H.B. Charles Jr.: Trusting God in our Trials | Truth In Love Conference 2022 | Session 2

what's a great joy to have pastor h.b charles jr back with us this is the third time that pastor charles has been with us and each time we have been greatly blessed he is the pastor teacher of shiloh metropolitan baptist church in jacksonville florida he's been serving as their pastor since 2008 and prior to that he was the pastor at mount sinai missionary baptist church of los angeles for almost 18 years there's a lot that we could say about our brother but what i want to say is just how much i appreciate the way the lord has gifted him to bring to us the word of god his preaching in my opinion is straightforward and clear i think about the j.c riles little book on on simplicity and preaching and when i listen to hb preach there's a depth of his walk with god that comes through and the the text is made more clear to the listener and so we're very grateful for him and thankful that he's with us please join me in welcoming h.b charles jr [Applause] grace and peace be multiplied to each of you this evening in the knowledge of god and of jesus christ our lord let me begin tonight by publicly thanking pastor caldwell for extending the invitation to come again this way to stand behind this prayer desk and to participate in this important conference and have the opportunity to study god's word with you grateful to be here grateful for all of the men who will bless us over the course of this weekend the important subject that we are studying grateful for you see your faces i'm also glad i in the past i i was invited and as soon as i got the invitation i said yes and didn't know it was my birthday i had scheduled to come here on that's how eager i was to be here so i'm glad it's january not february this time so we didn't run into that problem but nevertheless it is a joy to be here i must also take a moment to just publicly say and i know you share the sentiment thank god for dr john mcarthur i um i needed that message and i thank god tonight for his word if you would take your copy of god's word be turning with me to first peter let me pray and then i want you to hear the reading of god's word then we'll listen together tonight for what god will say to us out of what he has already said to us in his holy word let's pray first our father in heaven we are still amazed at the wonderful privilege that is ours to approach you in prayer as our father in heaven we praise you for the blood and righteousness of jesus christ that has opened for us a new and living way to you we thank you for your wonderful holy spirit who is at work to conform us to the image of your son and who is at work to give us understanding of your word to convict us of its truth and to strengthen us to live out the life of the teachings of our faith we thank you for your word tonight that is a lamb for our feet in the light for our pathway we pray afresh tonight that you would open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things from your word give us understanding and we will obey your word and keep it with our whole heart i pray for physical strength and spiritual energy to speak your word with faithfulness clarity authority passion wisdom humility and freedom and as the seed of the word is planted and watered we know that only you can give the increase so we reserve for you as always the highest praise and full credit for the fruit that shall come from this time in jesus name amen first peter chapter 4 we would focus your attention tonight on verses 12 through 19. beloved do not be surprised that the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you but rejoice in so far as you share christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed if you are insulted for the name of christ you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of god rests upon you but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil doer or as a meddler yet if anyone suffers as a christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify god in that name for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of god and if it begins with us what will the outcome what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of god and if the righteous is scarcely saved what will become of the ungodly and the sinner therefore let those who suffer according to god's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good amen after the stoning of stephen the early church scattered from its home base of jerusalem and the gospel began to spread initially the believers of the early church shared the gospel with just fellow jews but then the gospel began to break free and gentiles heard the good news of the lord jesus christ and were brought to saving faith the church at jerusalem sent barnabas to go investigate what was going on among these gentiles and when he saw the lord at work in the city of antioch he sent for saul who would become paul and the two of them ministered in the city of antioch for about a year after giving us that report luke gives a parenthetical footnote in acts 11 verse 26. and in antioch the disciples were first called christians they were first called christians in antioch note that they did not call themselves christians the people of antioch called them christians and it was not a compliment a christian is a follower of jesus christ the term was being used much like the term herodian herodian was a partisan adherent a partisan follower of herod great these christians were followers devoted followers to christ and note that the name the word christians identifies them to the title christ not just the name jesus these followers recognize that jesus of nazareth was more than some upstart rabbi he was the christ the messiah king the fulfillment of old testament promise prophecy and prediction and believing this jesus to be the christ they devoted their lives to him and their lives their devotion of their lives was so obvious to the unbelieving community around them that the unbelieving community watching the disciples nicknamed them christians and the name stuck and spread paul was arrested and when he was arrested he was brought before a gripper and when he was brought before a gripper instead of defending himself he preached christ and the bible tells us in acts 26 verse 28 agrippa responded to paul by saying in short and in the short time will you persuade me to be a christian it's not a sincere question it was filled with contempt and irony and sarcasm you a rested preacher think you're gonna come in here and preach a sermon and convince me to follow your christ in acts 26 verse 29 paul answered whether short or long i would to god that not only you but also all who hear me this day might be such as i am except for these chains our text tonight is the third and final time the word christian is used in the new testament specifically verse 16 says yet if anyone suffers as a christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify god in that name christians believe in christ belong to christ and behave like christ and inevitably such a life invites and invokes persecution suffering trouble from the world but true christians persevere in the faith even when suffering comes suffering is just the reality of life why suffering we ask well i can simply answer that with one technical theological term life it's just the fact an inevitable reality of living in a fallen world joel 5 7 says man is born toward trouble like sparks fly upward job 14 1 says man that is born of a woman is just of a few days and those days are filled with trouble suffering is a reality of life but suffering as a christian is a special category of suffering a distinct the unique category of suffering to suffer as a christian is to suffer for christ and like christ you cannot suffer as a christian if you are not a christian maybe you are here tonight and some christian friend of yours invited you to this weekend i am glad you are here but as we meditate on this subject this weekend i must admit that there no doubt will be many things that you hear that just won't make sense to you unless and until you repent of your sins run to the cross throw yourself on the mercies of god and trust the blood and righteousness of jesus christ for salvation saving grace must proceed suffering grace it's on one hand you you will never suffer as a christian unless you are a christian but you can be a christian and not suffer as a christian let me ask you then not have you suffered but have you ever suffered as a christian first peter chapter 4 verses 12 through 19 again peter addresses the subject of suffering in this letter he will do so here for the last time in this letter and in this critical passage he is not focused on what these elect exiles are suffering or how they are suffering there are two concerns of this text peter in this passage addresses the reasons for their suffering and their response to it this passage is one of the key passages on christian suffering in the new testament it really does explain to us the nature of christian suffering what is christian suffering let's wrestle with that for a few minutes from the text what is christian suffering let me offer several answers from the text first i commend to you tonight that it is joyful suffering joyful suffering first peter chapter 4 verse 12 begins a new section of the letter and peter begins in verse 12 this new section with a term of affection beloved in the passage he is going to address the harsh realities of christian suffering but he does not want for a moment these elect exiles to feel that because they are going through trials they are unloved the apostle loved them even though he did not know many of them if not most of them but most importantly they were known and loved by god and in a spirit of love peter intensifies his tone in this passage as he gives two instructions right up front for suffering christians his first instruction is do not be surprised verse 12. beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you the local church is scattered around asia minor that peter wrote to we're mixed congregations of jews and gentiles there there may have been jewish christians who understood the realities of religious persecution because of their background maybe for gentiles and the world that they came from it was through some of them more of of a surprise or maybe there was some primitive ancient forms of prosperity heresy that would have made some of them think that following christ exempted them from trouble or maybe just to state it in sincere terms maybe they just believed everything that peter had written up to now all of the assurances all of the promises that peter makes in the previous passages are meant to cultivate living hope in the risen savior maybe they had a triumphant view of life that did not include a theology of suffering peter says to them whatever notion they brought to this text he says to them do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you do do not be surprised and and the term there suggests more than just the initial shock and awe it is an ongoing sense of disillusionment that that can result in bitter resentment don't go grow hardened because of the fiery trial this is provocative language fiery trial is exactly what would happen to these saints in the not so distant future after the burning of rome nero would blame the christians and it would begin this imperial time of persecution of the church there would be christians who would be set aflame and made living torches in the time of persecution and providential foreshadowing of what was to come peter says do not be surprised at the fiery trial listen not if it comes when it comes he does not present suffering as a theoretical possibility it's a definite reality it's coming you are going to face he says fiery trials what a graphic image of christian suffering it pictures precious metals being placed in a fire or furnace to to prove it to purify it to strengthen it the process burns but the purpose benefits peter makes that clear when he says that this fiery trial when it comes it comes to test you to test you teachers test students suffering test christians but when you are tested in the school of christian suffering the sovereign professor lets you grade your own paper he already knows what your grade is he wants you to see whether you are passing or failing he says do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as if something strange were happening to you don't treat suffering like a stranger he presents suffering in the life of the christian here as something of an invited guest rather than an unwelcomed stranger he is challenging us to view the suffering of that we will experience as followers of christ as dr macarthur said he's challenging us to view it providentially romans 8 28 and we know that for those who love god how many things work together all things work together for good to those who are called according to his promises so peter says do not be surprised but then he says do not be sorrowful verse 12 is a prohibition verse 13 is an exhortation but rejoice insofar as you share christ's suffering that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed verse 13 is the paradox of christian joy he says when it comes rejoice unprepared i have two kids in college and they ask for for prayer when tests come and then i checked back to ask how i go how i went and they they say i don't know and i said yes you do you you know you you know if you pass you don't need them to post the grade you you know if you did well on the test or you know if you need grace and mercy when grading time comes life is like that unprepared students take tests anxiously prepare students take tests confidently okay but who rejoices at testing time verse 13 says this should be the response of christians when we suffer as christians we should rejoice james 1 verse 2 count it all joy my brothers again not if but when you meet various trials count it all joy rejoice why rejoice in so far as you share christ's suffering what a provocative statement let's be clear john 19 verse 30 jesus says it is finished hallelujah his death at the cross was not a down payment jesus paid it all we do not share then in the redemptive sufferings of christ but we do share in the righteous sufferings of christ jesus says in john 15 20 remember that i said to you that a servant is no greater than his master and if they persecuted me they'll persecute you also maybe that's the big take-home truth we need to leave this conference with this weekend it is foolish for you to expect the world to treat you better than it treated jesus if they persecuted me he says what makes you think you will be carried to heaven on flowery beds of ease but yet peace peter says that in a real sense christian's suffering is christian fellowship we share in the sufferings of christ and we ought to rejoice in it i wish i had time to linger here and that's no pulpit excuse for poor exposition i don't want to get led away from from the progression of the text but in a real sense the world persecuted persecutes christians the text is saying big idea of the text is that the world persecutes christians to the degree the world persecutes rather the world persecutes christians to the degree the world sees christ in us let me say that again the world persecutes christians to the degree that the world sees christ in us we are living in a rapidly changing culture that is forcing the church and i think it's a good thing to recognize that we are not playing home games we're playing away games and in the reality of the world that we live in you cannot be popular and holy at the same time the world will persecute us to the degree that they see christ in us in the real sense peter is saying the more you grow in christ's likeness the harder it's gonna get but rejoice in so far as you share in christ's suffering that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed hallelujah the the hope that is the foundation for first peter is that the lord jesus christ is coming again and when he comes again his glory shall be revealed that's enough to rejoice in but peter says we will share in that glory godly joy now will result in greater joy later we have joy in the midst of our suffering not because we enjoy suffering christian joy is a future rapturous triumphant joy no matter how bad it is we know that there will be glory to come so to suffer as a christian first of all is joyful suffering secondly it is righteous suffering it is righteous suffering to suffer as a christian is to suffer for the right reasons and so there is tension in the text between these suffering christians should embrace and the suffering christians should avoid first there is the suffering christians should embrace verse 14. after discussing this in more general terms he gives a specific illustration of potential suffering if you are insulted for the name of christ the full fledge roman persecution has not begun yet and to a great degree to a great degree what the saints were suffering was verbal abuse but that doesn't mean that's a lesser form of suffering that song we learned as children is not the truth words hurt he says you will be insulted for the name of christ and this is not just people talking about you the the term indicates character assassination it is the term used to describe mark 15 32 how they mocked jesus at the cross he says there will be times when you will be reviled and reproached for the name of christ but when that happens when you do what is right before the lord and they seek to assassinate your character the text says verse 14 you are blessed matthew 5 verses 11 and 12. jesus says blessed are you when they persecute you and revile you and speak all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you in the beatitudes jesus promises a future blessing for those who are persecuted for righteousness sake but would you know that peter here in verse 14 announces a present tense blessing if you are insulted for the name of christ you are blessed because the spirit of god of glory and of god rests upon you in the same way that shekinah rested over the tabernacle peter says when you suffer for righteousness sake the spirit of glory and of god rests upon you in a real sense the godhead father and son and holy spirit are all at work in the life of the believer who suffers as a christian to provide strength and comfort and assurance and so there is a suffering that christians should embrace but there is also a suffering that christians should avoid you should avoid sinful suffering verse 15. but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil doer or as a meddler there are two categories of sin here one is criminal offenses peter's writing to the church it says to the church you should not suffer as a murderer or as a thief i mean those are pretty big sins they're two of the ten commandments they are not just however the law of god the civil law here marx jesus crimes peter says do not respond to those who would persecute you with homicide or pilfering and he says don't suffer as an evildoer it's a wrongdoer whose life is activity is characterized by immoral activity and so there are criminal offenses here but then there are social offenses one alongside murdering and thieving he says don't be a meddler the older translation says don't be a busybody literally one who is watching over other people's affairs the fact that he has to warn the church not to do this stuff it's just a reminder to us that there are no perfect churches but he's by warning them not to do this he is saying that the church though not perfect should be godly and if suffering is to come it should not become because you are being sinful galatians 6 7 be not deceived god is not mocked for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap remember there's a big difference between bearing your cross and reaping your crop to suffer as a christian is to bear cross not to reap what you sow so he says avoid shameful sinful suffering but then he says verse 16 avoid shameful suffering yet if anyone suffers as a christian would you get the tension here he says you you really won't avoid suffering you you it's inevitable but you can choose the reason for the suffering you can suffer for doing wrong or you can suffer for doing right and so if he says if anyone suffers as a christian let him not be ashamed there are things we ought to be ashamed of jeremiah chapter 6 verse 15. in chapter 8 verse 12 the lord rebukes his people because they don't know how to blush it's a double sin they they sin and have no sense of shame about it in philippians 3 verses around verses 18 and 19 paul writes weeping about men who he calls enemies of the cross of christ i don't know if there's a greater indictment in scripture the chief figure of history is christ the chief factor of history is the cross what a wretched thing it is to be an enemy of the cross of christ and when he describes them in philippians 3 19 he says they are men who glory in their shame they are proud of things they ought to be ashamed of there are things we should be ashamed about but the text says if you suffer as a christian don't be ashamed don't be ashamed he says but rather glorify god if you suffer as a christian don't spend your life at the complaint counter glorify god acts 5 verse 41. says those apostles after they left the council left that bitter experience rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of jesus christ what a privilege it is to be counted worthy to suffer for the name of christ it is joyful suffering it is righteous suffering but thirdly may i say it is limited suffering to suffer as a christian is limited suffering the lamenting sufferer has two big questions about their experience why me and how long i think peter addresses it in verse 17. both questions it is time for judgment to begin at the household of god and if it begins with us what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of god and if the righteous is scarcely saved what will become of the ungodly and the sinner he holds intention here the present suffering of believers it is time he says for judgment to begin in the household of god and in the real sense i just think this judgment here is a synonym for suffering and it reflects the divine hand of god at work god is a holy god even his love is holy love and he cannot overlook sin and thus there are times when judgment must begin in his own house it is purifying love not punitive love as romans 8 1 tells us there is therefore now what no condemnation to those who are in christ jesus there is no holding tank after death called purgatory to make us fit for heaven but what peter is saying is god has a way of using suffering in the lives of his children in this life to clean up his church and to wash up his people have you ever experienced the purifying suffering of the heavenly father psalm 119. says in verse 67 before i was afflicted i went astray but now i keep your word then he has the audacity to go on in psalm 119 verse 71 to say and it was good for me that i was afflicted it wasn't good to me i didn't like it but it was good for me that i was afflicted that i might learn your statutes oh praise god praise god some of us could testify we wouldn't be as close to god as we are if he didn't allow us to go through our prayer lives would not be as strong as it is our devotion to christ would not be where it is if he had not allowed affliction to come i thought i'd have a witness there i'm glad i brought my own i'll be the witness andre crouch said it well i thank god for my mountains and i thank god for my valleys and i thank god for the storms that he brought me through because if i never had a problem i wouldn't know that god could solve them and i wouldn't know what faith in god can do but through it all i've learned to trust in jesus i've learned to trust in god i've learned that you can depend upon god's word there is the present suffering of believers but then he holds that intention to the future judgment of unbelievers we often just quote this phrase you hear this phrase just loosely randomly quoted judgment must begin at the house of god but this is a setup statement to make a lesser to greater argument it is time for judgment to begin at the house of god you are he says to the readers you think you got it bad but if it begins with us what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel alluding to proverbs 11 31 and if the righteous are scarcely saved scarcely saved doesn't mean barely saved he is able to save completely those who come to god through him because he always lives to make intercession for us but the language there means through difficulty if the saved can't make it through without difficulty what will be the outcome of the ungodly and the sinner instead of complaining about how bad the church is getting in in our culture we need to ask god to break our hearts for the lost i'm not i'm not so consumed with what i watch around the culture i'm really not because i've just reached a place in my life and faith that i don't expect unsaved people to do safe things and i don't think education or legislation or law or money will fix the problems god has to change people's hearts and we need to pray instead of being angry at the world we need to ask god to break our hearts for lost sinners who are doomed to eternal punishment unless they make a u-turn and run to the cross one final word one more verse he's what does it mean to suffer as a christian i suggest it is joyful suffering it is righteous suffering praise god it is limited suffering forcefully finally it is steadfast suffering i was a i was a boy when i trusted christ and i i remember there's a local church in los angeles where i grew up and uh i went to get books in there as a boy i didn't know what to get so i just got i just bought a lot of bible promises books and i memorized those verses from those bible promises book and then when i started reading the bible i was i was in shock because i discovered that in a lot of those instances there's a command before the promise if you don't obey the command you can't claim the promise but but after i wrestled through that i had another problem those promises of god are true but they don't work according to our clocks and calendars what do you do in the meantime what do you do in the meantime verse 19 says therefore this is the conclusion of the passage and i think this is the summary of everything peter has tried to say about suffering in this letter this verse therefore let those who suffer according to god's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good will you notice the new language he uses here verse 16 is suffering as a christian now he says it is to suffer according to god's will what's sweet language what you go through is not accidental or incidental it is a part of the plan and purpose of god hear joseph saying to his brothers don't think that now daddy is dead i'm going to try to get you back first of all i am not in the place of god secondly you go genesis 50 20 you meant evil against me but god meant it for good would you note the double use of that word meant in genesis 50 verse 20 it's it's not that you meant evil and you ran your play and and god ran down the field and intercepted it and ran it back for my good no no no you had a huddle and god had a huddle and with the same set of circumstances you meant one thing and god meant another thing but i'm here today because god's mint was bigger than your meant hallelujah those who suffer according to god's will should entrust their souls that word and trust is a banking term to give jewels money or valuable to another for safe keeping it is the language of jesus at the cross into thy hand i commit my spirit you'll never go to a bank and see the customer and the teller in the tug of war for the bank deposit you put it in the hands of the teller and you take your hands off of it this is the language this is what i believe god may be saying to somebody here tonight things will not get better until you put it in my hands and take your hands off of it and you can leave it in his hands because he is a faithful creator creator affirms his sovereignty his omnipotence and his transcendence the emphasis of god is created is not about science or history in scripture it's about theology the theological assumption in scripture is that the one who creates the thing is greater than the thing he creates and rings over it the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and everyone that dwells therein for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters he's a creator that's enough to shout about but peter says he's not just a creator he's a faithful creator he watches over that which belongs to him so look at the last phrase just keep doing good just just keep doing good galatians six and nine do not grow weary while doing good for in due season we will reap a harvest if we do not faint first corinthians 15 58 be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the lord knowing that in the lord your labor is not in vain keep doing good and entrust yourself your soul to a faithful creator jeremiah was singing the blues and then lamentation 321 in the midst of singing the blues when just a few verses later he said i lost all hope he then says but this i recall to mine therefore i have hope what did you recall the mind verses 22 and 23 lamentations chapter three the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is thy faithfulness great is thy faithfulness oh god our father there is no shadow of turning within thy change is not thy compassions fail not as thou has been thou forever will be can you sing that not now with all due respect it doesn't count it just doesn't count when you sing great as thy faithfulness in church surrounded by other believers or at a graduation or an anniversary or a celebration it counts when there's tears in your eyes when your heart is broken when there's a bad report from the doctor when when you are in the language of paul troubled on every side when you have done what is right and it all goes wrong that's when faith sings best grade is thy faithfulness great is thy faithfulness morning by morning new mercies i see all i have needed thy hands have provided great is thy faithfulness lord unto me let us pray father in the name of the lord jesus we just want to praise you for your faithfulness you are a faithful creator you are a heavenly father you are sovereign redeemer i want to pray tonight father for those who have come to this conference and the subject of suffering is not a theoretical issue for them they're in the midst of it they are serving you in a hard place they have done what is right and face resistance or rejection they are experiencing the thorn in the flesh that we learned about earlier this evening beyond pages of notes beyond that lord i pray that you administer the hearts and minds this weekend and give fresh assurance that your grace is sufficient and your strength is perfected in our weakness i pray that you would teach us to put our joy in christ and not the fading things of this world to do what is right before the lord no matter what it cost us and to live with confidence that in the furnace lord you you've put a time limit on it give us a heart for the loss help us to be as christ was moved with compassion when we see people harassed scattered as sheep without a shepherd and help us to be steadfast help us to be faithful with confidence that your faithfulness is even greater in jesus name amen [Music] you

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Length: 62min 33sec (3753 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 21 2022