Happiness in the Midst of Our Trials

and talk soldier on the battlefield hard fighting soldier the battlefield bringing souls to Jesus by the service the name of God Almighty the God of mercy of grace of truth and of love we've come this morning to thank him for Jesus and the gospel we thank him for the Holy Spirit and the Church of Christ we thank him for blessing us with another beautiful day today that we have not seen nor will we see again for truly our God is a great God no wonder they call him wonderful for indeed he is and there is no God like our God he protects us watches over us and he brings us to a place of peace a peace that surpasses all understanding because every now and then we get disturbed but he knows how much we can Bath and we just thank him for his love toward us if you're visiting with us we thank you for being here and you're not here by accident we want you to know that it is the Providence of God that brought you to this place I hope the church is happy because that's what I'm going to talk about this morning and on the very morning I'm gonna talk about happiness stuff starts happening every now and then you know we look at it and we raised the question why but since we know we have a full and enemy he walks around as a roaring lion he's seeking whom he may devour believe it or not he wants to devour all of us as Christians members of the Church of Christ but we're so glad God is with us and we know that trouble doesn't last always I want to invite you to the book of first Peter chapter 4 verses 12 through 14 as we prepare to deliver the message of God in this worship service and I know if I say to you God has been so good to me you may holler back and say brother holy that's discrimination and God has been good to me too and so I don't want to discriminate this morning so God has been good to all of us because God is good the Bible says beloved or beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trials which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christ is suffering that when his glory shall be revealed he may be glad also with exceeding joy if you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified if he be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you on their part he is evil spoken ours but on your part he is glorified I want to talk about happiness in the midst of our trials happiness in the midst of our trials while preaching in Bermuda a few weeks ago an interesting report was written in their Royal Gazette newspaper in title Island one of the happiest nations out of 160 countries surveyed the island of Bermuda was ranked number 11 as one of the happiest nations in the world after reading that statement I immediately proceeded to look at the list to see whether United States reign this conclusion was gathered by data from worldwide surveys engages levels of happiness through factors including schooling income jobs or satisfaction and other social relationships and by the way I discovered that the United States was ranked 19th on the list and I wondered for this country to be the melting pot of the world the home of the brave and the free why does it rain number 19 on the list when it comes down to life expectancy social progress quality of life and happiness I raise the question have we separated these things from our spirituality which may result in so many people being unhappy have we neglected God and downplayed godliness as to why happiness is not obtained or experienced by many of us oh I know the Bible says in proverbs chapter 14 and verse number 34 righteousness exalted a nation but seeing as a reproach to any people I know the Bible says in Psalms 146 Division and verse number 5 happy is he that has the God of Jacob for his hill whose hope is in the Lord and every now and then I think about the people of the world and then I focus in on the people of the church everybody wants to be happy but why is it we have so many unhappy people in the world and especially in the church the average person you meet is mad about something the average person you come in contact with has a frown on his or her face because something is evading them and that something is called happiness if we have placed happiness or being happy as a priority have we sought it by using the wrong means and methods to achieve it I want to go on record today by saying that happiness is achievable of is an achievable goal for all Americans and most definitely for all Christians but it must be sold through God Almighty as the giver and the sustainer of a life of happiness everybody seems to want to be happy but sometimes we're not willing to do the thing that it takes for us to be happy as for Christians we must be examples for the world the world should not set the pattern of conduct for us we ought to set the pattern of conduct for the world we can't gauge the world through the eyes of human beings if we're going to be happy we must gauge the world through the eyes of God and here forever and now and then we measure how sales by others and we find out that we don't have what others have and as a result we become unhappy you know what your Bible says in Psalms 37 fret not thyself because of evildoers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity for they shall soon be cut out as a grass and shall wither as the green so often we measure our sale by the mega stars of the world and since we are not a star we become unhappy we measure ourselves by people who have a whole lot of money and since we go around as broke as jobs Turkey and we become unhappy you see the problem is our measuring stick if we stop measuring our sale by the people of the world and the things of the world and major I'll sail through the eyes of God we can be happy and it seems to be evading us look again at 1st Peter 4 and verse 14 because that is a certain mindset that you must have a cultivate in order to make this goal achievable do you really I want to be happy if you do you need to listen carefully to this message Peter said EF ye be pro if you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye I want you to catch this the name that's connected with happiness is Christ and you need to get this no Christ no happiness no happiness no cranks get Christ in your life and you can find the happiness that you are looking for this term happiness or happy comes from a Greek word and this word is materials which me supremely blessed by extension it means fortunate or well-off I had rather be well-off in Christ than to be well-off without Christ within the context of Peters epistles other Christians were no stranger to trouble they were no strangers to trials and they were they were no strangers to testing temptations look at verse number 12 in the same text of first Peter for our beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you I need you to see this in order for Peter to help his brothers and sisters with the hardships that would befall them he uses language that settles them down and connects them with Christ and in using this language he helps them to identify with an abiding peace with Christ and with God the Father that will help to see them through their trials fiery trials and their sufferings now watch this word beloved he uses this word agape puffs now the root word is agape but here he uses the word agape tuff's which simply says to us Peter is giving us the richness of a term to help them to understand that they are connected with the Godhead 3 the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost in being connected with the Godhead 3 you remember first John 4 and verse number 8 which tells us in part the last part for God is love now watch why does Peter introduce them to God is love why does Peter use this word agape to us because whenever a person feels loves they feel comfortable in the arms of the lover y'all miss where say man up in here I'll be all day I don't want to be all day how good do you feel being loved by somebody how much do you trust the person you love Peter is working on this thing because Peter wants them to understand if you can see how much God loves you you don't mind going through the trials as long as God is there with you but being alone your trials become too hard for you to bear and nobody wants to be in trouble alone nobody wants to go through some hardships alone Peter is trying to help them to see that you are a part of the beloved and I'll work on it in just a moment I need you to see this to be called beloved implies a special relationship and with this special relationship happiness ought to feel their soul as well as feel our soul god is love but we know that God is not a characteristic but God is a person love is a characteristic of God love has to do with the character of God God is not a characteristic God is a person and everybody wants to be loved by a person am i correct about it who in here doesn't want to be loved by a person you don't want to be loved by something in animated object that can't love you back you can go to your refrigerator and love was in your refrigerator but what's in your refrigerator doesn't love you back I want to be able to be loved am I correct about it as I put our love I want to be loved by everybody I know that puts our love wants to be loved back so he says God is love John teaches well what does that say to us love has to have an object there must be somebody to love if God's love isn't everlasting or eternal love then God had to have somebody to love that's why I talk about the Godhead 3 because in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth but I want you to watch this it says in the beginning that's the beginning of man's creation but way back before man was created God existed and God existed in three person far the word and Holy Ghost God's love is everlasting because God is everlasting and since God has to have an object to law the father had the word and the word had the father the father had the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit had the father the word had the father the word had the Holy Spirit so three persons in eternity love each other oh yeah no act like you don't understand because we need to deal with this thing call happiness in the midst of our trials somebody needs to watch this word beloved you remember Matthew a chapter 3 or you remember verse number 17 I won't stay long the book says in the law of was from heaven saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased look at that word beloved it's the same word in 1st Peter 4 and verse well it's agape talks stay with me because I'm building something right through here that you need to see you remember Matthew 17 and verse number 5 when Jesus took Peter James and John with him and while they were on the Mount of Transfiguration Peter spoke up and saying Lord it is good for us to be here you all remember that well in verse 5 the book says while he yet spake behold a bright cloud overshadowed them behold a voice out of the cloud which says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him I want this church to know that Christ has a special relationship with God the Father and because we are connected with Christ we have a special relationship also are you all listening Church please understand whatever you are going through you're not alone in John 14 and verse number 23 you need to hear the prayer the pleading and the proclamation of Jesus are you in the text jesus answered and said unto them if a man love me he will keep my word and my father will love him but now watch this and we and we will come unto Him and make our our abode with him Jesus says if a man loves me my father will love him but then we will do something we will come and live with him because if you love him and keep his word Jesus said we will come and live make our abode with you in the book of first John chapter 3 oh you all know I'm going to give the book so you may wear it get your paper your pens and your pencils keep your mind sharp to remember what I'm telling you because we need to deal with the book we are the beloved of God because we are the beloved of God Jesus says they will come and see us through all of our trials all of our troubles and even the teasing temptations that's in the world he'll come they'll come and be with us first John chapter 3 and verse 1 behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us are you're getting the father doing something he's doing what he's bestowing love upon us that's why I find it so difficult for people in the church who can't seem to love when God is bestowing it on us if we can't seem to grasp it and love people man we must not be getting what God is trying to give a he bestowing love upon us and why is it that so many of us can look that tells me we are rejecting the very love that God is putting upon us he's bestowing it that we should be called the sons of God therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not any time you get more high-fives in the world well let me back that up any time you give more high fives to the world and a few fold low down to the church you may be spending too much time with the world I don't mean to be philosophical you all know I don't act like that don't even preach like that I just say you ought to show some of this hell ya know country love accept it and be willing to walk a mile to give it need to pause right here we are called the sons of God you see this where his son comes from a word teknon which means children of God but you gotta watch this we are called the sons of God but Jesus is called the Son of God he's unique there isn't another like it and when you look at the church and you look at the crystal we are you need there aren't any others like us why because we are connected with the unique one Jesus is called the anointed and we are the anointed ones why because we are connected with him look at verse number two a first John three beloved there's that word now we are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is now when Jesus appears and we shall be like him my question here how should we be this far he appears Oh somebody out here ma'am we ought to be like him not be like Mike sister not be like Mishael be like him I want to be like him we are a love halt agape love enemies that's loving heart agape love people who stabbed you in the back that's loving heart cigar pain love people that you don't like I'm glad God put a difference between life and love we have to love people in spite of who they are and what they do if we are going to be happy in the midst of our try to understand that the devil is serving us with these tires and even putting people around that don't like us but we have to love them anyway you see this family word agape agape to us and I go pop oh don't worry about it just stay away man you know it's bad when they give her dumb fella like me some words like that I get carried away when I learn me a word I get to shout come to Fifi's a chapter 1 verses 6 & 7 so I don't even want to think we're having problems up in here I just want to believe that love is gonna help us to overcome or whatever problems we may have are you in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse number 6 the Bible said to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved may oppose he has made us one accepted way in the beloved you see God has accepted us in the beloved and the beloved is simply in the church because God so loved the world and pray so loved the church when we love God and coming to the chat we are part of the beloved are your percussiveness notice in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace I stopped by to tell you this morning if you can't be happy in the beloved if you can't be happy in the royal family if you can't be happy in the chosen family and if you can't be happy in this peculiar family then you just can't achieve happiness I'm telling you man in spite of what goes on up in here I still love you in spite of all the stuff that folks say about you and try to do to you and you still have love that tells me you have been accepted in the beloved and you have accepted God only a beloved son in the midst of our trials we are connected with the suffering Christ and you got to get this you see we are not to be strangers to suffering because Christ suffered we knew what we were signing up for when we got in this church I knew what I signed up for when I got in Christ because I know how I used to treat him before I met him I didn't treat him well before I met him so I knew what it was like on the outside of Christ and I knew if folk acted like I acted when I was out of Christ they would tell nothing for me in Christ because when I was out of Christ I didn't care anything for people that were in Christ I laughed at people who talked about Jesus because I had nothing to do with Jesus didn't know Jesus didn't wanna know Jesus didn't understand Jesus and didn't want to understand Jesus I was a sinner rape Center on the outside so I know what it's like to persecute people that follow Jesus I said I know what it's like I've been one other I've been like Saul of Tarsus I've been a persecutor I've laughed at folk when they said Jesus were coming back I said man you got to be out of your mind or in the world of this Jesus you're talking about coming back man nobody wants to hear that foolishness that's hard walls for me how bad but since I've come to know Jesus I know how it feels now up in here now the world may not be doing all of that to me but some church so they got the world in them I don't mean it I'll excuse me miss is not supposed to go this way but hear me today Peter said we are no strangers to these kind of things beloved thinking not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happen unto you suffering we call Christ the suffering Savior and when we get hook with him then we become his suffering Saints so my daughter here man we knew what we signed a father have you read John 15:18 lately we knew what we were getting in when we got in it Jesus said if the world hate you you know that it hated me before it hated you if ye will of the world the world would love is own but because you're not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hated you remember the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater than his Lord if they help persecuted me they will also persecute you we knew what we were signing of all we knew was we made it to Christ we were going to be hated by the world we knew once we signed up with Christ we were going to be persecuted by the world so I tell people go ahead now man to the cross but you better not bury me because I rise again I heard somebody say when they put Jesus to the cross they laid it down and nailed him to the cross but the mistake that they made was when they raised him up I heard him say in John chapter 12 and verse 32 and if I I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men under me I'll tell you go ahead and nail my feet or to a cross but I rise again go ahead talk about me do whatever you want I knew when I signed up I would have some enemies and some fools but I read the book and I'm so thankful that I understood or what I read Peter called it fiery trials fiery trials come from a turn per office or per office and per office means mission smeltery me calamities as a test or burning Church you got to understand when you stand for Jesus you're gonna be smelled to ring with heat and I'm not talking about California sunshine but somebody needs to him I'm not talking about that kind of heat there's another kind of heat that we're gonna be faced with and that he comes from human beings not from the Sun the issue is are you paying attention you'll see Christians in the first century they were burned at States they were tortured tied up and burn they were beheaded they were fair to liars they were boiled in oil beaten beyond recognition they were told to denounce Christ and confess Caesar but they were willing to die for Christ and do away with Caesar I need somebody to hear me right through here Peter said in verse 16 if any man I'm in first Peter 4 suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God on this behalf if you all don't mind we don't need to suffer as a matter of we don't need to suffer as an evildoer we need to suffer as Christians when you suffer as a Christian you identify with the suffering Christ look at that word Christians on the end of the word Christ is I a in somebody order here man I belong to Christ I'm gonna suffer because I belong to Christ Peter said yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God on this behalf I looked at this passage from many different versions and translations and I want to share with you on what I saw when I look them up the amplified version treats the passes like this but the l1 is ill treated as a Christian which he is contemptuously called let him not be ashamed but give glory to God that he is deem worthy to suffer in this name did you all get it you see people we're continuously they will talk about us they will do it we can tell they don't like us I'm talking about every child of God has an enemy of Satan and Satan himself is your arch enemy but he has some more little illness they don't like you either they may make you think that they are in love with you but as soon as they get an upper hand they're gonna do you like they did Jesus they're gonna do you like Judas did Jesus my old familiar friend David said are you all paying attention Wednesday and eat of my bread had lifted up his heel against me yes the name to suffer in is the name Christian derived from Christ the new American Standard says but if anyone suffers as a Christian he is not to be ashamed but it's the glorify God in this name somebody ought to hear man we ought to glorify God in what in this name the question here what is the name the name is Cristin we ought to glorify God in this name the New International Version renders it however if you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name somebody ought to hear that we ought to praise them because we bear that name the revised version renders it yet if one suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but under that name let him glorify God Phillips translation says if he suffers as a Christian he has nothing to be ashamed of and make law refer God in crisis name the new English Bibles reaches or translates it but if anyone suffers as a Christian he should not feel disgrace but confess that name to the honor of God I even like the way I'm going to say this the new worlds translation renders it and this is by the govt witnesses it said but if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not feel ashamed but let him keep on glorifying God while bearing this name somebody ought to hear me we ought to keep on glorifying God by bearing this name and I need to close right through here but I want to tell you the Apostle Peter helps us to be happy in the midst of our trials in first Peter 1:1 beginning at verse 6 Peter said here in ye suffer ye greatly rejoice though now for seasons if need be year in Haven s through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious than the gold that perishes though it be tried yet with fire might be found on to the praise and honor and glory as the appearing of Jesus Christ whom having not seen he love in whom though now you see him not yet believing he rejoice with joy unspeakable full of glory every now and then we need to rejoice with joy unspeakable we are connected with the Christ somebody says how in the world can we rejoice in the midst of all of these trials well I read the Hebrew writer as we know we follow Christ we walk with Christ the Christian ought to be happy when he's with Christ Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2 look at unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself lest should be wearied and faint in your mind you gotta watch Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross how in the world could Jesus have joy in doing the cross when Jesus went to the cross Jesus could have joy because he knew on that cross he was shed his blood and in the shedding of his blood he would purchase his church how many men do you know worse lay work to and three jobs just to build a house for the woman he plans to marry he doesn't mind getting down in the ditch he doesn't mind getting down in the ditch and digging that ditch sweating day and night because he sees something on the other side of that ditch he has a house in his mind so he keeps on digging in that ditch he has a bride inside that house on the other side so he keeps on digging that ditch I want you to see Jesus they whipped him but on the other side of that women he saw a bride on the other side of that whipping he saw the beautiful bride of Christ so he took all of that ill treatment because there was something he was going to receive later on that's why I don't mind taking my whip is now because I read John 14 let not your heart be troubled he believed in God believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also and whether I go ye know Thomas say Lord we know not whether thou goeth and how can we know the way jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me that's why we're gonna take all of the ill treatment we're gonna take all of the hardships we're gonna take everything people throw at us because we know on the other side there's a room call a mansion with our names on them am I correct about it I'm gonna be lacked at all racehorses but that was a man who had a race horse and that horse had brought him much money and one day this racehorse wandered off from the big house and the man got a little weary because the Sun had set and as it was going all the way down he said I need to go and find my horse so he took his me with him and he went out looking for his horse and man he couldn't find it and he decided I may as well go back home and all his way back home he passed by an old damn well and down in that old condemned well was his horse he heard that old familiar Yoda so the man called his servants he said let us get my horse out of this whale they got some ropes threw down on the horse man he was too heavy for them to pull him out and the man said I need to get my horse out of this whale so he couldn't pull him up and after a while he got disheartened he said bring me my rifle I can't stand to see my horse suffer like this so he pulled his rifle out and when he was about to shoot his old horse he thought about how good that horse had been to him he thought about all the money he had made from that horse he said I cannot shoot my horse so what I'll do I'll bury him alive so he told us me get your shovels out I want to bury my horse and while that horse was down in that well every time his men would dig a little dirt and throw on that horse that old horse would shake it off trample it under his feet and they kept on throwing and that old horse kept on shaking and sharpening it under his feet until after a while that old horse came up out of that old come them well well I'm gonna be like the horse today throw your dad I'm gonna shake it off trample it under my feet and I'm gonna rise just a little bit higher I'm gonna wear this were the name by which we'll call I'm gonna wear it I love to tell people I'm a Christian but better than that I love to show them that I'm a Christian I want to tell you if you want to be happy in the midst of your trials you gotta learn to shake the horse trapa lately under your feet and rise a little bit higher if you want to be happy in the midst of your trials do more than just belong participate if you want to be happy in the midst of your trials do more than care help somebody do more than teach inspire somebody do more than believe practice what you believe do more than earn-in risk somebody do more than forgive forget about it do more and you serve God do mall they live grow while you live do more than just be friendly be a friend do more than just being kind do more than just living love somebody I'm almost finished it's time for me to sit down and I know you're wondering if you're gonna sit out here I'm here because I wanna tell ya in the midst of your trials you need a man named Jesus father two generations he stopped off in Bethlehem went down as a boy 12 years old baffle the lawyers and the teachers in the temple 18 silent years but one day he saw John baptizing down at the river Jordan went down there John said to him you I need to be baptized of thee and coming out of me jesus said suffer it to be so to fulfill all righteousness he went down in that water came up the Spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove and remained on him one day he saw some boys mending their nets he said come and follow me I want to tell this church God and looking for people that's already mending their nets he's looking for folks that are already working lazy people cannot please God Peter and Andrew a fisherman they were already working follow me Matthew was working at the tax collectors booth he said follow me I'll get somebody to hear me in a few minutes if you have worked anywhere around your heart you are a good candidate to be a Christian but if you are lazy and the word can change you may well stay where you are because you'll be no good to your family not tell yourself oh I'm just about finished but if you don't shake your head and agreement how call isael to the witness stand and you know I will in the midst of your trials you can steal we are looking for happiness and I know people say what happen is depends upon hopin ease but let me tell you something honey when Jesus went to the cross and died for my sin that was enough happiness for me all I had to do there was connect with him what about you he not happen on the cross to keep me happy for lifetime I need to sit down Wow Jesus wants his people to be happy you're not a Christian say yes to him heard the word believe it repeater your sin confess Christ be baptized

Channel: Figueroa Church of Christ

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Length: 58min 2sec (3482 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 01 2015