How to Suffer Successfully - Part 2

Welcome to the intense podcast return family for Monday, September 20 when you face opposition to your faith. You get angry or choose to turn to God instead.

This week continue listening to the series providing practical help to holiness.

I think one of the greatest things we could do for a new believer whose received Jesus Christ as their personal savior is to make sure that person understands that when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. You accept with it the potential and the possibility of suffering some of that suffering is the result of sin.

Some of that suffering is the result of persecution. Some of that suffering is the result of sickness and disease. There are many reasons and many causes, but all suffering ultimately comes from one original source. When God created this world he created it perfect.

He created beautiful and he created it as a paradise for mankind, but because of their desire to fulfill their appetites human appetites, Eve Portillo, Adam.

Soon the whole Fountainhead of the human race went down the drain with Adam and every man who's ever been born since then has suffered one of many causes, so that you not know that suffering is a part of the life of the believer is part of knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior now wants to drill for just a moment on this matter.

The suffering that comes not because of sin or sickness. But the suffering that comes because we are believer bulimic.

:-) What's happening in first Peter chapter 2 here when Peter wrote this epistle he wrote it to a number of churches eroded to the Christians who were being persecuted this particular time. In fact, all of Asia minor this particular time was on the great persecution and what he was doing at this particular point was this, he was addressing this particular passage to those Christians who were slaves. Those Christians who were bond servants in the household of unbelievers of infidels of even the people who do not believe in the God of their Christ.

It was very important to Peter that they understand how they should suffer most of us don't suffer very successfully.

Is it you just do anything to keep from suffering and has all kinds of suffering we don't talk about some of those in just a moment, let's begin here for mama now are beginning back in verse 18 and let's talk about the steps to successful suffering.

Verse 18. Now Peter said servants be subject these submissive to your masters with all clear out onto those who are good, but those who are: who are unfair and treat you unkindly and take advantage of you and use you and miss use you. He says now when we submit ourselves to our masters who are mistreating us verse 90s is for this is thank where the if a man for conscience toward God endure grief and suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your thoughts, you shall take it patiently, as if you've done something wrong and you deserve it.

As will be glory and that you just get what's coming to you. Just give an account, you just reaping the rewards. He says you should take it patiently but it when you do well and suffer for it.

You take it patiently, this is acceptable to God are the first step in suffering successfully. The first step is this and that is we must suffer patiently and that is the length of what's this to several patient means that you and you and are able to enjoy the spring of bearing up under the weight of persecution or whatever that suffering may be you bear up under now the only way we can do that is to get our focus right and what is our focus, Jesus said, the me all ye that what are heavy laden, and he says take my yoke upon you and what he's saying is let me get on the your burden with you and let me take the weight of the only way that you and I can suffer patiently is to back pay involve Jesus Christ and that suffering.

The only way we can do it patiently because you see what is the opposite of suffering patiently all of us know that about you. How did you react last time, anxiously impatiently irritated Lynn criticizing questioning doubting coming to God in prayer and saying Lord taken away. I hope you will yes you will. Maybe you will, why don't you do it is with all kinds of things we've all kinds of frustrations to do it.

Patient means that I'm able to accept it from God know what's this if you don't see the suffering coming from God. You not going to be able to get patient yet your your responses you going to accuse someone else you going to be quick to blame someone else.

They may be to blame. They may be totally wrong, but it makes no difference. He says that as a believer. We are to suffer patiently. The second step involved here. Let's just keep reading your the second step. Verse 21 for even hereunto were you called, because Christ also suffered bras, leaving us an example that we should, is which is compliant with going to suffer and we are to follow the same steps that he followed and Jesus Christ was never impatient. He had many people he could righteously blame, but he never did.

And you think about the way he was mistreated. He never said one derogatory thing about the people who are mistreating that. He says he's left as an example and he says we are to follow his steps.

What is a second step, first of all we do suffer patiently and that's the length of it. Secondly, verse 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. We are to suffer undeservedly with the suffer patiently and with the suffer undeservedly know what is. Remember that that is our suffering should not be the result of something we've done wrong, but our suffering should be the result of our lifestyle in obedience to God.

Not because we violated the law because we criticize someone else, or because we have sinned against God is see if we're going to suffer.

We need to be sure with suffering that is undeserved suffering and that I want to call because of what is the cause of our suffering well when you and I disobey God. We know that we are going to reap what we sow.

So then if God sends a chastising handler. How are we to respond to. We are still the respond the same way patiently, graciously, saying, Lord, I know that I've sinned against you and I know that I'm deserving what you're sending my way and I want to thank you for if you cannot thank God for his chastising hand that you will not be patient. Yes, there will not be gracious, and you will lose your testimony and you will lose your influence and your witness will become null and void around the people were God has placed you to change their life. But you see we need to examine the cause of some of that suffering. The devil sends her weight is his attack upon some of it is suffering that God sends our way to shape us into the likeness of Christ. So now what's this is very important that you and examine the cause of our suffering. I the third step. Verse 23, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again when he suffered, he threatened not all right. The third step in our suffering is this, that is, we are to suffer for giving me we are to suffer for giving me and that is the spirit of our suffering and notice what he said back in the verse 20 what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your fault. You should take it patiently but it when you do well and you sufferable that you take that patiently. This is acceptable with God… We are to suffer with a forgiving spirit. What is one of the last things he said to his markers in his persecutors father forgive them. They know not what they do not listen any man or woman who lives for Jesus Christ and sells out everything for God you going to be misunderstood. People going to blame you for all kinds of things they do not misinterpret your attitude misinterpret your motives misinterpret your actions. There's no way to escape. But what is the believers response is I don't you ever forget this when someone starts a fire against you. You just have a forgiving spirit and you just keep on loving and what happens. The person who starts the bar will get sends before it's all over with. Don't you get the hose output number five the Christlike responses.

What just keep talking to God about them. They cannot resist that and keep loving them and be quiet. You see a forgiving spirit is able to accept in the handwork and you keep on forgetting when you keep on being abused and miss you and falsely accused and misunderstood and your motives misunderstood. How can you have a forgiving spirit. I'll tell you how younger when they shoot Garrett you you just handed up to him. God has given us all the capacity to hand them to him. But if you catch them and then you throw them back. You know what you're doing. You're acting like the world and that is exactly what they want you to do now when you and I have a forgiving spirit. What does that do to the person who is attacking well most the time you will irritate them. Let me tell you why listen to this. The ultimate goal of the devil is to break the power of your witness is he that's what exact because you see if he breaks the power of your witness. The he doesn't care whether you like it or not, whether you hurt not the important thing is that you hurt your witness. And I've seen people here and crawl and maliciously attacked the person just understand the nuts thing is relatively you can do that yes you can I can tell you that you can do it and it is amazing how much garbage and feel and junk and stubble that somebody can dump on you and somehow you never feel one bit. You know why is keep giving it to him and he'll protect your music. The natural reaction is to defend ourselves. But that's not the spiritual reaction all right.

He says will have a forgiving spirit that is with the suffer forgiving. That's the spirit. Notice the next verse, verse 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again. He forgave him when he suffered, he threatened not he could've called down legions of angels, but he didn't listen but committed himself to him that judges righteously. The next step in suffering successfully is the suffer committed lay the suffer committed lay and that's the devotion of it. When Satan begins to attack and suffering comes your way. What do you do you just make a fresh new commitment.

Listen a fresh new commitment of your life to the Lord for that particular experience as a mother says the committee must help them let me tell you something Frank there many times and many experiences when you need to stop and make a fresh new commitment of your life to him for that particular experience because sometimes they get someone you blindsided when he does you sometimes may not be ready for the neck of first commitment that in this experience I will do just lay it down.

The point of what this commitment me commitment means that you will not lay our life down before the law.

That is we take our hands over. It is as if we deposited to his keeping to his sovereign control what happens. We back off and that means I'm willing to accept whatever he sends you sleep when I committed to him what I want to commit myself you that in this period of suffering that you will be able to get Gloria out of my reaction out of my life. If you decide to go along and say well you know that you just help know there's something about it because, listen to what he said here you see Jesus did. Verse 23, he threatened not but committed himself to him now. If anyone were committed to God the father already. Jesus was, but in the garden of Gethsemane. What did he do sweating blind here. He made a commitment to the father to suffer the crucifixion. The cross and the separate without retaliation are calling down those regions of and that was not easy for Jesus to do. He committed himself to the father for the experience of suffering. I want to say to you that you and I need to do the same thing when we see something brewing on the horizon.

We need to back off and stop and said all right. Lord I see what's coming.

I want to thank you for what you going to laugh and I want to commit my life to you.

Listen there some things the intensity of which reached the degree that you and I had to keep committing and is the intensity and the heat of the persecution increases.

We feel the need to make fresh new commitments to him, Lord, I want you to keep on controlling my lips keep on controlling my spirit delimits anything to let me do anything but I just want you to sovereignly overrule my whole attitude that the spirit of Christ might be evident everything that I do.

We must suffer committed. The next step. He says in the verse 24, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree and we, being dead to sin should live in the righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. Why did Jesus suffer. He suffered a sacrificial death for you and me now will use that verse to bring out this particular point and that is that you and I are not only to suffer committed lay but with the suffer sacrificially with the suffer sacrificially and that's the cost of this, Jesus didn't suffer because of his sin he suffered for your sin in my sent notice when we are maliciously attacked when we are suffering because of something someone else would do to us because of our faith in Jesus Christ our relationship to him.

Listen, listen.

As Jesus saw himself suffering for us. We likewise need the spirit that we are suffering for him because what happened when you were saved. The Holy Spirit came in your life. What he come in your life to live through you, the life of Jesus Christ, so that in essence Jesus Christ is alive in your life in my life. So who is it that really persecuted persecuting you and me and have been times in my life I look back and see the things that people may have said, laughing to myself, Lord.

I'm sorry there so blind they think their problem not their problem. You are and you see where you work and where you live, there will be people who will maliciously attack you verbally and they gonna say you are. Their problem when you and I know that women are be the problem that situation is Christ living within us. So what are we doing you and I in this present age are suffering for him and you see that's why we ought to be able to thank. That's why we are to be able to praising that when we are suffering what we suffer because of our relationship to Jesus Christ in our obedience to him. We are doing for him. What he did for us and listen that not many things that you and I can really do for him. He's done so much for us.

He does so much for the not many things you and I can do for him or we can give.

We can pray, read the Bible. Listen can you tell me anything and is sweeter and more gracious.

Anything that God would favor is for anymore than to have taken the Lord's place in suffering. But what he taught while in her busy. We need the sacrificial spirit not, what are they doing to me all God look what they're doing to me, but no thank you Lord that I could take what they throw at you if you were here living in the flesh.

Thank you for listening to part 211 how to suffer successfully if you like to know more about Charles Stanley more intense ministries and had started writing this podcast is a presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia