Some days are just flat out difficult, and maybe you're in one of those tough spots right now where hard days are repeated by more hard days, and you wonder when the harsh weather's going to let up. It's in these painful places we'd prefer to duck into a secret shelter to ride out the storm.
Today, on Insight for Living, we're picking up right where we left off on our last program. Mike Swindoll is teaching from 1 Peter chapter 4 with a strong word of encouragement for anyone who desperately needs a hiding place. If you are closely linked to him, you will understand his thoughts. Some of the mysterious themes that are threaded through his word will come alive because you are on the bed of affliction or persecution or misunderstanding, the fellowship of his suffering. Furthermore, you can rejoice because you will receive a future reward so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exaltation.
While I preach these words, it happens to be graduation time around here. And these are the days when honors are given out and special, special awards and special ribbons and special hoods are granted to people that have won awards. Do you know that in the future when we stand before Christ our Lord, there will be awards? They are called crowns. Do you know that there is a special crown, I take it literally, a crown given to those who endure suffering? Look at James 1 12.
We were there a moment ago. It tells you what the crown is. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial. Once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. There is a crown set aside for those who endure the fiery ordeal.
Many of you will have one and many of our loved ones will have earned the crown. You still may not be quite convinced that there really can be rejoicing. You've gone to James. Go a little further quickly now to Acts chapter 5 and the last two or three verses of the fifth chapter. And you'll see an example of some men who endured unjust suffering and rejoiced. Acts 5 40. Some men had been preaching and they were told by the officials to stop it. They had been warned. While on trial, a man named Gamaliel spoke in their defense and said, if it's of God, we can't stop it.
If it's not of God, it will stop by itself. I suggest we let them go. Now notice their response, the council. They took his advice, verse 40, and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them. They ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus than they released them. I take it they were still bleeding when they walked out the door of the courthouse. So they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name. The Amplified Bible says they were dignified by the indignity. Every day in the temple from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Back to 1 Peter 4. Few people are more contagious than those going through trials with a pleasant rejoicing attitude. It is absolutely contagious to be around folks like that. Now, so much for how to react. Don't be surprised. Keep on rejoicing.
Here are some things to remember, 14 through 18. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The first thing to remember, this is my opportunity to draw upon maximum power. This is my opportunity to draw upon maximum power. See the way he puts it, the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God rests upon you.
What a privilege. What glory. Revile for the name of Christ. Remember, this is your opportunity to draw upon maximum power.
Second, verse 15. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or a troublesome meddler. Remember this, occasionally some suffering is deserved.
The first thing to remember is that it is an opportunity to draw upon maximum power. The second thing to remember is that maybe the suffering is deserved. Sometime I deserve the treatment I'm getting and we are told of four examples. If you suffer as a murderer, you are caught, you are found guilty, you deserve the imprisonment and the loneliness and the brokenness of that consequence. Occasionally the suffering is deserved and sometime it's even shameful. Suffering as a thief. Suffering as an evildoer. If a believer is guilty of such acts, that believer ought to suffer.
And it doesn't right the wrong because the person is a Christian who has done these wrong things. And will you notice in passing that a troublesome meddler is listed right along with murderer, thief and evildoer? Well that ought to get our attention.
It's a word for busybody. Isn't it interesting that you will suffer as a busybody? If you are a busybody meddling in other people's affairs where you have no business, you will be the one who suffers ultimately. They won't. You will.
Even more than they. And you deserve to be in that suffering. So, you with me?
This is an opportunity to draw upon maximum power. Second, maybe the suffering I'm going through is deserved. Third, most suffering should in no way cause us to feel ashamed. Verse 16, if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. I don't know why, but I meet up with folks who feel ashamed if they're going through trials. I've even met some people who found that they needed help from a professional to get through a very tough time.
And they felt they needed to apologize for it. There's no reason for shame if you're going through trial and you need help through it. If anyone suffers as a Christian, there's no reason to feel shame, but in that name let him glorify God. It is in many ways a privileged honor to go through suffering because of the dear name of the Savior. So most suffering should in no way bring about shame.
Some of you need to hear that. I had a friend say to me some time ago that we hear a lot from pulpits about sin. We hear very little about shame. We hear a great deal about sin. We hear very little about self-imposed guilt. Too bad. We need relief from those things.
They're terrible anchors. Now, fourth, usually suffering is timely and needed. Look at verse 17, for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. Usually suffering is timely and needed.
If it begins with us first, what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God? That is a good word. It's a good reminder. You know, purging is needed. Purging is needed not only individually, usually after the fact. We will look back on the test and we will say, you know, we really needed that. Or, you know, the benefits that came from that are incredible.
And we could maybe name three or four, which we would not have gained had we not gone through the valley. Sometimes God purges a church. It's rolling along rather happily and things seem to be moving along on sort of a mediocre level. There is no sense of zeal or revival or heart for God. It's sort of sit, soak, and sour. You know, just saved, sanctified, galvanized.
You're on your way. Just business as usual. And then God comes in a unique way and he works through the church. I could name several right now I've been in touch with who've told me remarkable stories of how God brought a sense of testing to an assembly and it purged the assembly. A number of people left, but good came as a result of it. It was timely.
It was needed. Now look at the perspective he adds in the condition. If it begins with us first, and that's tough, think of how tough the outcome will be for those who do not obey the gospel of God. And then he quotes from the Proverbs. If it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? The NIV renders Proverbs 11 31, If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner?
You think your testing is tough. Imagine how tough it is for the one going through trials and doesn't have a savior. I'm absolutely at a loss to know how the lost person makes it when the bottom drops out of his or her life. We have no savior. No sense of foundation. There are no borders. There are no absolutes.
There's no reason. There's a sense of hopelessness. Can you imagine being without the Lord and hearing the worst kind of news from your physician? Or from the policeman on the other end of the phone? Or one who knocks on your door and tells you what he's found? You and I as Christians instantly, though we are rocked back on our heels, we immediately turn to the benchmark and that's Christ and we lean on him.
If you haven't him, look at how it reads. What will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God? That brings me to the fifth thing to remember. Remember that there is no comparison between what we suffered now and what the unrighteous will suffer later. This is one of the most often overlooked warnings to the lost. If you think it's difficult for the righteous on this earth, can you imagine your future without Christ and the pain you have in front of you?
Talk about fiery ordeals. Talk about a reason to give your life to Christ. Now, obviously, on whom to rely, verse 19, therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God, I love this next word, entrust. Entrust. It means to make a deposit. Let those who suffer according to the will of God deposit their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right.
Interesting, when you make a deposit in the local bank, usually there's a limit. Here is an infinite God who has no limits and multiplied millions upon millions upon millions of Christians can deposit themselves in his care and he will make every one of them good. He will hold every one of us securely. There will be no one who will come and declare that he is bankrupt of compassion. He can't see you through. I'm sorry. We're full up.
We can't guarantee more. You can entrust your soul to a faithful creator. By the way, the same word used here for entrust is used by Jesus when he translated in his word from the cross, Father, into your hands I deposit my spirit.
Even he entrusted himself to the Father. Have you done that in the midst of your trial? I understand we have a number of pastors who are visiting our area. You're on your way to Vegas.
Well, there's a convention there in Vegas. You're on your way to your Baptist convention there and we welcome every one of you. I wonder how many of you on your way through have had just enough distance now from your flock to realize just how deep the test has been.
Maybe this is a perfect occasion for you these upcoming days to just deposit yourself to his care, to just give the burden to him. Tests are never wasted. God never says, oops, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have given you that. I meant that for Frank. I'm sorry, Bob.
It's not like that. He has them designed. He has our name on them and they are specifically arranged with our weaknesses and our immaturity in mind and he bears down and doesn't let up and we groan and we hurt and we weep and we pray and we grow and we learn.
Speaking of growth through all this heat, can I give you a couple of things that have worked for me? They are both tied to this 19th verse. Number one, when trials come, remember God is faithful. When trials come, remember God is faithful. He has neither forgotten nor abandoned you. He is faithful and add there and rest in him.
Maybe we were so busy working through the verse, we missed that we are committing our souls to a faithful creator. When the trial comes, remember God is faithful. When the x-ray comes back and it doesn't look good, remember God is faithful. When you read that awful note from your mate that you never dreamed you'd ever have to read or you hear the worst kind of news about one of your children and you dreaded ever knowing that would ever happen, remember God is faithful, rest in him.
I think it was Hudson Taylor who said at the height of his test, it doesn't matter how great the pressure is, what really matters is where the pressure lies. Whether it comes between me and God or whether it presses me nearer his heart. I am pressed near the heart of my God because he is faithful and he will hold me. He will hug me through it. He won't leave me. Now that's when the trials come.
Now here's the second. When the trials stay, remind yourself to do what is right. When the trials stay, remind yourself to do what is right.
See how the verses end? Entrust your souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right. Because when you are tested, you will be tempted to go your own way, fight in your own strength and do what is wrong because it just comes naturally.
I mean, it's called being streetwise. You fought your way through life, you can fight your way through this one. Is that right? Is that what God wants you to do? Now on occasion, it may be right to fight.
It may be essential, but rarely. Just do what is right. When trials stay, they linger and you begin to wear down, the enemy is going to be whispering all kinds of great carnal ideas.
He'll even give you evidence that other people got away with it. And add to that little statement and hide in him. When trials come, remember God is faithful and rest in him. When trials stay, remind yourself to do what is right and hide in him.
I like that word picture. It's biblical. Hiding. The Psalmist speaks of a hiding place that became the theme of the story of Corrie ten Boom that many of us saw and wept through her trial in the Nazi concentration camp.
Brian Jeffrey Leach has written a song, a haunting melody. In a time of sorrow, in a time forlorn, there is a hiding place where hope is born. In a time of danger when our faith is proved, there is a hiding place where we are loved. There is a hiding place, a strong protective place where God provides the grace to persevere.
For nothing can remove us from the Father's love, though all may change, yet nothing changes here. In a time of sorrow, in a time of grief, there is a hiding place to give relief. In a time of weakness, in a time of fear, there is a hiding place where God is near. For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.
Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee. Thou art my hiding place. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye.
We claim that our Father, especially for those who find themselves in a dark place, struggling with no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel, cause this place to be their hiding place. For you are near. For you are real. And minister in a very special way to those who are your chosen ones, whom you have tested to prove their faith.
For Jesus' sake. Amen. We trust in you. Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord.
You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. I will trust in you. Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in you.
You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in you. I will trust in you. Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in you.
You are my hiding place. A refreshing reminder from the vocal artistry of Selah, the perfect selection to complement our study in 1 Peter 4. This is Insight for Living. Chuck Swindoll titled today's message, Hope Beyond Our Trials. To learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org.
When you have some extra time this week, you might want to peruse the resources for this teaching series. For instance, Chuck wrote a Bible commentary that covers 1 Peter. In fact, the book includes his commentary on James, 1 Peter, and 2 Peter. It's called Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary. In one volume, you'll gain access to Chuck's interpretation of these books, representing decades of personal study and preaching. To purchase a copy of Chuck's commentary on James, 1 Peter, and 2 Peter, give us a call.
If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888, or go online to insight.org slash store. Well, if you're among those who've given generously to support this ministry, we are deeply grateful. And if you had good intentions about giving a contribution but weren't able to do so, it's not too late to make a difference. Your gift of any amount will be channeled into providing insight for living to someone who's desperately searching for hope. And by giving a donation today, you'll be a blessing to that listener in a way that someone once blessed you. Gratefully, we are privileged to read their encouraging letters, emails, and comments each day. To give a donation right now, you can call us. If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888, or go online to insight.org. Thank you so much for supporting Insight for Living. I'm Bill Meyer.
Join us again next time when Chuck Swindoll describes the job description for your pastor, right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Hope Beyond Our Trials Went Through Fiery Trials, was copyrighted in 1989, 1990, 1996, 2006, 2009, and 2011. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2011 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit our website.
