Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.
Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. The truth is that Christ suffered for us in the flesh. Jesus was God and man and He suffered for us not just emotionally, not just spiritually, but in the flesh. He felt everything you feel. When you're hurting, He knows how that feels mentally. He knows how that feels emotionally. He knows what you're going through spiritually. And He even knows what you're going through spiritually. physically.
He's got it all covered. We have a high priest that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. And why is that? Because Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh. Notice this, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.
That's odd. In other words, Christ has suffered so we need to prepare ourselves. And the battle is in the mind because I have found that normally whatever hits me, it will wear me down physically and all those things. But I can get through that somehow. But sometimes the dumbest things defeats me emotionally and spiritually.
And that's where I tend to, and I can run till I'm ragged and still keep going somehow physically. But when you're wounded spiritually, that's why the Bible says a wounded spirit who can bear. I can bear a wounded body but when your spirit gets wounded, you can't even bear yourself. Notice what it says here, so arm yourself likewise with the same mind. You've got to be prepared for this. Look at verse 2, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men but to the will of God. So now we're starting to get an understanding here. Hey, Jesus suffered. You need to arm yourself in your mind.
Get grips with this. Make peace with this in your mind that it's all about the will of God. It's not about your desire and it's not about our comfort. It's about the will of God. Look at verse 10, as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. So God gives grace and we're to be good stewards of that. We're not to waste it. And we're not to, if you understand what I'm saying, God forbids us to not use it.
So many Christians have God's grace available when they suffer as Christ suffered but they don't use God's grace. We are to be good stewards of that. God's given it, so use it.
Everybody got me so far? Look at verse 11, if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. Remember, God gives grace so he gives gifts with this. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. So if you talk, talk the way God would talk. If you're going to minister, you need to do it with the strength that God would give you.
Don't do it in your own flesh. Notice this, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. So it's about the will of God in verse 2. It's about the glory of God in verse 11. Notice this, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever.
Amen. So that means it's about the will of God. It's about the glory of God. It's about the praise of Jesus Christ and all God's people said.
Well that wasn't very, I thought it was going good until then. Now look at verse 12 and 13. These are our key verses just this morning briefly. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Now notice in verse 13 he says rejoice. That's a decision. That's a choice of the will, rejoice. But notice at the end ye may be glad also.
So that's more of a natural response. That's not something that I have to work up and make myself be glad. I can decide to be joyful. I can decide to rejoice. In other words there's always something to rejoice about when you're a child of God. But the end result of what God is doing in our life is that there is genuine true happiness and contentment in your life. You say preacher what's your point? Notice what he says in verse 12. Beloved think it not strange concerning this trial.
He said let me give you a little bit of help here. Don't get to the point where you are so shocked when things happen to you as if something strange is taking place. You need to arm your mind for this. I'm warning you. I'm letting you know right now that as you're a follower of Christ we are not a follower of Christ to be comfortable. We're a follower of Christ to be like Christ.
So don't think it's strange when trials come. Let's pray. Lord I love you. Thank you for everything you've done. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen. Well preacher what do I do when things happen in my life that I kind of think it's strange that God would allow that? How do I respond when something happens and I just don't understand why God would do that or allow that and I just don't understand it? Those are strange trials. Now there are some things that happen in my life. You just kind of expect it.
But there are things that go up in different people's lives at different times and you can almost think that's strange. Why would God do that? Why would God allow that?
Why would God put me through that? I want to show you in this passage how we're told that we need to respond to this. You've got to arm yourself. Listen.
Get ready. This is a battle in the mind. It's about the will of God in your life. It's about the glory of God in your life. It's about praising Jesus Christ in your life. It's about us being good stewards of the grace that God's given. That means whatever happens God has given enough grace for you to get through that trial. And the whole point of God giving enough grace to get through that trial is that when you get through that trial God gets the glory and you are genuinely content in a way that you never thought you could when that trial first started. All God's people said, I don't know.
I know. Let's just break it down. Number one, and please this is just brief and I want to close with something personal this morning. Number one, rest in the fact that you were loved. You know randomly in this passage he goes through and for as much as Christ has suffered goes on as every man has received the gift. But in verse 12 before he even talks about fiery trials he says, Beloved. It's this reminder that as I'm getting ready to tell you that listen don't be shocked when things happen.
You need to rest and remember that you're loved. This word beloved is interesting. In the Greek it literally means this, it means dearly loved. It means well loved. You see you and I if we're not careful when a trial will hit we'll begin to think we're not loved.
Not just by people but we can start to think we're not loved by God. Why would you do this? This is strange if you love me. This is strange that you would do this. Beloved. Dearly loved.
Think it not strange. Rest in the fact today I want you to know Kerwin you're loved. Whatever goes on in your life God loves you. You need to remember that. If you don't get that from here on out you're not going to get anything else. You've got to rest in that fact that you're beloved. You're God's dearly beloved the Bible says. Notice secondly you have to resist being confused when trials come.
Notice what he says think it not strange. Now this is where we can really get bit out of shape in life and we can get bit out of shape with God. When we look at trials as though they were not supposed to happen to us. For some reason people think when we're saved that those things aren't supposed to happen to us. You know as I read the Bible I find it interesting Joseph did not seem shocked that his brothers did what they did. Now I would be a bit surprised and I'm sure at first Joseph was like what's going on?
But you don't find anywhere in the Bible that Joseph just kept going on and on chapter after chapter. I can't believe that this would happen in my own family. My own brothers would do this. I mean all I did was tell about a dream and all I did was say to them it was better than them. I don't know why they got so mad at that.
I don't know why this happened. You don't see him going on and on and on. Joseph wasn't shocked. In fact I don't find that Joseph was shocked that he was forgotten in the prison by the butler and all these different things and the baker and the gingerbread man whoever else was there. He was forgotten by everyone in the prison and he wasn't seemed to be shocked by that. And then when he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife for some reason Joseph didn't get bit out of shape. Why would God do this?
You don't find that anywhere. And yet when everything is said and done God sure blessed Joseph because he had the right kind of spirit. As I read Paul did not seem surprised or shocked when he was in prison.
You don't see Paul sitting in prison. Here I am trying to serve God and why would God allow this? I mean I'm out here preaching and I've given up everything and I had a career and here I am. I've given my heart to the Lord. Now I'm out here preaching and look what's happened. I mean I was better off when I was doing the other stuff and now that I'm serving God here I'm always fearing for my life. People are always chasing me down.
I end up in jail, after jail, after jail. I don't find anywhere that Paul was shocked. He didn't think it so strange that this happened. In fact you say well that's all New Testament preacher.
Well I don't find anywhere. Job was so blatant with the fact that God had just forgotten him. In fact when he went through everything he went through he said the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Now he did have a little problem later on with his friends and I understand that don't you? But for some reason Job kept the right kind of spirit toward God when all that hit. You see you and I cannot view trials and difficulties as if they're not part of the plan. We can't view them as if these things shouldn't happen to us because we belong to Christ. If we do then we will think that God has forgotten us and if we look at our trials like it's strange that they should happen to us we'll begin to doubt God and we'll begin to resent God and before long as you begin to resent God you're going to resent God's will and you're going to resent God's house and you're going to resent God's word and you're going to resent the Christian life and you're going to begin to look through everything and become literally sarcastic and looking through everything through a skewed thing and all of a sudden now you've been out of shape bitter against God out of church out of things all these things because you think for some reason what happened to you shouldn't have happened to you. Beloved think it not strange. Notice number three remember that these trials have a purpose.
You've got to rest in the fact that you're loved. You need to resist being confused. Thirdly you need to remember that these trials have a purpose. Now this verse tells us what the purpose is. Notice if you would in verse 12 he said the fiery trial which is to try you. Don't think it's strange about this fiery trial which is to try you. It sounds like he's kind of repeating himself a little bit but I want you to notice that the trials that you and I face as believers have a purpose.
Notice number one it is a purifying trial the Bible says. He says think it not strange concerning the fiery trial. Now I used to think it was just an adjective for a really hard time. But there's a reason this word fiery is used. It is interesting in the Bible it's a Greek word which is pyrosus.
It means a smelting a burning away of dross. It means that literally beloved don't think it's strange when a trial that literally refines you is what he's saying. Don't be shocked when things happen in your life because these things have to happen for God to burn away the dross. To get out those things that shouldn't be there if the whole point of the Christian life is to be like Christ and to be conformed to the image of Christ. These things have to happen. There has to be this process.
I mean there's got to be some things that are burned away. It is literally the purpose of this trial is to refine us, to purify us. And they do that you know. Boy it hurts.
But they do that. Notice not just a purifying trial but secondly it's a personal trial. He says this fiery trial which is to try you. Now you can look at it one of two ways. You can say of all the people in the world why would God pick on me? Or you can look at it like this of all the people in the world why would God care so much about me? To work on me and mold me and to turn me into the image of Christ.
You see whatever happens in your life. Let me put it this way the Bible says this that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. That in the Greek it literally means custom made. It means whatever you go through you're going to think you can't go through it. But God has done this to try you. And He has it set just for you because He knows not just is it what you need but it's what you can handle.
It's to try you. He loves you enough to care about you. Number four you have to realize that God is in control. Notice verse 12 it's funny you think He's repeating Himself here again He says, Beloved think it not strange concerning this fiery trial. But notice what He says here in verse 13. I find this interesting and I don't know about you excuse me verse 12 but He says as though some strange thing happened to you. So don't think it's strange that this fiery trial is coming and He said as though some strange thing happened to you. So understand what He's saying here this word strange in the Greek it means random.
It means unplanned or unmonitored. He says don't think that what's happening to you is just some unplanned some random act of something that God had no idea was going to happen that there's no reason for it. And notice this has happened unto you. In other words as if we're just walking around as the children of God and we're just innocent bystanders and we're just open pray for whatever Satan wants to do and God doesn't care about us enough to protect us and to guard us and to put a wall and a hedge around us. I mean we're just sitting pray for Satan and some random thing just happens to us as God's children and I'm telling you this morning that's not the way it is. God has put a hedge around us.
God does protect us and before you get mad about this trial that you think you're going through that God is using to purify you. You have no idea of some of the things that the hedge He has put around you has kept you from. We'll just never know about those things. You got to realize that God is in control. Don't think that just some strange things just happen to you. That's not the way God does things. Notice lastly you know where we're going with this.
Number five respond with joy. This is how we're supposed to handle strange trials. Notice what he says in verse 13, but rejoice.
Preacher that's a lot easier said than done. Yeah. Ain't that the truth? But why is it we're supposed to rejoice? Notice number one rejoice that you are identified.
What do you mean? He says as much as ye are partakers in Christ's sufferings. That means you're identified with Christ now. He loves you enough to give you a little bit of an open book on some of His suffering.
He loves you enough to let you into that little inner sanctum circle of what it feels like to suffer. You're now identified with Christ. Rejoice because if the whole point of your life is Christ, remember what our passage said in verse two it's about the will of God. Remember what verse 10 said in 11 it's about the glory of God. It's about the praise of Christ. If that's really the purpose of our life then that ought to be pleasing to us that we're now identified with Christ. We're growing into more like Christ.
But if the purpose of our life is for us to be happy, get what we want and be comfortable we're going to have a hard time with trials. Notice secondly why should we rejoice not just that you are identified but notice second that God was glorified. And notice what it says here when His glory shall be revealed.
That was the purpose of it all. I should rejoice because that's what I wanted was for God to get the glory. And third that your spirit was purified. Why should I rejoice? Because now I'm identified because God was glorified and my spirit was purified. What did the passage say? This fiery refining trial. He says this and I love it.
That you may be glad also with exceeding joy. I wanted to read this to you and I'll close and I'm going to fumigate the building. And if you haven't showered yet this morning just stay put.
By the time we're done with the machine you'll be good for another week. A few weeks back some of you knew my mom. Many of you did. Many of you didn't that are new. But I have some friends of my mom and dad's I mean from years years years years back.
Homestead Florida near Miami. And after of course my dad died you get little letters and things and people sent. And this one people just said these folks Tad and Cindy Ivy. And Tad and Cindy were friends and she was a hairdresser. If you knew my mom that was important to her. Not many people could do my mom's hair the way she wore it.
If you don't know if you don't know my mom beehive is kind of how it used to be done. So my mom and dad always send out ministry letters quarterly and she said I came across this and she said I just thought maybe you would enjoy reading it. And this is my mom and dad's you can see here I'm almost four years old here when this is written.
I think I'm just had already been four years old. And here's the ministry letter that they would send out and here's a hand typed note that I can't tell you hundreds of people that my mom and dad and all their 50 years of evangelism. My mom kept correspondence and there would always be the letter that she would send out and then she would either hand or type on an old fashioned typewriter never used a computer and she would type long notes to every person individually just personally some of you have gotten those over the years. But this is 1976. She said I just I just thought maybe you'd want to read this.
And I had no idea what I was getting ready to read. As they wrote this ministry letter it says and begins with a verse as my mom always did. Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. We thank him for his protection and guidance he has enriched our spiritual lives as we have depended on him truly he has done abundantly above all we could ask or think. We are now in our seventh year of evangelism in 1976 has been another great year. We've conducted 48 revivals. Hundreds of precious souls have been saved.
And we want to thank God for it. In July of this year Pat became pregnant. And the arrival time of the baby was to be April 23rd. However after three difficult months she lost the baby on October the 9th.
Once again we found that his grace is sufficient to meet every need. They went on going down through their meetings and my mom lost the baby before me and lost one after me and I was four years and I barely I remember going to the hospital to see my mom in the hospital. I just have a slight glimpse of remembering that and yet my mom never talked about it. On this personal note that they sent with it December the 8th 1976 my mom writes her and she says I'm writing to let you know that we won't be seeing you this year as you know Pastor Frost who passed in Miami resigned and there was a mishap on the scheduling so the meeting was canceled. The Lord filled that week in North Carolina and guess what week that was. 1976 my mom and dad came to Kerwin to preach a revival meeting.
Wasn't even supposed to happen. That's when I was four years old and I came out and jumped on Bill Walker for smoking outside of the church. Little that I was four years old I walked up said you're going to hell for smoking. Little did I know that I would not only be his pastor but preach his funeral one day.
As she gets down to her dear friend my mom wrote this paragraph. As you probably heard Cindy I became pregnant in July but lost the baby on October the 9th. I had a hard time and tried my best to keep it.
But nothing helped. I also had a DNC at the same time. It was a pretty rough three weeks there but the Lord was so good. He restored my strength to me very quickly and I praise him for that. The hardest part of it all was not being able to be in the revival services with Dan for two weeks. Now when I read that I just started crying.
That was the hardest part. Not the heartbreak of a baby but wanting so bad to be in revival services. I must say that I really appreciate the Lord, Dan and Daniel and the ministry more than ever before. The Lord always uses everything in our lives which many times are heartaches to draw us closer to him. Romans 8 28 is certainly a reality in all of our lives. We were all so excited over a new baby but the Lord knows best and he never makes a mistake.
Amen, exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point. We truly are rejoicing in his will. What did verse 2 say? It's about the will of God. She says this, since then we've had some tremendous meetings the past few weeks.
This is just right after she lost this baby. While we were in Cincinnati, Ohio Dan was able to lead a man from India to the Lord. It was his first time in a Protestant service. He was a devout Catholic. However, God spoke to his heart and he was gloriously saved. On the last Sunday night of that week 38 folks responded and got saved at the invitation in one service.
What a thrilling night that was. To God be the glory. I think it's not strange that trials come just because we're a preacher or a plumber. Just because we're do this or do that. Where I'm a child of God I go to Kerwin Baptist Church. Think it not strange because the whole purpose is to refine you.
To make you more like Christ. I was just 4 years old. I never heard any of that from my mom. It gave me kind of a glimpse into what she was feeling that she would never share with me.
But I do know this. Boy, she was a blessing to me. And the more refining dying with cancer, the more refining you go through, the more God is glorified. Strange trials. Can I encourage you today Kerwin? Don't think it's strange. Don't think that there's just no reason God's just being mean to me. No, no, no, no.
It's nothing like that. You are beloved. Lord I love you today. I thank you for all that you've done. Thank you for the patience of our people this morning.
I know we're a little later on this service than normal. But Lord I thank you for the uplifting songs, the reminder. And Lord your word.
We are reminded again to arm our minds. It's about your will. It's about your glory.
It's about your praise. And Lord I pray that you'd help us. May we remember and rest in the fact that you do love us. No matter what may come. Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed. And this morning if you're here and you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I want you to know something.
He loves you. And right where you're sitting you can bow your head, pray with a sincere heart and ask Him to save you. You say preacher there's a lot about the Bible I don't really understand.
Well me too. But the one thing that we need to understand for salvation God has made simple. That's the fact that we realize we're sinners. That we believe He died for us. And we ask Him to save us. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed you can get saved right now. And dear friend if you're here and you are saved may I ask you this morning the altar's open if you need to find it.
Maybe you've been having a little bit of a difficult time with some strange trials. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kirtlandbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.
