How to Suffer Successfully - Part 1

About him to the hatchback catheter for Friday, September 17 the time people think life on earth will get better as a result of trusting Jesus as the today you learn why it shouldn't be a surprise that often the opposite happens. Here's a lesson in how to suffer successfully if you turn the persecuted shepherd to house corporate successfully in order to begin reading in verse 18, where Peter is talking to of those Christians who are servants and slaves in the household of unbelieving masters and he says servants the subject to your masters with all fear not only to the good and the gentle but also the program for this is thank worthy of a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when you would be buffeted for your faults, you should take it patiently but it when you do well and suffer for it.

You take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even here to where you call because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth who, when he was reviled, reviled not again what he suffered, he threatened not but committed himself to him. The judge righteously, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes you were healed, for ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned the shepherd and the Bishop of your souls. 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 when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

You accept with it the potential and the possibility of suffering, though we talk about the jaw and the peace and the goodness and the kindness of the law and answered prayer and all the insights that God teaches as there is suffering that is a part of being a Christian or belonging to the body of Christ. Look, if you will, in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29, and Paul says in verse 29 of Philippians 14 unto you it is given in the back half of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here to be in me. He says it's given to us. It is part of the heritage of believers not only to receive the forgiveness of their sins, but suffering is a part of being a Christian, so that you and I 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 medicine. If you are living and working around people who do not know Christ as their Savior. And you don't damn my friend the rep back to his own. You not only because when we are living a life of holiness and righteousness in obedience to God. The unbeliever is going to be epic and the more holy we live and the more obedient we are, the more irritated.

He's going to become nervous. It may begin with irritation that will leave the ball in the conviction that will result in conversion or it may be that he will rip evolving to irritation and irritation will become stronger and stronger and more intense, and are more open in their conversation in the reaction. You see, for a believer listen bro believer who used to be like a believer who used to be Saul to live in the work among unbelievers, and they can become double around the and not be concerned about the way we live not be shocked by how we live and how we react to be able to ignore the reflection is upon the if we put one candlelight in a darkened sanctuary auditorium one candlelight would brighten up his place he would be a whole lot of light, but it would be like. And God intends for us to be like and one of the most effective ways to get the attention of the unbeliever around whom you associate is to be able to suffer in the way that God has ordained that we suffer is part of our heritage. It is part of our life is part of the family of God to be able to suffer. It is part of the gift of becoming a Christian, so that if those with whom you work can literally ignore your Christian experience you have lost the twang in your saltiness. You see, it's like salt that has no twang to it.

It's dead.

It's like sand and has no taste, but in your life is salty, you gonna rub some folks the wrong way that their point of view. They say you rubbing them wrong way you and I sell although you rubbing them the right way because as you live for Jesus Christ. What are you doing if you and are able to suffer the way we ought to what we are doing. By the way, we are suffering we are forcing them by our attitudes and actions to look at life from a whole different perspective and they of course by your lifestyle to ask, what is it that you have.

I do not have. How can you take persecution. How can you take malicious gossip. How can you take being overlooked.

How can you take being ignored. How can you take a being talked about and criticize and still smile and still going your way and do your work so energetic and enthusiastic. The unbelieving world needs to see such a dramatic shift from their lifestyle and hours that they will be strong, shocked, and met the ties that as what is it that you have. I do not have that we would prefer to be able to share a testimony directly with them.

And when the ball is suffering is the only way many people will ever be one when you and I look back to see what happened to the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was shaken and its foundation, not simply by the witness of the gospel upon the lives of the believer and as the believers share the gospel.

They could be ignored as one of those of the way for a long time.

It was only as believers began to suffer and to suffer in the way that could not be human. Explain MS take a good example of Saul of Tarsus. He heard about this way business. He heard about Jesus Christ. He heard about the followers of this Nazarene this carpenter who was just another itinerant preacher coming along and shaking up the status quo that he could explain away. But when he stirred in his sleep. Lay the quotes of those the persecutors of Stephen and he watched them install Stephen the and he watched Stephen kneel before God and with this beautiful indescribable in comprehensible. He's an radiance upon his face and the blood dripping down his face and the last known people on his body that Saul of Tarsus could not explain what it was the suffering of Stephen the grab his attention.

It was the suffering of Stephen that focused in upon him, something he could not understand about the followers of this report, you see, there is power in suffering and God intend that you and I suffer the way that the unbelieving world will be magnetized and turn to Christ. There is supernatural power in the suffering of a safe and yet today we want to avoid man we want to avoid suffering like the plague. We don't want to suffer wheel mode persecution, we will be acceptable and one of the problems.

One of the reasons the church of Jesus Christ is so ineffective is that we either do not know how to suffer all we've been through the smart enough intelligent and in the devils hand today.

We got it written up for the world. Things were not so bad with and we said unconsciously. We won't bother you if you won't bother.

And so we have an unspoken coexistence.

The New Testament church didn't have that the New Testament church marched under the banner of the blood of Jesus Christ and they tended to win every single person in the world, including the Emperor himself. And when Paul went to Rome as a prisoner I am sure that Paul had in his mind it just maybe it just may be that one of these days either someone will get to the Emperor of Rome. They were willing to die for their faith because they knew the supernatural power that exist in separate but now there are many types of suffering, going to going all that because each one of those of your message within itself, but I want to focus in upon the kind of suffering. You and I have because we believe, but what I'm going to show you here could also be applied to suffering as a result of sickness or suffering because of the maybe something that we have really gotten ourselves in a jam in some way, but I think in this particular chapter. First Peter. He lists the steps toward successful suffering. Verse 18. Alpena said servants be subject these submissive to your masters with all clear at all to 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 have your belt on your job that your boss use you miss use you. How did you react that you go back and eligible employees that rascal is unfair at work. He doesn't pay me enough. What did you say I did you say praise the Lord being miss you no more than likely you and say that I verse 19 he says now when we submit ourselves to our masters who are mistreating us. Verse my thesis for this is thank where the if a man for conscience toward God endure grief and suffering wrongfully with this paper. That means we're going the 2nd mile numbers when we are able to suffer wrongfully when somebody is misusing us. We are able to do that and we go the 2nd mile we don't complain, he says that is commendable to us.

He says it is. Thank where there that's going the 2nd mile you to be commended for your response. Verse 24 what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently if you've done something wrong and you deserve it. There's nobody 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 I'm going to be about six words a little praise after the suffer patiently. That is the length of know what is he mean by patient when he says, with the suffer patiently and let me include several things here because somebody sitting here maybe many of you, you may be suffering from different things. For example, you may be suffering physically from some disease are are maybe young. You have a problem with us about his attitude toward you or maybe your suffering because of financial setbacks are in your home or your friend you left all kinds of suffering these six steps of what all of number one. Patiently he says with a supper patiently and what Peter does in this passage is to give us the example of Jesus Christ. He says here are the steps that you are not a follower. If we are going to suffer successfully and be able to reap the reward that God has for us in suffering because it's a part of our natural life and what he says patient what is to be the word patient means to bear up under a thing now when I said patiently. That's the length of it. This is where we get in trouble. We don't mind suffering. If it's just a little prick, it's when the prick Lincoln Center step and other staff and other spare analysts. We ask God when you going to stop this. How long is this going to last. You see, he says we must learn to suffer patiently and the only way we can supper patiently is to get our focus, correct. Now if we are suffering and our focus is upon someone who is mistreated or misused us argues that, I can tell you is going to be very difficult to suffer.

Patient is seen what's this the suffer.

Patient means that you and you are able to enjoy the spring of bearing up under the weight of persecution or whatever that suffering. Maybe 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 off. The only way that you and I can supper patiently is to buy. They 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 say 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 give patient. 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 because that is if it is something that the devil has sent our way we do.

We see it as the fact that God has allowed Satan to send because God will do something in our life if we see it as something that God has sent into our life purpose. But again we see it as God doing something in our life, even when we cannot explain why. Maybe it's a sickness that is come your way and you don't understand why If we don't see it as a tool in the hand of God, we won't be patient listen. The worst thing that can happen to you are one of the worst things is to be sick and be impatient. You want to get out of bed.

You want to get going. I know because that's exactly what I had to face. I get very impatient if I get stretched out after I get over asking God why, when and how and all the other things that he doesn't answer. Then finally come November back. I just got to live here and trusted and be patient and wait upon them.

You see patients demands waiting and listen when you don't know why you're waiting is awfully difficult away, but the first step in suffering successfully is to be able to acknowledge the fact that God is in control of what he's allowing in our life and therefore we will have to wait until he's finished. You see this if God strings out your suffering. I watch this if he strings out your suffering and puts time into it. Then you can bet your life that God has something delightful in my and so what you want to do is to be able to wait upon the trusted name to look to him. You see, if you look at the thing that's causing irritation of a sickness of the person is causing your problem if you look at them you going to get jazz up God's will be very, very difficult for you to suffer patiently, but you see it is when we are able to bear up under a thing graciously.

We were able to bear up under without seeking to blame someone that the unbeliever looks with a very very questionable to say how can he suffer or take that and never complain really be surprised how negative we get some time what you think. Tomorrow morning as a believer when you go to your job.

You want to walk in as a light, and if you want here is a light humility radiating some you mother come out of your home and all hell broke loose before you when you get to your job my friend you want to be all lit up for Jesus. You see, what is he say he says. Notice how he put it, he says when you can do well and suffer for it you take it patiently. You're able to bear up under. This is acceptable with God and the word acceptable here means listen means this that you are the object of the favor of God, God will favor. Every believer who is able to take the suffering patiently and bearing the gracious. Thank you for listening to how to suffer successfully if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley in touch ministries intact start OIG.

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