1 Peter, 4:12-14

Well, we start off with, here we're in 1 Peter 4, 12 through 14. I want to say this is one of the hardest lessons that I've ever worked on. On suffering, beloved. We start off with beloved. You know, you hear that at weddings sometimes. In the old days they would say, beloved, we gather here in holy matrimony or something like that, you know.

Beloved, beloved, do not be surprised, he says here in 1 Peter 4.12-14, be not surprised that the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to that degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

Beloved, this is a wonderful term. A wonderful term of affection and speaks of God's love. Beloved, we have gathered But here Peter is saying beloved, and there's a Richardson's commentary note that says this, true love has the capacity to emphasize, empathize with those who suffer. That is why Peter calls these Asia Minor Christians beloved. True love finds its greatest expression in times of trial. It's important to know that we are loved, in times of trial, whether it is God's love or the love of fellow Christians.

I don't know what I ate yesterday, but I just had a bad night. I was awake about four hours. My heart was racing and going fast. Have you ever had that? I'll tell you, it's no fun, but my beloved wife, at 4.30 in the morning, I said, sweetie, check my pulse. Do I need to go to the hospital? I think I ate too much chocolate about 9 o'clock, is what it was.

Anyhow, she gave me a real nice back rub, and I went right to sleep and woke up beautiful. I mean, not beautiful, but much better. It's nice to live with one who is beloved and who loves you. And as brothers and sisters in Christ, what an affectionate term we can have with each other. We're beloved of the Lord. He loves us. He's placed His love on us.

Now, Peter says, do not be surprised. The King James Version, which some of us old timers are used to, is, think it not strange. Another way of putting it is, stop thinking it's alien to you. Expect trials, Peter is saying. Trials are going to come. Suffering for your faith in Christ is to be expected, so do not be surprised. And of course, we have the Lord's own words in John 16, 33. These things have I spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.

So, some have asked, why do bad things happen to good people? Scripture says that there's none good, you know. So we should be kind of surprised if anything good happens at all, right? Because I mean really none of us really deserve anything good. It's just God's mercy, really. It's just wonderful. I was telling Bev, he holds us together by the word of his power. Thank God we're still together this morning, you know? Even though we've had maybe a bad night or a bad week. Go ahead.

I wonder if anyone else has ever read the book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Did it make you insane? Is that why you're insane? No. He says that Todd feels really bad that these bad things happen. He's really sorry about it but he can do nothing about it.

Oh, how sympathetic. Thanks. I tell you, you know, you go through the Christian bookstore, I tell you, there's so much what I call fluff books. I mean, you know, oh my goodness, the things and, you know, the building up of the old man, you know, building of character, whose character? It doesn't build Christ's character, so many things. OK, so he says, don't be surprised.

And then he speaks of this as the fiery ordeal among you. So the thing that they thought to be alien to them was a fiery ordeal, which speaks of smelting, this word, parousis, smelting. It simply means exposure to fire. It was used of a burning or as like testing of metals.

And so it's interesting what the psalmist says in Psalm 66.10. For you have tried us, O God. You have refined us as silver is refined." So fiery trials are going to have a purpose, he's saying to these Christians. And we see here that this fiery ordeal is already among them, he says. It's among them.

Consider the type of suffering Christians had in this first century. Remember Nero. It was about 64 AD, I believe, that he that Rome burned, most of Rome burned, and of course many, I think, thought that he did it and that he instigated that fire. But he was accused, and the rumor was that he did it. But I understand that he laid it on the Christians, that they're the ones that did this.

And so they began to persecute Christians. And some of the things that the historian Tacitus states this, he says, to get rid of reports, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted this on Christians. He called a class of hated people for their abominations. They're called Christians by the populace. By implicating the Christians for this act of arson, Nero successfully capitalized on the already existing public suspicion of this religious sect.

There were terrible persecutions that came on Christians as a result of this thing with Nero. They were pierced by dogs, they were torn to pieces by dogs, nailed to crosses and set on fire, and they were burned at the end of the day for nocturnal lights. There's much details on that that one can read of the terrible, really fiery things that the early Christians went through during that time in the Roman Empire around 64 AD. So, it's important though for us to know that not all trials, not all troubles are fiery trials. Even though when we're going through them, we think they're fiery, right? Oh yes, to us it can seem that way.

My days before the Lord taught me about clergy, and I was involved with such things, ministering in one church, and a lady came to me and said that her teenage son had been assaulted by the pastor that I was working with. I went through what to me was a fiery ordeal.

It was terrible. I ended up being accused by some that I was trying to take over the pastor's position. So it was tough. In another church situation I was in, someone came to me said, well, the head elder, one of the head elders, had been assaulting his own granddaughter in the living room of the home. And I guess there were witnesses to this.

And the problem with the situation was that I was living in this man's basement, me and my family. So that was quite an ordeal. I don't think it was anything like really what these early Christians had. But the Lord certainly has his way of putting us in situations, even in this day, that to us it can be fiery at the time. By the way, I lived through all that. Thank the Lord.

He came through it all, and after leaving the church, he came back, and in the first situation, the pastor actually just left town. He just left town. He left after a Sunday morning message. It was a shame that he wouldn't just solve it. He just left. Anyhow, the point is, we all are going through various things, and we do go through various things.

So he says, which comes upon you for testing? The word testing means to put to proof. This implies that it is by adversity. So Zodiotes says this, when God is the agent, testing is for the purpose of proving someone, never for the purpose of causing him to fall. It's the devil who tempts and then it's for the purpose of causing one to fall. I like that. That's really, really good. So we need to have a biblical perspective when testings come. God tests his people, like we see in James 1, 3, and 4, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Now, we know blacksmiths put gold and silver ore into a smelting pot to separate the dross from the gold, making pure gold, or making the gold pure. So as the ore heats, the dross comes to the top, leaving pure gold at the bottom. So our Lord takes us through the fire so that we might be matured through the process.

And testing produces an endurance. And it also helps us to minister with understanding to those who are going through trials. Then Peter goes on to say this, as though some strange thing were happening to you. So, as we've kind of alluded to before, there are many who think that suffering happens to them, that when this happens, something bad, then God's against them. They're going to be punished.

I'm sure all of you have heard that. Why did God allow this? It's just like God is not good. Yes? If it feels bad, it must be Satan. Satan is doing this and Satan is doing that. I have no idea why they think Satan is so interested in them. As if we are that important. Satan is not omnipresent. Thank the Lord for that. He does have some demons out there, I think.

The scripture really makes it clear that afflictions are part of the Christian life. It was David that said, before I was afflicted, I went astray. And so the Lord uses and allows affliction in our life to be considered part of our experience. We are given not only to believe, but also to what? Suffer.

I don't like that verse too much, but... You know, I work with these kids all the time in elementary schools, and the immaturity that's there, you know, I mean, not that I wasn't immature, but it's just amazing, the immaturity. You think from a little child, just think of a little baby, you know, and they've got to come through all the falling to learn to walk, all the little trials of growing up and becoming mature. It's really something, isn't it? And certainly, so many of the lessons we learn the hard way, don't we? I mean, you know, the bumps and falls in life. Righteous man falls seven times and gets up. Scripture speaks of that. You know, it's a wonderful thing. So, just keep getting up. That's the thing.

Okay, the Lord says in John 15, 18 and 19, If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, I chose you out of the world, because the world hates you. Because of this, the world hates you. So, then we see the words of Paul in Philippians 1, 29 and 30.

For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here to be in me. And then the psalmist says this in Psalm 34, 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. That's the verse already said once.

Okay, so we have the apostles of testimony. Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3, 10-12. Paul says, Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

That's not a fun verse either, is it? We don't have to go looking for persecution, brothers. It's going to come one place or another. Yes? I have been in churches where the feeling was, if you were going through trials, and you prayed about them, and you've gone to the Word a couple, three times, and the trial didn't go away, then you must be in sin. And that's so contrary to what we read here again and again and again.

The prosperity preachers have that type of philosophy, don't they? That one should be prospering. You're sick, you're just not living right somehow if you get sickness of some kind. Well, the Lord will not heal that last sickness. He didn't for Hal, that's for sure, even though we'd all prayed, I'm sure. It wasn't God's plan. He's healed! Yes! He did answer our prayers, didn't he? Great! The Lord is good. Always good.

Alright, then he says here, Peter says, but to the degree that you share. The word degree indicates that not all believers are called on to suffer to the same extent. You know, some, you know, we see some people seem like they're going through something that maybe we think, well, I certainly don't have it that bad, you know. Bev and I went yesterday out to dinner somewhere and we saw a lady with a disease.

What was that disease she had? It was a type of disease that affects you where you can't control your muscles, you know. But I don't know whether she's a Christian, but anyhow, I think, you know, that's a pretty bad affliction, you know, to have where you can't control your muscles. I mean, I have a certain amount of trouble with things, but I mean, some of you think I do, but anyhow, I try to keep still. But anyhow, there's a disease, you know, there are terrible things that people can go through with. So not all of us have the same degree of suffering. But the Lord knows how to give us what we need, and so we don't need to ask for anything special.

Alright, the sufferings of Christ. Now, this word here, pathenah, indicates a hardship or pain. We participate in the same type of sufferings the Lord participated in in His earthly life. We need to distinguish here that Christ's life sufferings were non-saving. His death sufferings, as our substitute, was perpetuatory and satisfied the righteousness of God in paying for our sins. And in this, He suffered alone as our substitute. But it's in his death that he did take away our sins and the sins of the world. But our sharing in the sufferings of Christ that Peter's talking about has to do with his life sufferings.

And he certainly went through every kind, I'm sure, that a human could. And so we need to keep that distinguished. There's so many that don't understand that, you know, the purpose of Christ to come, His fulfillment of the law, was as a perfect lamb and he died. That was his purpose. That's how he fulfilled the law for us in a way. I mean, when I say he fulfilled it for God the Father and satisfied him in such a way that God is satisfied concerning our sins.

God is satisfied. But that is not what we're participating in. Except we know that we did participate physicianally, don't we? And that is something that he did as our representative, not as our substitute, as our representative. And so we need to make that distinction.

We think here of Saul, who later was known as Paul, and what happens here. You know, when he was persecuting these Christians in Acts 9, we see this, the Lord said to him there on the road to Damascus, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who was he persecuting? He was persecuting the Christians. But the Lord said, you're persecuting Me. And he said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.

So when we suffer, the Lord is suffering in that somehow. I don't understand all that, but we see that in this passage. Then in Colossians 124, later Paul said this, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do share on behalf of his body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking of Christ's affliction." So later, when Paul matured, he went through sufferings as he went along the way. And of course, those things brought him to maturity, I'm sure. And he was filling up that which was lacking in Christ's afflictions. Now, Peter says, keep on rejoicing. Be constantly rejoicing in the midst of sufferings. So, how can we do that? How can we rejoice?

Yes, Tom. Okay, in what particular verse? Rejoice. Okay, alright. So rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Verses like that. We don't rejoice in the sufferings, that's for sure. Now, faith realizes that the basis for rejoicing is not in the sufferings, but in the relationship or the fellowship with Christ, that these sufferings bring. The rejoicing is rooted first in our association with Christ. So if we see that in it, it's a great comfort, I think. I found it that way.

Now we see the examples of the apostles in Acts 5.41.

When they were released, you remember, by the authorities, they had been preaching in the name of Christ, and they were released, it says here in Acts 5.41, 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. Have any of you ever suffered for the name of Christ? I'm sure you have. These early Christians, right at the beginning in Acts, we see them suffering for Christ's name.

This rejoicing also relates to the Christians' experience that this suffering is only a temporary thing. And suffering is helpful for us to focus on the future, that, you know, it's just a temporary thing and there's something better coming. And you see this concerning Christ and His sufferings.

He gives us a good example, Hebrews 12, 1 through 3. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." That's good, isn't it?

The Lord looked ahead to what was coming and the joy that was going to be. knowing that he had accomplished and finished the work and done the Father's will and made our salvation available for us. So Christian rejoicing will be made complete at Christ's return. Look at Romans 8, 18. Paul says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.

The Lord Jesus used this illustration of a woman in childbirth, this business of suffering. He said the baby in John 16, 20-22, the baby that gave this woman pain also gave her joy. And you women can tell us something about that. And the pain was changed into joy at the birth of the baby. So that looking ahead to what's ahead is helpful. I'm sure those of you who are going through a lot of physical suffering right now, who are looking forward to the time when this body is going to be changed. Right?

The Lord be magnified. Cornelia Stanford, going through sufferings. Yeah, she keeps talking about wanting to go to heaven. And I think we'd all be very happy if the Lord came today, wouldn't we? That's great. We want an easy way out, don't we? Okay, with exaltation. I mean, my goodness, he's getting a little extreme, isn't he? I mean, to rejoice and go through all this and do it with exaltation? This adds to the rejoicing, the idea of jubilation. Skipping and bubbling over with shouts of delight. Anybody here doing that? Only by the grace of God. And that's the only way we can do it anyhow, right?

Kenyon says this, if one does not really believe in the ultimate revelation of God's glory and the coming again of Christ, there will be no joy in his religion, no direction in his life. Now Peter goes on and says, if you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed. The if introduces a first class and conditional sentence, meaning the author assumes that this is so and it's real. It could be translated in view of the fact or sense.

These Christians to whom Peter is writing were being reproached for the name of Christ. So the word reviled for the name of Christ speaks of being insulted. It reveals unjustified reproaches and insults being brought against Christians. The enemies of Christ have a hatred for that name and all he stands for. It's interesting today, people don't want to have Christ's name mentioned in the schools, you know, or in governmental situations even.

It's interesting, isn't it? And yet, men swear by the greater. You know, they don't hesitate to take God's name or Jesus Christ's name in vain. It seems like more and more of any shows you might see on TV, you see more and more of taking God's name. You know, and they say, Oh God. And sometimes Jesus Christ, they use His name. But men swear by the greater. I'm comforted in that aspect, that men are swearing by the greatest.

You know, I mean, can't get any higher than Christ. So, uh, but the name of Christ is, is, uh, you know, it's like it's a bad name and yet they like to use it in, in, in, in swearing. Luke 21, 17, the Lord says, and you will be hated by all because of my name.

Uh, I once had a little Volkswagen and parked it in this little chapel in California on a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Came out and somebody had slashed my tires, put paint on the front of it, and what a mess. And they had affected a few other cars that were there for the prayer meeting.

You know, why did they have to attack us? Well, they did. Things happen. You think, well, it must be for the name of Christ. I mean, who are they upset with? They're not upset with me, as far as I know. So it happens. Acts 540, I've already given you one of these verses, Acts 540 and 41. It begins like this, and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then released them. And so these early Christians experienced this. And Peter says here, you're blessed. You're blessed. supremely blessed, well off. This speaks of spiritual prosperity.

Peter uses the word blessed one other time in 1 Peter 3.14 to describe the believer. So here is a principle, though spoken to the Jews, I want you to see this in Matthew 11, 511. We think of the Beatitudes as the kingdom, some of the things applied to the kingdom, but it's a principle that we certainly can see applies to the church saints. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

In James 5.11 we read, we count those blessed who endure. You've heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealing, that the Lord is full of compassion and merciful. Okay, now Peter goes on to say, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

John 1.14 and 15. We read of Christ and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We see when Christ came on the earth, we see Him with the Spirit of the Lord upon Him. We see the fulfillment of Isaiah 11, 1 and 2.

It says, Then a shoot will spring forth of the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit." Now notice here, there's seven aspects of the Spirit here. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of strength, the Spirit of knowledge, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. So, this is resting on believers.

Okay, Tom? What? I didn't catch the word. Okay, the Spirit of the Lord is one. The first one. The Spirit of the Lord, then the Spirit of Wisdom, then the Spirit of Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel. It's just seven different descriptions. Okay? That's the way I saw it. Now, if you want to say six, that's okay. I just counted seven.

All right, he uses the word rest here. Okay, this speaks of to repose, remain, by implication to refresh. So this word is a term from agriculture, I understand, for planting a light crop on a section of ground to give the ground rest. It's used in Matthew 11, 28, when the Lord said, Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I will rest you.

You will find rest for your souls. The Spirit resting on us means to have the Spirit working in us. This is in order to exhibit aspects of God's character. And we also can draw upon God's resources supplied by His Spirit in time of need. so that we can do whatever work He's prepared for us. It's encouraging to know the Lord has work prepared for all of us. And the main work is to be faithful in whatever it is, right? That's the main thing. Faithful in that which is least. Whatever job He's given us to do. And He's going to reward faithfulness.

And of course we see this example in the life of Stephen, which you're very familiar with in Acts chapter 6. And Stephen, beginning verse 8, And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the synagogue of the freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. There you see that spirit of God resting on Stephen.

Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the council. They put forward false witnesses who said, this man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs of which Moses handed down to us. And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the council saw his face like the face of an angel. We certainly can see in this passage the Spirit of Glory resting on Him, the Spirit of God resting on Him.

Now, when you think of sufferings in your life, and I want us to talk about this just a little bit, why suffering? Why do you think it is God allows Christians to suffer? We've talked about some of those things, but we can review those. But how have you seen it in your own life? Why has God allowed you to suffer? Let's keep it brief. Each of us probably could talk for about two hours on some of our sufferings that we've gone through. Yes? in Christ. Learn to trust. I can think of one real quick record.

I told several of the people who have been there to meet on Tuesdays. Hal came to just visit me. He was the only one who was allowed to visit me at the hospital. The other ladies there were like, yeah, they want to do this. And President Lieber claimed that that's the second point. He came one day and brought a rehark for me to read. And he had written, and he had a beautiful hand writing in black letters.

And he handed it to me and he said, when you have a moment to read before we end the book. And in it he had said how blessed of him I was in the eyes of God to be given the problems I was having at that time, which were just about to take me to the depths that I never had in my life. I know that it was a bunch of fooling until I started reading the scriptures that were associated with this, and Al was persistent. A week after a week he would come out and we would discuss this, and finally I learned. I was being blessed by the same thing. That's good, that's good.

Think of Fanny Crosby with her blindness. When she was six weeks old, had this eye inflammation, the doctor comes in and puts these hot poultices on her eyes and gives her this treatment and she goes blind from that. For her whole life, she was blind.

And when she was 43 years old, she started writing hymns. She wrote 8,000 hymns. wonderful hymns. Most of them, I would say, are subjective, but I think we're going to sing one today that speaks of the first hymn, I believe, to God be the glory, I think is her words.

It's more in the objective praise, but it's just wonderful to think what God did in her weakness, you know, and then she had that child. that died. Her husband was blind, of course, and she had a child that died. And through that grief, she had much to suffer, but God used it. Any other thoughts on suffering?

I have some that I can add if you don't have. Yes. Some years back, a close friend of mine went on a mission trip when she was still employed at what was then Western Bible College to England as part of a missionary internship. And she came back and had this little ditty, I guess you could say, it wasn't much of a ditty, it wasn't much of even a song, it was all just a quote that we were trying to sing.

But it said so much, and it does relate to what we are looking at here. When the road is rough and steep, fix your eyes upon Jesus. He alone has power to keep. Fix your eyes upon Jesus. He is such a faithful friend, one on whom you can depend. He is faithful to all things. Thank you, Tom. Fixing our eyes on Jesus.

I like to think of the word rag in summary here. Now, acrostic. R-A-G. Now the world looks at suffering, you know, that's no good, you know. But we're to look at it as something good. R, for reality. God wants reality in our life. Not phony baloney Christians. He wants us to be able to be real. Authentic. And so what's it going to take to get us authentic?

Sometimes we have to be shut up to faith in situations so we can see, you know, this thing really is not so important, you know. And to get us on track, and to lead us in paths of righteousness. You know, Psalm 23 speaks of thy rod and thy staff. You ever think of the rod? What they use the rod, the shepherds use the rod for, and the staff to pull those sheep and to get them going, you know. So, this good shepherd, Of course, gave his life to the sheep, but that's what it takes is sometimes to get the reality into us. Then the word, the letter A, he wants us to be able ministers. You know, that you might be able to comfort those with any comfort wherewith you've been comforted.

He wants us to be able. to minister to others, and we can't do that unless we've gone through something. We really don't know how to minister. Now, I don't think we don't want to go out looking for suffering now so we can minister better, but God will take care of that. I guarantee you. And then the other word, the word G, growth. How are we going to grow as Christians?

You know, often the Lord uses sufferings of some type, and He knows just the people to put us around. to teach us, and sometimes it might be the person we live with. You know, my wife has taught me a lot of things. She suffered very patiently with me. But iron sharpens iron. So the Lord puts us sometimes in a situation where, you know, you have to face it. Your wife is different than you. Thank God for that.

But in the process, it takes a woman longer to get dressed. And we're ready to go, and they're not ready, and they've got to do this and that. But their details is what helps us to be more efficient. And so we're going to a birthday party for a grandson. Well, my wife has got all the presents ready, the card ready. I would have had nothing done along that line. They were given to details.

And the difference is wonderful. But there is suffering on both sides, I'm sure, in a marriage or relationship when you have that difference. But we need to see the gifts are different. And God has allowed that. But it helps to mature us to learn to be patient with one another.

Any other thoughts along these wonderful lines? Any confessions? Yes, oh, there she is. Many of you have been reading about the awful bus wreck up in Wellesleye, Auburn in 1961. I've just been trying to compare how the Christians have lived over the years compared to ones that are not. and how their lives have turned. And then some of the Christians have had more trials and more trials and more trials, you know, that's happened over the years. But they've all come through it, you know, shining like gold. Yeah, and the life, we which live are always delivered unto death. that the life of Christ might be manifest. Not the old man of us, but Christ Himself to be manifest.

And you know, it's so wonderful to get to the place where you say, all I want in life, if we can get to the place, let God be magnified, let Christ be magnified. Lord, You bear fruit through me. Let me seek those things which are above today. And if you can say that, I think God's been working through you with suffering, if you can say that. I know that I'm there, and it's not that we have learned, but we're learning that that's where we need to be. Seeking those things which are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of the Father. I don't know what all that means, but I believe one thing.

It means to seek men's souls. Seek salvation. Look for opportunities to share the gospel. Look for opportunities to to be able to show Christ, display Christ in situations where normally we would get angry, you know, about situations, to show the fruit of the Spirit. And we only can do that as we're abiding in Christ, right? Any other thoughts along the line of suffering? Yes, Mignon. Yes. Good. Okay. Any other thoughts? Yes, Bud. I think James sums it up pretty well here. Sometimes it's a little elusive in here.

When you read down here in James, where he states it this way, there's no use of trying to make perfect paintings. Without painting, you have a perfect work that remains imperfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God to give us law and liberty. If not, then it shall be his.

You know, it's said a lot, and sometimes it's rather elusive, but it pretty well explains what is being meant. Patience comes into a lot of the things that we have here. Our lack of patience, and the way we take suffering. Yes. Just remember, good and bad are like parallel tracks. They run along, good and bad, good and bad, believing and suffering, believing and suffering, and they both get there about the same time.

Let's thank the Lord. Thank you, Father, for this time. We thank You that we're weak in our teachings, in our attention, in our studying, that You can be strong and we trust You, Lord, to take those truths and to let us know You better. And we trust You, Lord, for any afflictions that You allow in our life. We thank You for allowing us to have various trials and afflictions and testings that we might know You better and be able to display your beloved Son as you have us to do in the Spirit. We praise you and thank you for this time in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.