When Thru Fiery Trials… Part 3

And speaking of that word about
which we just sang, I can think of no other way to kind of reintroduce. Remember, we’ve been in this
passage now for three weeks already. I can think of no other way to
reintroduce this passage than the words of that great hymn.
How firm a foundation. How firm a foundation, you saints
of the Lord is laid for your faith In His excellent Word,
what more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for
refuge to Jesus have fled? When through fiery trials your
pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient shall be your supply. The flames
shall not hurt you. I only design your dross to consume
and your gold to refine. The soul that has leaned on Jesus
for repose, I will not, I will not desert to His foes. That soul, though all hell, shall
endeavor to shake. I’ll never, no never, no never
forsake.” We come back to 1 Peter 4 and verse 12. to, for some of us, a familiar
passage, familiar territory. The passage is there in your
bulletin with places for notes, if you desire. But we come back
to this passage that we’ve spent already a number of weeks in.
The title, perhaps, will be familiar to you, even from the hymn, When
Through Fiery Trials. And as we acknowledged when we
got into this book, we come to a new section, but not a new
subject. Peter has dealt from the earliest
moments of this epistle with suffering, with the effects,
if you will, of persecution and difficulty, trials that we have
in this life. It’s part and parcel of our life,
Peter says, and he’s dealt with this subject again and again
and again. But here he wants to take this
passage or this subject from a fresh angle. a new perspective,
if you will, on suffering. Peter’s fear, as we’ve seen in
weeks past, was that this fledgling church, this first century church
to whom he was writing, if they suddenly felt themselves caught
off guard and even surprised and wronged by the suffering
that they were experiencing, they were going to take it out
on their expression of faith. They were even perhaps going
to languish in their faith and doubt God or His love and care
for them. And so, Peter in writing them,
as I said from their opening words of this epistle, Peter
has sought again and again and again to remind them and us that
suffering is endemic to Christianity. Suffering is part of our walk
as Christians. Verse 1, He called them aliens
and strangers who were scattered. In other words, Peter said from
the opening pages, we don’t belong here in this world. And to the
degree that we are comfortable, we’re in a dangerous spot. He
opened and talked in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 1 about trials.
And he said that they are temporary, but they are necessary. They
are indeed distressing. They do cause what we would call
stress They’re varied. They’re purposeful. He went on
and repeated this acronym that he uses, or this name that he
placed upon the saints there, aliens and strangers. Chapter
2. He calls us in chapter 2 later
on to follow in Christ’s footsteps in this pattern of suffering.
And so, again and again and again, in every chapter of this epistle,
Peter deals with the subject of suffering. And it’s no different
here in the passage before us. If you would, we find ourselves
once again in chapter 4, verse 12. Follow along silently as
I read. Where Peter writes, Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes
upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were
happening to you. But, to the 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 upon you. By no means let any of you suffer
as a murderer or a thief or evildoer or troublesome meddler. But if
anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed. But
in that name, let him glorify God, for it is time for judgment
to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us
first, what will become what will be the outcome for those
who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty
that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless
man and the sinner? Therefore, let those also who
suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to
a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” This passage has been
called the how-to manual for Christian suffering. Another
labeled it the repair manual for saints in distress. That’s
my particular favorite. The repair manual for saints
in distress. Because how many of us, when
difficulty comes about, how many of us always handle it perfectly
every time the first time? Not many. Not many. And so we do need a repair manual,
don’t we? We do need instruction of how
to handle difficulty when it comes, whether it’s physical
or whether it’s some kind of persecution. Or whether it’s
some physical difficulty in our life or financial. We need the
repair manual, don’t we? The fact that Peter repeats this
over and over again to these first century sufferers and repeats
it in every chapter shows that in Peter’s mind, the greatest
danger to these new converts, this first century church, was
going to be how they dealt with trials and difficulties. How
they responded to that. We are, just like that first
century church, tiptoeing through the coals of persecution. We
can’t go around it. You can’t just walk flat-footed.
Peter’s not saying that we’ve got to enjoy every minute of
the difficulty that we go through. But we do have to go through
the difficulties. We can’t go around them. And
what Peter has given to us here is a directory, a repair manual.
A sound Christian, by way of review, a sound Christian in
great trial should, number one, cultivate an expectant mind. You should know that it’s coming.
Verse 12, Beloved, do not be surprised. Don’t be caught off
guard. Don’t be offended or shocked or dismayed or troubled when
this difficulty or this trial comes upon you. Don’t be surprised. It’s part and parcel of the Christian
walk. Don’t think that it’s something
unusual or unheard of or something that no one else has ever gone
through. Isn’t it great to have support
groups? Whatever it is you’re going through, that there’s other
people that have actually experienced what you’ve gone through. Paul
said, no trouble has overtaken you, but such as is common to
man. There’s always somebody who’s been through it, and usually
a lot worse than you. How many of us have suffered
unto death? I don’t see any hands. I suppose I wouldn’t, would I?
Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal. Peter doesn’t discount
these difficulties that we go through. Peter doesn’t say, you
have cancer. Pull yourself together, man.
This is no big deal. Peter says, you know what? This
is a fiery ordeal. This is painful and difficult.
The word literally originally meant a burning, but Peter isn’t
using it here in a literal sense. It’s true throughout church history
that they burned Christians at the stake and that in the very
near future they would be burning some of the people probably even
to whom Peter was writing. But he’s not talking about burning
at the stake here. He’s talking about the trials
that all Christians experience as being that kind of a thing. They are burning. They are deeply
testing down to the soul. And that is their design, as
we’ll see in a moment. What Peter, I believe, is alluding
to is Malachi 3, 1 through 3. We looked at it several weeks
ago. Malachi 3 said it this way. See, I will send my messenger
who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you
are seeking will come into his temple, the messenger of the
covenant whom you desire. He will come, says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of
His coming? Who can stand when He appears?
For He will be like a refiner’s fire, or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and
a purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and
refine them like gold and silver.” What Peter says here, is that
these great afflictions, especially those that are so often compared
to fire, they are going to be very painful and very grievous,
painful even to the soul. But they have a purpose. They
always have a purpose. Do not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing. idea in mind of Malachi 3. That we are, in a sense, put
into a crucible. And we are tested by the Lord
to burn off the dross and burn off what doesn’t count. And to
purify what does. Peter wants them to know that
their Christian character is going to be put to the test for
the purpose of improving it. to making us more Christ-like,
more godly, more dependent upon God. And even though these trials
are sharp and fiery by nature, they’re designed by God Himself
only to try, only to test, not to ruin us. They’re not designed
to drive us away from Christ. They’re designed to draw us near. Secondly, a sound Christian in
great trials should not only cultivate an expectant mind,
but maintain an attitude of exultation. And this is easy, isn’t it? When
you’re told that you’re financially ruined, it’s easy to have a worship
service, isn’t it? When you’re told suddenly the
doctor calls you into his office and he says, I’ve got some bad
news, it’s easy to rush out and have a worship service, isn’t
it? No, it isn’t. It isn’t easy. but it is possible. Peter says
it’s possible that if a Christian is sound, if a Christian is tethered
to Christ, if a Christian is drawing constantly on the grace
of God, he can do this. Look at verse 13. But to the
degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, and he says by way
of alluding to the passage to come, he says there is a possibility
of suffering that has nothing to do with your Christianity.
You know, if I get a ticket driving on I-25, which I did not do this
week, if I get a ticket driving on I-25, it’s not because that
state trooper is persecuting me. but to the degree that you share
the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing.” What he says here
is he meets with Christians, saints in the Lord, who are already
rejoicing and suddenly come across a trial. And he says, don’t stop. For goodness sake, don’t stop
rejoicing just because you come across some suffering that is
related to your walk with Christ. He says it’s not enough for God’s
people not to be discouraged under this difficulty, this cross.
It’s not enough not to be astonished or amazed that suddenly this
should happen to me. Not only should they not be surprised,
they should rejoice all the more when it does happen. Now, if
the state trooper pulls you over because you have a fish on your
car, break out into song. James 1.2 echoes the thought,
right? Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials. By the way, you have to prove,
first of all, that He pulled you over for the fish and not
for your speed. James says it differently. He
says, consider it, esteem it, evaluate it, make a conscious
mental effort to think the process through. Welcome it for what
it’s designed to do. One Puritan said it this way,
describing this joy. I mean, who can explain it? This is what the world lacks.
When the world goes through one of these deals, the world wears
the face of a worldling. When the Christian goes through
one of these things, it baffles the world because we don’t behave
like they do. We don’t wear the face of a worldling
in a face of one of these things. We rejoice. We wear the face
of joy, oil and gladness, right? Pour down over our heads from
God. One Puritan described it this
way, even in the midst of heaviness itself. You see, even the Puritans
here, stoic as they were, he didn’t say these trials aren’t
so tough. Pull yourself together, man. Even in the midst of heaviness
itself, such is this joy that it can maintain itself in the
midst of sorrow. This oil of gladness, and he
pictures oil literally floating on a glass of water. This oil
of gladness still swims above and it cannot be drowned by all
the floods of affliction. Yes, it is often the most sweet
in greatest distress. Is that true for you? When the
times are toughest, is it the most joyful? Perhaps
I’ve told you about our friend Marge before. I think I have. Certainly in some context, I
may have mentioned it. The thing that most sticks out
to me, Marge’s husband, Lou, had a backache. I went down to
pray with him for his backache at nine in the morning. By noon,
he was with the Lord in heaven forever.” Heart attack. Lou was
a young man. And I really didn’t expect to
see Marge in church that next Sunday. A lot of guests coming
into town. This thing happened on Friday.
I didn’t expect to see Marge in church on Sunday. And I really
didn’t expect to see Marge in church on Sunday even open her
mouth. If Marge sat and weeped through
the whole service, I would have been just thankful to have her
there with us. But when Marge stood up and sang with all her
heart, it is well with my soul, I knew that this was a woman
who bore the grace of God. This is a woman who rejoiced
in the midst of her sufferings. And that’s what we’re called
to, people. It’s the sufferings of Christ. And when we share in the sufferings
of Christ, we don’t add anything to the sacrifice that’s already
been made on our behalf. Paul said that he participated
in it. Philippians 3.10, I want you to know, I want to know Christ
and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing
in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. I want to be
like Christ. I want to follow in the footsteps
of Christ, no matter how difficult. And people, There are things
in our lives that we cannot possibly waltz into heaven carrying. And
the only way to get rid of those things is to follow in the footsteps
of Christ and to be purified by these trials. Secondly. Actually, let me let me pause
one more second, look at look at the end of that passage. Verse
13, to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing. Why? So that also, at the revelation
of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. Well, now, what
is that? We’re already rejoicing. He found
us in that state. We kept on rejoicing. That’s
exactly what He tells us to. And now, by the time we get to
Heaven, we’re going to rejoice with exultation? It’s like we’re
rejoicing with our rejoicing. He just keeps adding words. Christ’s second coming is designed
to be truly a glorious and glad day for all God’s people. And
it will be that. But there is a special measure
of joy and gladness who is reserved in heaven for those who secured
that grace to cheerfully go through those sad sufferings and trials
for Christ’s sake. That’s what he says. Believers, in essence, should
rejoice now in their suffering so that by the time we come face
to face with Christ, we will be overjoyed. We rejoice now in the midst of
our trials so that we will rejoice more fully in glory in eternity
with Christ. Thirdly, a sound Christian in
great trial should not only cultivate an expectant mind, and maintain
an attitude of exultation, but three, thoroughly evaluate their
heart. And this is where it gets a little
touchy, doesn’t it? Because we’d like to think that every difficulty
that comes our way in this life is due to the fact that we’re
suffering with Christ. But that’s not always the case,
is it? Peter here begins the discussion with the word, if.
Which brings to our mind at least a modicum of doubt, doesn’t it?
You have to evaluate. That’s what he calls us to. He
proceeds to set in contrast two possibilities for suffering.
And he’s already done this in previous verses. Two possibilities
for suffering. Peter’s already made the case
that everybody suffers, right? Everybody’s going to suffer in
this life. It’s part of living. And he reiterates
the point here, and he encourages the reader to ascertain the cause
of the suffering. You do the math, he says. You
look into your life. You examine your life and see
what is the cause of this suffering. Is it really and truly because
of our faith in Christ? Or is it the logical, natural
suffering that is brought about by our own sinful choices and
living? That’s the simple equation. That’s
what’s here in verses 14 and following. It’s simple. What
Peter essentially asked his reader to do is evaluate your heart.
You say you’re in the midst of great trial. Not surprising. Why? evaluate your heart. Look at verse 14. If you are
reviled for the name of Christ, if that’s truly the cause, you’re
blessed. That word can be translated,
oh, how very happy. Right? And that’s usually our
response when somebody calls names at us and criticizes us,
or perhaps when we don’t get the promotion, or perhaps we
lose a friendship over the fact that we are Christians. We usually
say, oh, how very happy. That’s not how we respond, is
it? But that’s what Peter says is absolutely necessary. If we’re
really going to walk with Christ and if we really want to embrace
these trials as God designed them to be used in our lives,
then truly, we are very happy. We should be. Why? You know,
this thought is an echo of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the
Mount, right? Blessed are you. Oh, how very
happy you are when people insult you. What? That’s what he says. Oh, how very happy you are when
people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. Jesus doesn’t take pages
and pages to explain it. He lets it lay right there in
plain sight for everybody. That if you truly are being ridiculed
and persecuted for Christ, for following Christ, for owning
the principles of Christ, for loving the law of God, if that’s
really your position in life, you’re blessed. Oh, how very
happy. What Jesus doesn’t do there in
going on to explain it, Peter does. Peter says, why we’re so
very happy and blessed. Look at it. If you are truly
reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit
of glory in God rests upon you. I mean, is there any greater
possession that the Christian could ever have than the Spirit
of Almighty God Himself? You should be happy. Oh, how
very happy we are. Because not only because of the
trial do we possess the Spirit, we possessed Him as we walked
into the trial. We possessed Him as a privileged
possession of God the moment we closed with Christ in faith,
didn’t we? The Spirit of Glory, it expresses
that triumphant gathering of the perfections of God, right? That’s what the glory, the Shekinah
glory represented, didn’t it? And when it says that it rests
upon you, it’s far more than just this, you know, how the
prophets had this moment of brilliance, right? Like the day that I wrote
a poem. A lot of you don’t know me as
a poet. I’m not a poet, but one flash
of a moment before I got married, I became a poet and I wrote this
deal and all the ladies that read it, they cry. And my design
was really to only make one cry. And it was this moment of inspiration. And that’s how the prophets were
used, right? They’d have this dose of the Holy Spirit and they’d
go and they’d say this thing and then it was over. Is that
what he means? That the Holy Spirit is going
to rest upon you for some moment of activity? Not at all. Not
at all. This word, it literally means
just to rest and relax and repose upon you. It is the same word
that was used of that peaceful retreat that Jesus had when he
went away after John’s death. same word that’s used when Jesus
says, come to me and I will give you rest. Jesus says, come to me and I
will give you rest. Peter essentially uses the same
word that says, you know what? If you are truly reviled for
the sake of Christ, you have the Holy Spirit comfortably residing
in your soul. How very happy. How very happy
we must be. But remember, Peter said, if,
when he started in verse 14, Peter said, if you are reviled
for the name of Christ, and he calls us to evaluate our heart,
and verse 15 gives us the alternative. But, by no means, let any of
you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or troublesome
meddler. I mean, if you kill someone,
you’re going to suffer for it. Perhaps even unto death. Maybe
not in our society. If you suffer as a thief, you’re
going to pay the penalty. You’re going to suffer the consequences,
more than likely. even if it’s just a consequence
of conscience. You’re going to suffer. If you
are an evildoer, which is just a general term for doing contrary
to what God would have you to do, you’re going to suffer. What Peter says here is keep
clear of crimes and deeds that are going to bring upon you the
just suffering of man. Don’t suffer in that way, he
says. But if you suffer as a Christian,
that’s another thing. Don’t be a busybody either, he
says. Don’t be a troublesome meddler. Don’t be a busybody
in everybody else’s matters. What literally here is an overseer,
just like a shepherd, an overseer in the church. Don’t be an overseer
in everybody else’s business. Stay out of those. You know,
there’s things that Jesus didn’t even involve himself in. Arguments,
discussions. But if anyone suffers as a Christian,
if you can truly say that you’re suffering as a Christian. And
it’s an interesting discussion, because this isn’t a word, especially
at that point in time, that believers would use of themselves. They
wouldn’t call themselves Christian. In fact, it was a byword. It
started as a nickname, a catcall, if you will. A follower of Christ,
so to speak. In Acts 6.1, when we first hear
the saints spoken of by some kind of a name, it was disciples. They were called disciples, just
followers of Christ. Later on, they’re called brothers.
In Acts 9.2, they are spoken of as those of the way, the way. That’s simply how they were denominated. And then in Acts 11, 26, it says
that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
But it wasn’t a it wasn’t a term of endearment like we tend to
use it today. In fact, later on, when Agrippa
uses it, he uses it almost it’s almost filthy in his mouth. You’re
going to call me to be a Christian. It’s only used three times in
all of the New Testament and never a name that was used by
Christians themselves. a nickname or really a term of
reproach. That’s how it was used. Peter’s
thought here is that if anybody suffers from the caustic attitude
of society that labels you Christian, Jesus freak, any of those other
ones, if that’s the case, if you’re
truly reviled for the name of Christ, if you truly suffer as
a Christian, Don’t be ashamed. The last thing that we should
feel is shame. To suffer for one’s faults, he
says in the earlier verse, verse 15, isn’t an honor, but to suffer
for Christ is no shame. We should rejoice in that. Fourthly, and here I believe
is where we begin with Peter’s final point this
morning. Peter says that a sound Christian, and there
are many of us that walk into the midst of a trial in an unsound
state, but he says, and remember, this is the repair manual. This
is the means for fixing What’s broken? This is the way that
you adjust your path in the midst of this trial. First of all,
cultivate an expectant mind. Maintain an attitude of exultation. Thoroughly evaluate your heart.
And fourthly, entrust your soul to God. Well, Pastor, this is awfully
simplistic. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. And how many of us have walked
into the midst of one of those trials and feared down to the
core of our being that God had somehow lost His grip on us?
That God is ignoring us in the midst of our difficulty and,
woe is me, how can I make it? It is simplistic. But it’s glorious
in its simplicity. Look at verse 19, Therefore,
let those also who suffer according to the will of God Entrust their
souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. This word, entrust, that brings
up an interesting idea in our minds, doesn’t it? Because this
is what you do typically on Friday afternoon when the check comes.
You go and you make a deposit at the bank. That’s how the word
was used. was to literally make a deposit. The most precious thing in life is always what you can always
tell what people value by where they put their priorities and
what they go about their days entrusting. Most people, for
most people, it is their body. Actually, probably for most people,
it’s their money, isn’t it? They’re going about and they’re putting
their money in the bank and they’re hiding it under the bed and they’re
doing all kinds of things, working their investments, working their
spreadsheets, working their portfolios, whatever. That’s where their
time, their energy, that’s where their heart is, right? For others,
it’s their body. They got to eat, you know, it’s
nothing wrong with vegetables, but they got to eat everything
that’s perfect. They got to take all those supplements. They got
to exercise all the time. And, you know, that’s where their
effort goes. Peter says, you know what, for
the Christian, There is a deposit also. There is a priority for
us. And it is our soul. Not our finances and not our
body. The most precious thing while
we live, the most to be cared for before we die is our soul. Right? So that we can be kept away from
sin in the midst of these afflictions. So that when we die, Our soul
is there entrusted to God. The passage where this is used
in a number of different passages. Luke 12, 48. Pardon me. Luke
12, 48. The one who does not know and
does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.
For everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.
And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more
will be asked.” And so it’s used in this sense of the fact that
we are given a trust. That in a sense, God has given
us a measure of gifts or skills as we saw even in weeks past. Paul used it in similar fashion. Paul considered what he had been
given in the ministry as a trust, 1 Timothy 1, 2 Timothy 1, 12,
I am not ashamed because I know whom I believed. I’m convinced
that he’s able to guard what I’ve entrusted to him for that
day. Paul had put his faith in God
and as a trustworthy servant, he was going to return God a
portion of what had been given to him. But it’s used a lot of
times in Scripture in a metaphorical sense. It’s used of the doctrines,
those beautiful doctrines of Scripture that are entrusted
rather to shepherds of the flock. 1 Timothy 1.18, Paul said this
to Timothy. Timothy, my son, I give you instruction
in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that
by following them you may fight the good fight.” He goes on to
tell Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from godless chatter,
the opposing ideas, falsely called knowledge, 1 Timothy 6.20. In
2 Timothy, he says the same thing to him. Repetition, right? Timothy
was struggling. Timothy’s lost heart in the ministry.
Paul says, 2 Timothy 1.14, guard the good deposit that was entrusted
to you. That’s the imagery. It’s this
thing, this intangible of the ministry that had been entrusted
to Timothy that Timothy ran the risk of allowing to be tainted. It is
also used of persons whom you love, that you leave them in
trust of another.” And we see this two graphic places. Jot
them down if you would. Acts 14.23 and Acts 20.32. In Acts 14.23, Paul and Barnabas
appointed elders for them in each church with prayer and fasting. And he committed them to the
Lord in whom they had put their trust. Paul entrusted them over
to the greatest caretaker of them all, God Himself. And then later on in that same
book, Acts chapter 20, You remember the scene. Paul calls the elders
to the shore. And remember, at the end of it,
Paul is giving this passioned speech to them. He knows full
well that more than likely he will never see them. He fully
expects to be martyred for his faith, for his ministry. And
at the very end of this touching, touching, powerful passage, Paul
says this, verse 32, Now, I commit you to God. I commit you to God
and to the Word of His grace, which can build you up and give
you the inheritance and the saints among all those who are sanctified.”
What a great place to be! You know, it was far better than
if Paul had stayed there and walked with them for a thousand
years, because Paul gave them to God. He entrusted them to
God. But you know, the words that
Peter probably has in mind aren’t Paul’s words to Timothy, they’re
not even Jesus’ words about being trustworthy servants. The words
that Peter here probably has ringing in his head are the words
from Luke 23, 46, which are simple. Jesus is on the cross. And in 23, 46 of Luke, he says, Father, into your hands I commit, I entrust
my spirit.” And if the Lord Jesus Christ saw that in that moment
there was no place better that He would rather be than entrusting
Himself into God’s hands, is there a better place for the
Christian? Should counseling step in and
fill the gap that only God can? Should fellow Christians even?
Should the best seller on the Christian book list fill that
gap? There’s far too much in the way,
isn’t there? There’s far too much in the way for us to entrust
our souls to a faithful Creator. And I take that to mean Peter
takes us all the way back to the beginning of time, that the
same God that brought something, everything out of absolutely
nothing, can He not handle your problems no matter how great?
Peter says even if the worst should come and you die a martyr’s
death, it’s simply the execution of God’s plan for you. And what we’re supposed to do
is view our life, consider our life as a deposit. And lay it
completely and confidently in God’s hands, and He will return
it to us again with measure. I already quoted the passage. But
there’s a hymn that comes to mind in this whole section, isn’t
there? Another hymn. I know not why God’s wondrous
grace to me He had made known, nor why unworthy Christ in love
redeemed me for His own. I’m baffled that of all the people
in this world, God would choose me. I’m stunned. I know not how
this saving faith to me He did impart. I don’t understand the
whole thing. I know that one day I was this,
and the next day I was gripped with repentance and terror. I know not how this saving faith
to me He did impart, nor how believing in His Word wrought
peace within my heart. I don’t have it figured out.
I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin, revealing
Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him. I don’t know. All
I know is I read it, just like you. I saw it. I took it for
what it was. And the next thing you know,
I am in Christ. The final line of that hymn says,
I know not when my Lord may come at night or noonday fair, nor
if I’ll walk the veil with Him or meet Him in the air. I don’t
know whether I’m going to be alive when Christ comes back or whether
He’s going to have to bring me up out of the dirt. I don’t know. But the hymn writer goes on and
says, I know one thing. But I know whom I’ve believed
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed
to him against that day. Christian, if you’re in trial,
any kind of trial, this is the repair manual. Do you know who
you believe that he will return that trust in that day? Let’s
examine our hearts. or merciful God, we pause before
You. And Lord, many of us have stumbled
grievously through trials in the past and handled ourselves
so poorly, so doubtful, so faithlessly. Lord, only You can repair us. And we pray that You would examine
our hearts. Help us not to be surprised Help
us to rejoice with God-given joy. Help us to see what really
truly brings upon these difficulties in our life. And if it is truly
a design of yours, designed because of following Christ, to burn
off the dross in our lives, help us to sail through that gloriously
because we’ve got our soul entrusted to You. Father God, we thank
you for your work of grace in our lives. Be glorified, we pray
in Jesus name. Amen.