"After This" 1 Peter 5:10 - Theodore Matthews

in first Peter chapter 5 some of you are like is that the same we looked at last time no it's a chapter over same book same book first Peter chapter 5 again first Peter end of your Bible revelation backwards - not Peter Matthew Mark Luke John there's no Peter there for his Peter when you've got and say I've got it a man first Peter 5 verse 10 my Bible reads it this way and after you have suffered a little while the God of all Grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will restore confirm strengthen and establish you to him be the Dominion forever amen but King James Version says but may the God of all Grace who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered awhile perfect establish strengthen and settle you to him be the glory and Dominion for ever amen for a few moments this morning I want to preach using as a thought after this after this starting tell your neighbor I don't know what you believe in God for today but I'm trusting God from my after this experience if that's your testimony didn't want you to put your hands together you're believing God for your after your after this experience today one of our favorite scriptures to quote in tutto is Romans 8:28 if we don't know too many of the scriptures we know Romans eight and 28 regardless of how long you've been in church you've heard Romans 8 in 28 the Apostle Paul pens this discourse whether you're new to the church or new to the Bible or just getting to know this Bible one of the key scriptures for your experience as a believer that you should set to memory is Romans 8:28 moreover if you're new to God or new to the things of God or just want to go deeper there's a truth in there that can change your life as you see it indeed it says and we know the Apostle presupposes that you already know something sometimes I wonder if the Apostle Paul thinks that we're too deep because sometimes we have to be reminded of truths that we should already know or if we're new we may have never heard he just says and we know he says this is bedrock for your belief system as a believer he says this is foundation one he says this is kindergarten for the Christian that you have to know this he says if you don't know this the devil can throw stuff at you and mess you up he he says if you don't know this when you get in trouble and when stuff happens on your job you begin to question whether or not God is on your side he says if you don't know this when sickness attacks your body you'll start to think maybe God has forgotten about you he says and we know the Apostle Paul says you need to understand this and have it deep down in your spirit he says and we know that all things I said Paul what do you mean all things and I came to report that all simply means all it means the good and the bad the bad and the good the ugly and the ugly our God somehow takes all things the ends and the owl's the ups and the downs the thing that almost killed you key word they are all most it's still working together for your good no matter how bad that situation may be it's all working together for good because after you go through some things after you have survived some things you discover that you are stronger than you thought that you were hey you see when you could come through on the other side you don't come out bitter but somehow you come out better you come out knowing that you are a survivor and somebody here has been through some stuff and you didn't just come out but you came out with a sense of Christian swag you you came out knowing who God is to you and what God has done for you don't sit here and act too cute it's too early in the morning I came to preach if you'll help me this morning you you've been through some stuff this morning and when you came through you had the kind of swag that could look at the devil and say you should have killed me while you had the chance you came through came through some stuff all things work together all of them called the Bible says all things and when you begin to see things from the perspective of God you begin to realize that God all really already knows I was going to end let me unpack that a little bit he says all things are working together for your good if you feel these two categories number one if you love God at number two if you're called according to his purpose and as we look at our text today in 1st Peter 5 it says what made the God of all Grace who called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus we find that in this epistle written to Christians undergoing severe persecution that Peter wants to remind us that no matter how terrible the fiery trials may become that Christians can always have hope now I know you have battles but the question this morning is do you have hope are you resting in the confidence that God will do just as he promised that he would the reality this morning is simply this that success is never divorced from suffering the issue is we only like the paintings when they're completed but this text is very clear that there will be moments in life where you don't feel like skipping Peter writes and says after you have suffered a little while notice what he doesn't say he doesn't say if you suffer it's not even a matter of when you suffer but rather he says after you have suffered a little while he says that suffering is inevitable that pain is a part of life in other words he says we've got to stop living life off of those cliches oh yeah we love cliches in church we say stuff like God is in the blessing business stuff like you make one step he'll take two we have these sayings that we like to use in church we even hurried stuff like this even if we've only been in church a few days stuff like I'm too blessed to be stressed there's a whole lot of stress folk up in here today and so I don't know how true all of those cliches are allow me to pause and tell you we were never intended to root our faith in cliches Peter here is making some concluding remarks to the church to help strengthen them Peter addresses them to remember and remind them of the teachings of Jesus in the areas of humility and adversity the suffering wasn't a sign that they were doing something wrong but Peter reminded them that they were up against a real enemy who was seeking to devour someone and when you know God for yourself there's a level of confidence and hope you can have even when you know the enemy is coming after you because there'll be situations and circumstances that will arise in your life that may cause you to be knocked out and left confused but when you know that God is still with you there's a hope that you can have Peter Peter wanted to remind them that God promised to strengthen what Satan wishes to tear down and that's good news today that regardless of what the enemy throws your way God has made a promise a Satan has a way of trying to use the difficulties in the stresses of life to make you bitter and broken but God has been too good for you to start doubting him now you you have to make a decision that as the psalmist says that while I live I will praise the Lord gotta make a conscious decision that as long as I've still got breath in my body I've got a reason to give God praise that while the enemy comes to mess with our minds that we've still got the good news that he woke us up this morning that God promises to keep you in perfect peace if you keep your mind stayed on him and so ever the enemy comes after us he comes after our minds but if we keep our minds on things eternal there's something that happens inside of the believer and so even when Satan tries to kick us down God promises to lift us up when he tries to destroy us God promises to remould us when he when Satan tries to ruin us God promises to give us hope when Satan tries to cloud our minds with rubbish he told us and reminded us that I have already come and overcame the world so even while the enemy comes to kill stealing to destroy and how Satan has prophesized that we should go back to our own sinful way we can boldly say W a liar and a loser that I've got the victory because of what he's already done and we not gonna be real this morning but when you pause and hit the rewind button on your life and look at how far God has brought you from in the past it's obvious that God has been good to somebody in the building then when you just start thinking for a moment about how he protected you before and how he kept you before and how he made a way before that he brought you out of the place that you shouldn't have been in when you started considering the ways that he's made you allow your mind to just rolled back over the situations and circumstances from the past we're not gonna be real when you start thinking about the bills that he's paid let's talk to some real people this morning when you start talking about the fact that he made a way when it didn't seem like there was away when he unlock locks and make for the open door that they closed in you're faced with if they closed the door again he opened up a window of heaven and pour you out a blessing so much so you wouldn't have room to receive God has been good to somebody here today he's been good he's been good and when you begin to remember that God is the same yesterday today and forever more there's something inside of you the autogen shout hallelujah this there's something that ought to just say praise the Lord when but you really start thinking about what he's already done something about when you start thinking about what he's already done you can say to the enemy I don't care what you say I don't care what you do I'm just gonna holler out hallelujah anyhow this is just hallelujah anyhow the Lord has assured us in his word that better times are ahead the psalmist reminded us that in spite of the prosperity of the wicked the righteous will be vindicated and then there's somebody here that life has jumped on you with both feet and you're ready to throw in the towel but I came to encourage you that it'll only hurt for a little while in this first letter the Apostle Peter he expresses from first-hand revelation that there's always hope in the midst of suffering Peter was empathetic about this because he witnessed Christ suffering yet at the same time he witnessed the hope of Christ bestowed upon all of those who received him during this period of time Christians were persecuted because of their faith in the work of Christ let me tell you something church suffering is a part of the Christian walk that when you became a believer this shouldn't have been anybody and if they did they lied nobody can promise you a life of perfection that that nobody can promise you a life of ease in a and of comfortable rather when you were called to serve God you were called to suffer and if you have an experience suffering that just just know that you will tell everybody I told you first it's on the way but you can have hope because the greater one resides within each of us and tells us that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus as we examine this tenth verse of the first first Peter chapter 5 we come to an awareness in an understanding that our trials and our sufferings build Christian character some of us would never leave our comfort zones and enter into a zone of stepping up and stepping out a pastor puts it this way sometimes God has to push you out to push you up talking with someone this week and they said to me God builds the testimony in us and then he delivers it through us and is there anybody here this morning that knows you've been delivered through the testimonies that it was after you heard about what God has done for somebody that you fell where your hope could come from in the profoundness is in this humans do not like the tests that are necessary to have a testimony we want the blessings of Christ but we find it difficult to endure with the sufferings of Christ however we must arm ourselves with the attitude of Christ in our suffering just as he did in his suffering we want to reign but we don't want to suffer but like I said before sometimes God has to send you through the fiery furnace of affliction to cut some stuff off he he has to mold you and make you in shape you and form you into what it is that he is desiring for you to become because you cannot be changed where you're comfortable all Christ cared about was doing the will of God his attitude was to do the will of God his mission was to do the will of God and Peter wants you to know not to lose hope but to realize that suffering is the tool that God uses to prepare us for life and service in the kingdom of God the Texas tables to teach us that while suffering is necessary His grace is still sufficient the text is tailored to present us the power of our submission to the God of all creation the text reveals four things about this number one that we must surrender to the will of God somebody say surrender surrender to the will of God first Peter chapter 5 verse number 5 likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders yes all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due season there's power that comes from submission we live in a day where we're all seeking to do our own thing but the child of God who wants to please the Lord must learn to allow God to have preeminence in their life it says they're clothed with humility that that literally means to wear the apron of a slave that true humility before the Lord means me assuming the place of a slave what what does that mean it means that I have no wheel but his wheel it means I have no plans but his plans it means I have no desires but his desires where we're called to be his servants we're called to bring him glory and if we can learn the way a few milli then the Lord will lift us up it's all away as long as we seek to promote our sales will never amount to much but if we learn to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that in due season not in your season I don't know what your season is but in due season he will exalt he will exalt you number one surrender to the will of God number two surrender send your worry to God it's right there verse 7 casting your care upon him for he cares for you the reality is that many of us are some of us are struggling and suffering now as some of us have been through a struggle and suffered previously in the difficulty of the struggle is I can deal with the struggle if I knew why I was going through it I could handle it better if I knew why I was suffering if it was something I did wrong no way I wouldn't do it again but the issue is that sometimes God will send us through some stuff and won't tell us what it's for and so what happens is when we don't know why something's happening we begin to make rash decisions and rush into actions that later on bring regret but he tells us don't even worry about it he says sin you're worried to God cast all of your cares upon him because watch this he cares for you cast to cast is literally the throwing or the casting of something it's it refers to a one time deal he says once and for all throw all of your burdens to Jesus and when the worries of life presses down we we don't have to bear them but we can thank God for the one who is able to carry the load we can cast it but watch this we can completely cast them listen to this cast all of your cares he tells us to give him everything and if we would have be honestly here today there's some stuff that we haven't been willing to give over to God there's some stuff we've said God you take care of this and I'm gonna take care of that but he's saying give me this and that put it put it all the songs I put it all in his hand he tells us to give it up and give it all to Jesus and then he tells us we can do it with confidence because he cares for us Hebrews 4:15 says for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like we are yet without seeing or yet sins not when we are burdened it touches the heart of God look at this when you do a study of the word it presents that he's saying he cares for you in the present tense active voice and in the indicative mood if we have any English scholars in the room let me explain to you for the rest what that means the present tense means it's an ongoing activity active voice means the Lord Himself is involved and the indicative mood means that it's a fact what does that mean that means that when we find ourselves in trouble Jesus Christ Himself is actively involved in caring for us and I don't know about you but I'm glad that I serve a God that cares enough to feel what I'm going through I don't need somebody to talk to me or to be by me that can't feel what I'm going through but I'm so glad that when I talked to him about what I'm dealing with he's saying I already know I've already handled I've already felt what you feel as a matter of fact I felt something worse I had to send down my son to digest for you that's how much he cares he cares for us that's why he's made the investment in us some of you know this to be true because when you had your back up against the wall you sought the Lord but you didn't just seek him but he heard you allow me to help you remember the times in which he herds you remember when you were flat broke and didn't know where the next meal was gonna come from me did he hear you oh yeah he didn't hear anybody with that what about when you couldn't pay your bills and God just showed up somehow you have more month than money but your bills were mended did you seek them and did he hear you what about when you didn't have two dimes to rub together and you had to buy your family some food did did he hear anybody okay we still we still not gonna be real what about when you were lying on the sick bed and you called on his name but if you can hear me this morning it means that you were somehow in church this morning which means you sought the Lord and he heard you what about what you prayed for the job and you didn't get the one you wanted but he gave you something to meet your needs God has brought some of us matter of fact no God has brought all of us through something because when we saw him he heard us when we gave it to him when we gave it to him and then we want to act like we did it on our own we want to be too cute in church we want to act like we pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps when it wasn't his grace but is there anybody that can just say yes I was the one I gave it to him and he worked it out I gave it to him and let let him work it out God's brought some of us through some terrible past experiences some of some some of you he's delivered from failing marriages you sought the Lord and he heard you some of you you you were just in a in a hard place and you sought the Lord and he heard you he I'm so glad that we serve a God that doesn't just see us but he hears us and he feels us surrender to his will send him your worries and then as we continue to look number three we have to strengthen our walk it's right there verse 8 be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your Brotherhood in the world where we're told to be sober and vigilant wood what does that mean it means it's time to get serious about some stuff if it means that there are some areas in our life where we have underestimated the devil and he's telling us that it's time to wake up and see that he's working who do you think it is that's looking to actively make your life miserable you thought that was God but who do you think it is that's working against you every day of your life it's the enemy he's walking around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour the devil y'all if you didn't know it allow me to tell you right now the devil is real Jesus believes in him the Bible believes in him God believes in him and so I don't care what anybody else tells you about the fact that he's a figment of your imagination the devil is real he's called the adversary this word means opponent it means enemy and then he's called the devil this means slanderer or false accuser the preacher I attack like gave us devil ology he told us number one if we don't know anything about the devil we must know that the devil is a liar and then number two that he doesn't want to let you go this is the same one who attacked the character of Job he's that same devil that he always was he hates you and once if the devil doesn't hate you was because you and him got a love relationship going on it if y'all if he don't hate you it's because he loves you this there's a problem if the devil don't hate you he's compared it's compared to a roaring lion and have you ever stopped to think for a second why would he be compared to a lion well here here's here's a similarity lions are 14 to 21 times stronger than man and let me tell you today that Satan is stronger than us by ourselves that we cannot fight Satan on our own and then a mature Lions roar it can be hurried up to five miles away which is why they do most of their roaring at night because they roar to create fear into the hearts of those who hear them and that's just what the devil does to us he roars to create fear in our hearts he roars to create fear to paralyze our faith because if the devil can get you to be so caught up in his roar you can't possibly be listening to God's Word and so you're either going to listen to the roar or you're going to listen to what God has spoken to you but the good news is this it says that you can overcome him by resisting him we've misinterpreted this for so long let me tell you what it means when it says resist him this word is to stand up against the devil that that's what the saying stand up against be steadfast in your faith knowing that the Lord has already defeated the devil that the victory of the child of God is found in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ so you don't you no longer have to think that the enemy is going to Your Honor let me tell you this way you no longer have to sit by and standby on the sidelines and watch the enemy tear up your family you no longer have to sit there on the sidelines and watch the enemy wreak havoc in your life you no longer have to let the enemy take anything away from you that God did not ordain because you can stand up against him but you cannot stand up against him with candy cotton preaching but rather you've got to stand up to him with the unadulterated Word of God because if you say end up there with some stuff that's not substitute if it won't last but if you start to meditate on this thing day and night you'll be able to go up against him with some stuff and matter of fact he knows that so you've got to know him better than him you can resist can resist the devil by standing up to him by studying his word surrender to the will of God send your worry to God strengthen your walk with God but watch what happens in verse number 10 you can see the work of God but made the God of all grace that's good right there because he's not the god of some grace he's the God of all Grace who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus that after after you have suffered a little while perfect establish strengthen and settle you well one of the greatest incentives to this walk with Christ is that even when you can't see him you can know that he's with you and then you can begin to see the invisible hand of God moving in your life even when you can't see the visible manifestation we have God's grace it says he's the God of all grace his grace is given differently the Bible Hebrews 4:16 says let us then with confident to draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need our salvation is because of His grace those who are saved today have tasted that the Lord is gracious and with the knowledge that by remaining faithful to Christ we can stand in the true grace of God so we can have God's grace but here's what else I see I see that we're going to glory it's right there in verse 10 but the God of all Grace who called us to his eternal glory and that's the purpose of him calling us he didn't call us to have a bigger house he didn't call us to have a bigger car but he called us to his eternal glory that means that regardless of what happens while you're down here whether you get a lot or you don't have a lot that after you leave this place there's something greater waiting on the other end if there's something greater in store that even if you don't receive it while you still have breath in your body that because Jesus went to Calvary there's a reason to be grateful every day he wakes you up his glory his glory the road to glory may involve suffering but it's no different than what Jesus experienced the question was asked was it not necessary that I should suffer these things and enter into his glory but here's what we know it's only for a little while early Peter had said a little earlier in Chapter 1 he said that though now for a little while in verse 5 he says after you've suffered a while the reality this morning is that by their very nature physical sufferings cannot last forever that's why I believe the psalmist was able to pick it up and say weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning we talked in Bible study a few weeks ago that the morning is not always the ideal situation we think it should be but the morning is determined by the arrival of joy so even while we're suffering we can thank God for joy in the morning then one writer said that when the joy comes God will turn winter nights in the summer days they they said that he'll turn sighing into singing that he'll turn grief into gladness and he'll turn morning in the music he'll turn bitter into sweet in your wilderness into a praise then weeping may endure so whatever you're going through today it does not matter it's only for a while [Applause] we've got a we've got to go but whatever you are waiting for praise God in advance yeah you let me tell you why you can praise them in advance because we have the promise that weeping is temporary that the suffering is only for a little while watch the contrast he uses here he says suffering for a while but the glory is eternal in other words he's saying the glory is worth the suffering watch this watch why because with your suffering comes eternal blessings it's right there in verse 10 he will perfect you this Warrior Peter uses to say perfect means to equip to adjust to fit together he perfects his people using several tools number one is the word of God number two was the gifts that he's given and then the third tool is suffering and not only then Romans five but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance perseverance perseverance character and character hope God will perfect you God will restore you God is in the restoration business that he delights in seeing his people put back together again he'll perfect you he'll restore you but then it says he will establish you in other words he will fix firmly we have to be steadfast in our faith the song says be steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord he's saying that through persecution you will build steadfastness for the one that has endured suffering for the cause of Christ because of the truth that has been told he'll establish you he will support you many people will tell you that I'll be here with you till the end but when the money runs out you can't find him anywhere but is there anybody here that can put their hands together and praise God because even when they weren't there he was able he was able to establish you and support you God's sustaining grace will embrace you during your times of trouble his sustaining support and grace will support you when you don't think you can keep going he will establish you his sustaining grace says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and then watch what it says he will perfect you he will establish you but then it says he will strengthen you we hear it all the time what does not kill you makes you stronger God wants to strengthen you and he does it through those moments in which you want to give up he does it in those moments because get this it's not about your physical strength God is our refuge and strength a very present help in a time of trouble he wants you to know that you can't handle it but I can he wants you to know you can't do it if this if you think you can I'm going to show you how much you can't handle what you're dealing with as a matter of fact I'll make it heavier for you just so that you'll have to reach up for me he'll perfect he'll establish he'll strengthen and watch what he closes with he'll settle you he says I lay a foundation we know the scripture upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail some some of us we make this clear some of us will go home today and we matter of fact we've already thought about it we said I'm going to go home and make dinner let's say you said I'm going to make spaghetti can I tell you something this morning this is just me and you talking you and got to tell nobody else this me and you you're not going to make spaghetti you're going to go home take some noodles take some spaghetti sauce take whatever your preference of meat is put it together in college spaghetti but God has the kind of ability where once upon a time he stepped out on nothing looked at nothing spoke to nothing and something appeared something you don't get where I'm going with this he has the kind of power that will establish something that was not already there some of you still don't feel me this was let me help you out over here when he woke you up this morning yet when he made you and when he called you he stepped out on nothing looked at nothing spoke to nothing and then you appear some you know how your bills get paid God look at nothing step out on nothing spoke to nothing and something appeared something you want to know how you gonna make it this week God steps out on nothing looks at nothing and something appeared it's not about what you can do every time you don't know how you'll make it remember that he'll step out on nothing look at something and something speak to nothing and something get up here you don't have that kind of power but God can settle you and establish you right where you are has he established anybody this morning just is there anybody that he stepped out on he stepped out on he kept as he kept anybody this morning he has the power you've doubt as you've walked away you've turned your back but he will establish you let me let me let me help you he says that I will build the foundation under you so when he gave you this he said when nothing else is there well you don't know where else to turn if you stand on my word and if you say what I said in my word that she will be able to go out and handle whatever it is that you're facing he says that if you stand upon this that this will keep you but you didn't think you can keep yourself he says this will keep your mind together something you don't know how you kept your mind if you're gonna be honest you thought you would have went crazy by now but God somehow has kept you but it's because you satis eyelid a solid foundation this morning but it didn't keep anybody this morning did he did he keep anybody this morning yes he's a keeper he's a keeper after this God is saying that I have an anointing and a grace like you've never seen before and that's why the enemy is coming after you so much because after you have suffered a little while I'll restore you I'll strengthen you I'll establish you he says you don't have to worry about it if you send him your worries if you cast your cares upon him that he will see you through that he will he will see you through and so I know not the struggles I know not the difficulties I know not the issues the situation or the circumstance that you face that you deal with but I know him but but but I know I know him and when you know him you can you can express him when you know him you can tell somebody else how far he's brought you from even if you don't know where he's going to take you to you can say that God has brought me from a mighty long way and so maybe maybe you're here and you've got to admit that on this day the 20th day of the tenth month of 2013 that you're struggling with something that you know that the enemy is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour that you know that he comes to steal to kill and to destroy that he's came to attack you in the areas of your family the areas of your finance the areas of your health the areas of your sanity won't you just close your eyes and lift your hands for a moment if you know that there's some area in which he's been coming after you and you didn't know how you get out you didn't think there was a way out I came to simply tell you today that you will see glory after this that you will see the establishment of the kingdom of God that he will restore back to you maybe not everything the devil stole but he will restore to you everything that you need that after you suffer awhile the God of all grace he'll keep you and so father we come to you right now praying for those who know that they've struggled with something that they've suffered that they've been suffering that they came here today with the burden on their heart but right now in this moment they've heard the preached word of God knowing that you tell us to cast all of our cares and so right now god I don't know what they're giving you but I'm believing that they're giving you everything that they're giving you all of the bills they're giving you all of the strain that they're giving you all of the health conditions that they're giving you all of that and that they're trusting you for the healing that they're not gonna call payday loan but that they're gonna call upon the God of all creation to make a way out of no way god we pray right now over each and every hand that's lifted that you would grant a peace that surpasses all understanding God that though they've been weeping and crying that their joy is coming back god we pray that you would restore the joy of this salvation even now we thank you in advance for what you're going to do and if you believe God's already done it won't you put your hands together this morning [Music] as we're standing all over the building maybe you're here you you you you've never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior you thought that you were going through all of this stuff because of the fact that it was what you were doing no God may have you going through the fiery furnace of affliction because he's trying to make something happen inside of you and trying to birth something through you so maybe you're here we want to invite you not just to this charge not just to religion but to a relationship and so the doors of the church are open if you're here and you've never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior I want you to step out to just step out in the aisle somebody will walk with you we all had to take the walk it seems like a long way but it's an even longer way to where you'll be going if you don't take that step [Applause] there's one coming is there more if you know that you know that you got some stuff that you need to get worked out with the Lord and so you so maybe you've given your life to him maybe you've already done

Channel: Empowerment Anywhere

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Keywords: Empowerment Church, Theodore Matthews, Teddy Matthews, Preach

Id: Bfg3GCnyz9s

Length: 49min 6sec (2946 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 23 2018