Why Should I Suffer?

There are special times that God knows that we need them there prescribed for since I got ghost. I know exactly what you need right now million dollars right now you need a trial yellow trial a blue trial. Great trial read 12 different color for this. In your life. Why does God use it for some one third of the world population is presently unlocked. One thing is common for everyone is suffering in one way or another today on connect with height Scripture several vital truths remind you that suffering can be a good thing in the hands of a good God before we begin want to let you know about a resource that will give you greater insight into what the future predicting the future 100 accuracy of the God close to being able to make that it's kind of what you think of prophecy as being an aspect of one of God's great attributes.

God is omniscient.

He knows everything because he is omniscient.

One of the aspects of his omniscient that he knows the future in advance and can write about predicting through his prophets in graphic the guessing game. I newly reprinted book. You can steer the book of Revelation now, including helpful frustrations your company. Would you give a generous gift of $35 or more to help expand the Bible teaching outreach of Skip Heitzig just call 800-922-1888 to get today hundred 62 1888 to forgive our lives securely connectwithskip.com/offer skip.com/offer first Peter chapter 1. Skip Heitzig gets into today's message. One common red that bound them together. Suffering all of them were suffering that's apparent in the letter. If you know anything about first Peter or if you read it all the way through. He mentions suffering 15 times or more. In this letter and he uses eight different Greek words to describe the kind of suffering that they were going through right because this is common to humanity. Eliphaz who was a friend, or least an acquaintance of Job said that famous line as surely as the sparks fly upward man is born to trouble so just like you light a fire and you can predict that those little tiny sparks are going to go up into the atmosphere.

You can predict as soon as a person is born that little girl about little boys in the face a life time of trouble. Man is born to trouble as certainly as the sparks fly upward. Now most of those listening to this message will not get the coronavirus best is statistically proven so maybe you can just go right about out because yes is prevalent. Yes, people are freaked out by it, but most people will not get but you might get anxiety. You might get distressed.

You might get unemployed. That is, that is probably the worst fear people have even more so than getting this disease is what this is doing to the economy. It is having a severe impact on global economy. Harvard business review said some fear a recession in the global economy may now be a foregone conclusion of the words Eunice bank on snap already happened. Now there's another issue and that is that is it our knowledge intermediate.

Besides having our own pain around maybe unemployment our own distress over this issue we have something else we have instant knowledge we have the ability by media to find out what's going on in every city through media, even through social media which adds to our difficult so it's enough to deal with our own trouble.

Now we have to carry the trouble of everybody in the world along with us and that's that's burdensome that's distressing. That's depressing for some people, especially if they're prone already to depression. You may recall that Jesus in the Gospel of Luke describe the end of the age is being really really bad, far worse than it is right now. Not that that's a consolation anybody but he talked about. He called it there for some of the description. There will be stress of nations, with perplexity, distress of nations, with perplexity now. I believe he is speaking about the great tribulation. Which we are not in, but certainly we can get a glimmer a glimpse and we can understand what that means. Just by what were experiencing right now. Nothing back. Although Dr. the Old Testament is a guy named Solomon member Solomon tried all these things and he looked at life and he was kinda jaded by what he saw.

He wrote his journal.

He got to a place as he looked around this just in his own little world just in Jerusalem. This is own circumstances he got to her place in looking at the troubles of life.

He said therefore I hated life. Now that's a guy with no media, no smart phone no instant feed, no twitter, this is him just looking around his own town in his own circle with his own circumstances, but Jesus did promise in this world you will have tribulation, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Very interesting word by the way, when Jesus said tribulation. It's the Greek word… Which means pressure or to push the push down because pressure we experience all of us the pressures of life.

Why why should I suffer.

That's the question that I want to pose in this passage in in this message. Why should I suffer no, Peter does write about suffering and he uses the word trial or trials throughout this letter so wanted take you down to verse six. Actually in verse two he speaks about elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled. That does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That's a mouthful when he summoned up. He saying the hope that we have is so alive because we know as we look to the future. It's can end up in heaven will be live with him forever and ever.

So between the time of our salvation.

At the beginning, until heaven we have another promise were to be kept. He's going to keep us in his salvation. And that's a promise that God is made to us now on the on the heels of that, he writes this to versus room liquor verse six, first Peter chapter 1 in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be. You have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, usable trials, hardships, pressures, troubles the pressures of this life, but did you notice in the same breath he uses two words we we really expect to find in the same sentence.

Rejoice trials in this you greatly rejoice, even if for a while you been grieved by various trials, rejoice trials in the same sentence. Usually, our joy is when the trials over that's when the joy comes our joy comes when the pressures are gone. We think of joy as a trouble-free life but you don't get that picture when you read the pages of Scripture uses rejoice in trials.

In the same sentence so I want to show you why, to tell you a few things about trials and I know you will agree with them because I know this is your experience. First of all, trials are multiple start one kind of trial. There are many kinds of trials are some translucency all sorts of trials, so he says in this verse six, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be. You have been grieved by a variety of, or various trials. If you happen to be reading from the old King James version minds is various trials. The old King James version says were we don't really talk about much these days. Manifold must work on cars you know an exhaust manifold is an intake manifold but manifold is an old English word that means a bunch or a lot or various manifold trials or a variety of trials.

The word in the Greek is poorly key loss and it means many colored, many colored so so trials come in all shades of little Pantone color shirt and the governor to come in all different colors not just one or two there's all sorts of different kinds of trial one what one day might be a blue day. Next they feel a little gray you know you have all sorts of different experiences in life.

Some trials are big, some are small, some are short. Some are prolonged like they never end summer personal summer medical.

Some are relational, some are occupational summer financial and sometimes it's all the above. She seems to cascade like an laid off because of the stupid coronavirus. I think it got coronavirus not having problems with relationships because of the coronavirus additional pilot. The last few weeks I have dealt with people who are diseased, unemployed, stressed, disabled, tearful, mournful and joyful all in a in a few days. Of time so trials don't come in one shade the come in many shapes pain wears many faces.

I suppose you could take trials and categorize them into three separate categories just for just for the sake of study.

I think you could divide them up and say there are physical trials.

There are emotional trials and there are spiritual trials.

The Bible speaks about all of them so sort of go through them.

There are physical trials, I'm speaking to people who have had or do you have cancer who have dealt with the stroke who had a heart attack, who are raising a child with birth defects are people getting traffic accidents.

These are physical trials.

The Bible speaks about these Job not only had while yet he had manifold trials, but he himself experience the physical trial of having some sort of disease that rendered his body with boils on it.

He scraping himself. He's emaciated. His muscles are atrophying are he just went through trial after trial after trial physical trials. The New Testament speaks about Simon the leper and other people who had leprosy this loathsome disease that we spoke about Wednesday night.

Paul the apostle spoke about a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan and many people believe it was some sort of an eye disease and I affliction so those are physical trials. The second category is indoor emotional trials and often it's because you had a physical trial so you feel emotionally sad because of the Bible is filled with things like the Psalms were David and Corey and and the writers of the Psalms use very deep emotional language as they express what they're going through in their own life.

David even said I make my bed swim with tears. There's a guy just crying every day. Every night, and the he pictures like I'm filling up the swimming pool why I swim in my tears godly people suffered physically and emotionally analyze a man of great miracles, but he was so depressed that he ran down into the Sinai desert, God started speaking to him and he said to God, it is enough now, Lord, take my life I just want to die. Kill me now God. That's how emotionally depressed he was a know that know this. Even the most godly, dedicated believers are susceptible to these kind of experiences to emotional exhaustion and depression, not just unbelievers. Some of the godliness. People I know have supper that way, the CDC you all know that is now maybe a month ago, you didn't. But now you know the Centers for Disease Control, they said 9% of adult Americans have feelings of hopelessness, despondency and or guilt that generate a diagnosis of depression and at any given time 3% of a long-lasting and severe form of depression. My silhouettes worldly people, not so E. Stanley Jones was a great theologian, great writer and a missionary to India spoke about a pastor friend of his who was preaching a series called how to avoid a nervous breakdown before that preacher finished his series on how to avoid a nervous breakdown, he himself had a nervous breakdown. This happens to believers, godly believers, season believers, so there are physical trials. There are emotional trials and there are spiritual trials.

Maybe you can relate to agonizing over your own sin or dealing with your own guilt or wrestling with your own doubts or having spiritual expectations that you feel are not being met. John the Baptist was one of those he was in prison he believed Jesus was the Messiah, but he did not see the results of that he didn't see Jesus were to take over the Roman government. So in doubt and confusion in his spiritual trial. He said he sent a message to pricing.

Are you the one or should we look for another is what I found frequently a person who has one is dealing with all three the person is having a physical trial, they are or will be soon. Having an emotional trial and will soon have a spiritual trial because you're sick and then you get sad because you're sick and because you're sick and sad.

You start doubting through even saved. So you find it because you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the way God is made as you just really can't separate out all the time. The physical from the emotional from the spiritual so all you know you're dealing with stuff you're in the funk and your deep in it and it hurts so trials are multiple.

Secondly, trials are painful to the word he used aggrieved in verse six in this you rejoice greatly, though now for a little while if need be. You have been grieved by various trials, Lou Petco, the word grieved means distressed, made heavy so the pressure is making you you feel the weight of it. It's crushing you your your feeling the stress trials are painful. This is the word used of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when it says he was sorrowful and deeply distressed Lou Petco same word. It's the same word used of sorrow at the death of a loved one member when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, and says I'm writing to you about those who have fallen asleep last use sorrow like those who have no hope of same word you're grieving over loss. The loss of a loved one, no grief is normal and healthy. It's normal and healthy for the person to grievance a legitimate human emotion and I need to underscore that because sometimes I meet the super spiritual questions of a llama Christian them. I love momenta heaven and I should rejoice.

Yes, you should rejoice. You should try to should be grieved over that first deep emotional loss and for you to try to batted away or covered up is unhealthy and makes the trial worse.

Job suffered and it says no one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was Solomon Ecclesiastes is there is time to laugh, but there's also a time to weep and when they win the Hebrew culture when somebody died. The allotted time of dealing with grief was 30 days of public demonstration of grief a whole month the Egyptians had 70 days of public demonstration of their great support, not IME people from different countries and they visit America may sometimes visit American funerals and also you know, are the oddest things I noticed about the American culture is how how you don't deal with grief that you sort of are ashamed of showing emotion. Once, when you lose somebody other countries give full vent to their emotions and I think from a biblical perspective we we should as well. So we learn a little bit about trials and I know we know from personal experience, but trials are multiple bunch of different kinds every shade every color company come in your life.

Trials are painful but here's something else you may not know trials are needful, not optional.

There needful you need them. He says in verse six in this you greatly rejoice. Now watch this, though now for a little while if need be.

You have been grieved by various trials. The language indicates that there are special times that God knows that we need them there prescribed for us as I got goes.

I know exactly what you need right now million dollars right now you need a trial.

You need a yellow trial a blue trial or great trial or read trial, different color for this.

In your life by God's going to use it for something. Philip Yancey, who wrote on suffering. One of the best books I ever read was by him on suffering.

He said if you pin them against the wall in a dark secret moment. Many Christians would probably admit that pain was God's one mistake he continues he really should have worked a little harder and invented a better way of coping with the worlds dangers." But the way Peter talks about suffering and trials. He speaks a lot about it is Artie noted. He often speaks about suffering in the will of God is the language he uses in the in this book. In this letter. First Peter chapter 3 verse 17 Peter says it is better if it's in the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. In chapter 4 verse 19. Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in doing good is what it means whenever we suffer as a believer. There is a need in our life that is being met. We don't know what we don't like it but there's a need.

This agreement got me like what why do I need, let me give you a few reasons in here some benefits trials measure us. They measure our faith. If it's real if it's authentic or if it's fake how do you know if you're how you know if your faith is tested.

Verse seven that the genuineness of your faith, though it is tested by fire you know jewelry can always tell of gold is real or not you how fired up, put a fire under heated up when you add heat to the gold you can see if it's fake Arthur's alloy unit or if it's pure same with faith. How do you know the faith is real. Heated up, put a fire to put a trial on your bill to see if it's real or not. Trials measure us a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Real faith can stand the test so he uses that language. Jesus spoke of faith being tested like a farmer throwing seed out in the field. Here's his analogy. In Matthew 13 some of the seed fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched because they had no root they withered away to you all know that apparently you read the parable Matthew 13 disciples came later and scratch or handle. We don't get it when you mean by that. So he explains the parable we get so that section. He says he was speaking about. He who has no root in himself, and endures only for a while, but when trouble comes, or tribulation arises or persecution arises immediately. He stumbles. I've watched people in crisis. I watch myself in a crisis. Some people go through a time of fire in their lives and are utterly consumed by they get angry and they get better.

I watch other people go through fire and they improve in other not consumed by it are cultivated by they get better they get better because of so so trials do something for us.

They measure us to become the measure of our spiritual maturity that wraps up Skip message. Why should I show you Skip to share how you can help keep this broadcast going strong, connecting more people like you to God's truth, especially in these uncertain times. While there's no doubt that these are interesting times that we live in, but they can become unnerving and unsettling, especially as we become more and more isolated from one another more than ever we need the truth, and encouragement of God's word to help give us God's perspective when the temptation can be to embrace fear and anxiety more aggressively here connect with pricing.

We believe that God has called us to help encourage and equip you in such a time as this. We have messages and resources on our website@connectwith.com and on our mobile app and as we continue to send out teaching of God's word around the world. It's more important than ever that we don't have to pull back on our ministry because of finances, your gift today will help us continue to deliver God's word to you and others in this new remote environment that we find ourselves in. You can call 800-922-1888 or you can visit us@connectwith.com to give your gift today. Thank you for standing with us in these times. Thank you, skip, be sure to tune it again next Skip shares a special message for Easter examining one of the glimpses of heaven we get from Revelation what it means for exemption, so Skip presentation of connection communication through