Job. Did nothing wrong As far as we know He done nothing wrong And it came a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and the Lord said to Satan Hey Satan, where you been? He said all I've been walking up and down in the earth and God brought up Joe, how'd you like that? Like God to bring up you to the devil He said, there's one down there. Have you looked at him? Have you considered him? And you're roaming to and fro on the earth. Have you stopped to consider Job? He loves me. He serves me. He's sold out to me. Satan said, no wonder. No wonder. You take care of him. You give him flowery beds of ease. You've blessed him in so many ways. Anybody would worship you. Anybody would worship you, O God, if they were all treated like that. And so the Lord let Job suffer affliction at the hand of the devil. And in one day, what happened to him? He lost everything. In a span of about seven minutes, that's about how long it takes us to read that record. Can you imagine one servant coming in the door? Job, we just lost a camel. Job, we just lost the sheep. Job, we just lost this. Job, we just... I mean, just write one after another. Job, your children are dead. But the Bible said in the midst of all of that, in the midst of all of it, what did Job do? He sinned not, nor charged God foolishly with his lips. He said, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now, maybe six, seven, eight people heard that statement. Just a few, only a handful. But what none of them knew, and what Job did not know, is that the banisters of heaven was occupied with angels who were looking down upon Job. And Satan and all of his demons, they were gathered around, and they were watching Job. And Satan was saying, I tell you, God, he's going to curse you. Just any moment, he's going to curse you! And they listened, as Job got the news. And Job said, Blessed be the name of the Lord. And I want you to know over on this side in the banisters of heaven, the angels gave out a shout of victory and praise and honor and glory to God because here's a man who in the midst of his affliction brought glory to God. But nobody knew except the host of heaven and the host of hell. I want you to know what you and I don't know is what God is doing in this world through us. We don't know who's watching us. We don't know what thing God is doing in our lives, but we can trust Him that He will be glorified. I want to ask you a question. Are you willing to leave this place, to go out and serve God wherever He has appointed you, and become a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. It is our portion, friend. We have his power. And we understand it, it's his purpose. Let's pray together. Our father, we love you today. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your faithfulness. We pray, oh, God, that you would help us to understand. You have called us to this. May we be willing Yield our lives unto Thee. Have Your willing way in this student body, among the staff, and in my own life, I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.