Hope: Trusting In Difficult Times | Pastor Benny Perez | 04.13.2014

first Peter chapter three let Stannis read the scripture together first Peter chapter 3 beginning in verse 13 now who will want to harm you if you're eager to do good but even if you suffer for doing what is right God will reward you for it so don't worry so don't what be louder else I'll put the video on so don't what oh Jesus I should put it on or be afraid of the threats instead you must want worship Christ as Lord of your life and if someone asks you about your Christian hope always ready to explain it but do this in a gentle and respectful way keep your conscience clear then if people speak against you they'll be ashamed when they see what a good life what a good life what a good life what a good life you live because you belong why do you live a good life because you belong to someone why you being being good not to be accepted you're being good because you are accepted because you belong come on to Jesus Christ remember somebody say remember tell your neighbor neighbor remember tell your the neighbor you really need to remember just telling that remember it is better to suffer for doing good if that is what God wants then to suffer for doing wrong father thank you and they chose Jesus name Amen you may be seated we're in the series on 1st Peter and I heard that a young man named pastor Daniel Fernandez preached a great message last weekend Wow I love it my retirement is coming sooner than I thought praise the Lord hey man I might just be retired in a year pastor and you could be doing it let's see how good you are every week I love that guy come on give him a big hand clap he's one of the best in America so we've been studying the book of first Peter and we're literally going verse by verse and we believe that God spoke to us to do first Peter for those of you that are just joining us maybe online or sitting here in this Worship Center the book of first Peter was written by guess who Peter how'd you know it's right there we know that Peter was one of the 12 disciples Twelve Apostles and we know Peter is known in the Bible for denying Jesus how many times once twice three times I'll deny you right and what did Jesus do Jesus still loved him right Jesus even told him you're gonna die me nothing just trippy that Jesus actually tells him he's gonna blow it and Peter says no I'm not you gotta be careful when you disagree with God what do you think God knows a little bit more than you do here's how good god is even though no Peter was gonna not just deny him but curse his name watch me God never gave up on Peter here we find ourselves about 80 65 65 years out the death of Christ and Peter now is really old and Peter now has walked for about 60 years after the death of Christ and he's riding this in his latter years and he's riding to Jewish believers who have now experienced intense persecution they are not being persecuted and been driven all over the Middle East into even Asia and he's writing this letter which will be circulated to different house churches as they begin to read this letter and Peter under the anointing or unction of the Holy Spirit is writing primarily to encourage these people that are going through persecution and difficult times and the theme of first Peter is hope what is hope hope is you have an expectation of something good that's coming I want to live with hope how about you I want to live with this incredible hope that no matter what I'm going through right now that God still has the power to make good things come out of bad situations he's writing to them and and he's been encouraging I'm in chapter 1 and chapter 2 it chapter 3 and Pastor Daniel preached about it Richard great message I want to talk to you very briefly today on the topic of trusting in difficult times trusting in difficult times has have you ever been through a difficult time in your life can I see your hand okay I mean everybody on online cabbies shot their hand up I just saw them right there right how many of you would be in a difficult time right now in some area life can I see your happiest be honest a lot of hands were going up right now watch me many times we think that as a Christian that if we're going through a difficult time we must be out of the will of God but we find ourselves in verse 13 as Peter begins to write to them and he says this in verse 13 he gives them a rhetorical question now who will want to harm you if you're eager to do good it's a rhetorical question he's he's saying to them listen I know does it make sense because you're doing good that you're being hard but it's gonna happen see we have to understand that difficult times will come you oftentimes may be persecuted for doing the right thing now this is difficult as a follower of Jesus that when I do the right thing sometimes the wrong things happen I treat somebody the right way and they stab me in the back you now forgive somebody in your family but they keep on doing things over and over and over again can I hear an amen you see we have to understand that difficult times will come in fact Jesus said this way in this life you're gonna have some difficult times but take heart Jesus speaking because I have overcome every difficult time you will face see God does not promise us to keep us from difficult times he promised us that he will keep us in the middle of difficult times right and so Peter is saying man these difficult times are gonna come and when they come make sure you don't get bitter and angry and get resentful against God I've been pastoring for a long time I'm getting old now I'll be 50 years of age this year whoo that's the Ancient of Days I remember when I was pastor Daniel's age I had hair I was 25 years old and when I looked at people that were my age I whoa they were old whoa they were home I remember when I hit my 30s it's like man 40 whew you're old then I hit 40 50 whew you're old now I turn 50 this year 60 year old but one thing I've learned my friends is the longer you walk with Christ the longer you live your life you think all your difficult times are behind you but sure enough something will happen come on in front of you you see here's the thing that we have to understand that we shouldn't get angry bitter or resentful to God when those things happen because God is your source God is the one that could bring you through because of Jesus and his finished work he promises that no matter what the enemy or people do against you he still has the power come on to turn it around don't let the enemy get you to look at people's actions against you but continue by God's grace to look at God who is for you I stand here at 49 years of age and could tell you both professionally and personally and in my family all the difficult times I've had to walk through it wasn't too long ago when I add my right leg severed into by surgery not by an accident and they cut my thigh bone literally in half and those of you have been of the church long enough do you remember when I was out of the pulpit for eight weeks and then they had to put a wedge in my leg and they took they took a cadaver bone from a dead person smashed it up and was gonna put it on my leg I just asked to make sure it's an athlete who had some leaping ability I want those bone that bone put into my bones I want I want my my spike my spring back I wanna I want to begin to fly high again and I remember going through that and and I can tell you when I walked into the hospital I was having my headphones on I was like going to a game or something and I had my sweat suit on and man I did not know what was gonna happen I could tell you when they put the IV in my in my hand here and they couldn't get it in there and they push it so hard that it crushed the plastic against my bone couldn't get it in I was like screaming at the lady I said put it in here put it in here and I'm like a little baby I want my wife can my wife come back here no now I mean she was mean I remember when they rolled me in there and it was so cold I know if you ever been in the surgery room but it's ice cold and they they rolled me in there and there I am I'm just like basically butt-naked almost and there I'm like freezing and I'm just looking up and the lady the anesthesiologist says okay mr. Perez you know I'm gonna I'm gonna put this in your arm and and I'm gonna put this mask over here and I want you to count and I want you to count to ten are you ready I said yeah and she goes it's gonna be okay all right and you're casted yeah and she the way started counting I said one I was gone the next thing I wake up is I'm in that semi-consciousness they're willing me out and I hear one of the assistant surgeons say we're gonna touch your nerve to see if it's if it if it's okay and all I remember is they touched my nerve and my leg started going like crazy like that they said it must be okay I did not know that it wasn't the surgery that was the difficult time I I did not know that I was gonna be seven weeks of of excruciating a pain and and in sorrow and put that up on the screen you guys are ahead of me and they don't even know these guys are so awesome and this put that on the screen guys put on the screen and and this is my leg put on can we put on why do you tempt me like that put on the screen thank you so much here's your pastors right leg I got six screws in there and somebody says I lost one up here but I got six there there's a titanium plate on the outside of my right leg I could take like a car could hit me and I could I could live on that so you see that picture but it was seven weeks of hell and man I remember laying there and just just saying God and let me be honest with you I remember asking the why quote anybody ask God the why question and let me sell you want him you should have watched the video that should have told you right now has anybody asked the why question and realized that God many times is an answer it and if God don't answer it the devil will try and answer it for you the devil will start telling things in your mind in your thoughts and somehow someway the devil now tries to get you to turn and begin now to question it and sometimes get angry and get bitter towards God it's interesting that Peter says hey when you're going through difficult times though don't forget one thing look at this in verse 13 he says God will reward you God will reward you I'm so glad that I don't have to fight my own battles that God is the one can I hear an Amen that will reward you now what does that mean well the Bible says in Romans chapter 12 verse 19 it says do not take revenge let that be in God's hands because the Bible says God will take revenge says God and I don't think God takes revenge on people by hurting them or doing it or doing something bad towards them here's how God takes revenge against people and against things that have happened to you he blesses you so much that they have to stand back and say why is God doing that for them let me give you an example it was not too many years ago that we were in some some battles you can google it chapter 11 called bankruptcy BK and people were writing stuff and saying things and what weren't true and oh you know that pastor he drives her Ferrari he drives a Lamborghini and one person asked me hey I heard you drive a Bentley so I decided to get a little rest yet yeah and do you drive a Ferrari yeah DRI Lamborghini yep see because why is it okay that drug dealers can drive those cars that athletes can drive those cars now it's gonna get real quiet my point to that person is it doesn't matter because I didn't take the money there's no money that was taken and all this stuff that was taking place in the bank and let me tell you what God did I just kept my mouth shut we just kept our mouths shut we just kept doing what God tells us to do we kept preaching the community kept feeding the people keep closing the people keep helping schools in our Henderson area we kept doing what God told us to do and guess what God took revenge so the same reporters call me now Anthony and they want me to comment on the land that is worth seven hundred thousand and how is it that a corporation paid 3.8 million for land that was seven hundred thousand the Lord is the one that will repay can I go new bit further with this you know the crazy thing is we have a campus in Orange County right it's beautiful vine so those of you that go to California to vacation no more excuses you can go to church you're the crazy thing is we have the building the building hours in escrow and guess what the bank that fought us in bankruptcy is the same bank that you stoned that building that we're buying today now I don't wish anything bad on those on that Bank but isn't how crazy how God turns and flips the script don't be mad at people don't get angry at people just keep smiling because I'm here to tell you like Joseph in the pit you're gonna get to the palace don't don't don't be whining don't be complaining just begin to worship begin to give God glory because God come on is gonna work it out no matter what you're going through you need to understand that God is your reward er I already have any crazy people in your family can I see your hand okay no no keep your hand up some of your life they're sitting next to me pastor I got to put my hand down okay put your hands up so how many have like crazy a knees or uncle's or cousins right and you got to pump yourself up when you're gonna go to a family reunion cuz cuz especially this is true if you're married right because that crazy person is gonna say something to your spouse so what I do is with win-win di I spray teflon on her cuz we all have crazy people come on say Amen right now right we all have crazy people and so watch me is that we pray these prayers Lord my god I just wanna all this craziness to get out of my family there'll be nobody left and let's be honest sometimes you're the crazy one I know we don't like that cuz it's everybody else look at your neighbor and say neighbor he's not talking about you just tell man look at your neighbor and say neighbor he is talking about you I know that right now he's talking about you what do you do you need to say God you are my rewarder Peter goes on to say listen when you're going through difficult times cuz you're gonna come he says God is not just you reward her God is the one that you need to trust see when you're going through those difficult times you got to trust the right person Peter as he writes he is writing to Jewish believers and he actually quotes from the book of Isaiah chapter 8 verses 11 through 12 as a Jewish reader I would understand this quote as readers in the 21st century we read the verse in verse 13 in verse 14 and we don't really see that quote but it's a quote from Isaiah now what's happening in Isaiah chapter 8 there's a king named a has say a has aren't you glad you weren't born in the Bible what's your name a has some of these names are like durable I like Kyle I like Benny I like Amanda what's your name my name is Ichabod I mean come on really the glory the Lord has departed I mean you read some of those names in the Bible was like oh Jesus really Pam I'd like to be I'm gonna ham got teased a lot in school baked ham fried ham ham and eggs come on somebody okay let's just keep going all right you're a tough crowd today so so what was I saying okay so you have King Ahaz who's king of Judah cuz now there's Israel and Judah two kingdoms they've been split apart as Syria is the massive nation that has taken over countries back when has his king a serious coming to attack him he gets scared so now the king of Israel and the king of Syria come to Ahaz and say Ahaz let's make an alliance against the Syria because a series going to wipe us all out well a has says no to the king of Israel and to the king of Syria what because secretly he's already making an alliance with us Syria he figures hey they're gonna take us over anyway I'm us we'll make it peaceful and I'm gonna submit to him as my king I understand God's not good with that because God says uh-uh you're not gonna submit to any other king unless I'm the one that brings that King in to submit you and so what happens is is that Isaiah comes to this guy named Ahaz Isaiah chapter 8 verses 11 and 12 and he says the Lord has given me a strong warning watch not to think like everyone else does why was a has making a treaty with the Syria because he was thinking like everybody else and the thinking like everybody else is well you know what God's not gonna deliver us God is not strong enough I gotta make some kind of treaty with the enemy I mean to tell you we got to change our thinking when we have these bad things happen and these difficult times that are happening we gotta say no I'm not gonna think like everybody else I'm not cursed God is not against me I believe that God is able to bring me through I may not understand everything but I am gonna think and believe differently you see listen when you begin to think right you begin to live right you see our thinking should not be based upon what's happening around us it should be based upon what we believe I believe that God is still bigger I believe that God is still a healer come on somebody I believe the greatest revival still has not hit Las Vegas Nevada and I believe our church is gonna be part in his part of the greatest move of God to ever hit the Las Vegas Valley got change you're thinking he says don't think like everybody else notice what the Prophet says he goes on to word warned him about ungodly allowances alliances he says don't call everything a conspiracy like they do and don't live in dread of what frightens them Isaiah is looking at the King and saying look look look like I'm looking at you look look look look look like I'm not a boring picture if you're boring you're bored you're a boring person I'm not boring preacher look look look he says listen don't be afraid like those that don't trust God you don't have to be afraid like well that's gonna happen with the new recession that hits what happens if there's a double dip in the economy Oh pastor what are we gonna do what are we gonna do what am I gonna do maybe you should stop and think God brought me through the first one if you brought me through the first one he'll bring me through the second through the third through the fourth through the fifth through the six come on I'm not gonna think like everybody else I need to trust the right person the Bible says in proverbs chapter four chapter three verses five and six he says trust in the Lord with all your heart don't lean on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge God and he will direct your path but notice what he said he's I could direct your paths unto you what trust him you trust him trust in the Lord with all your heart your heart in your spirit in your soul trusting God isn't clapping that's not that's not trusting God Oh Kyle Kyle Brett grab that chair bring that chair up on the platform for me come on Kyle I'd use pastor Mitch last time and he could barely do it okay so you come up here okay so Kyle put that chair down and put it this way Kyle I want you to stand on that chair stand on the chair and turn around Kyle your back towards me Kyle you're yeah yeah yeah yep now notice notice what Kyle did you know this said it was kind of gingerly he kind of cannot like he can't because now I mean I asked Kyle do totally and just when I tell you to not yet to fall back this is called the trust fall [Laughter] now I could tell you right now Kyle is thinking in his mind this is illustration he's not going to make me do this because Kyle is worried now why is Kyle where I tell you why Kyle is worried because he is looking at me and he's a smart young man right he's not Mary he's not dating anybody come on look at him ladies he's got a good good physique takes care of himself [Applause] what are you showing off when you're bending over like that stop that you sicko you right so watch now what so I would be doing the same thing I'd be thinking I'm not sure pastor has the ability to catch me and that's a valid question you have 8-inch guns you're not sure right cuz cuz he's not sure he's not sure right so that's why you know Canada we kind of we kind of like wow okay exactly now you can get off you getting out this age but I want I want Martin can I leave the chair there I want mark to come up I want Tony to come up I want you to come up really quick notice that I'm gonna have some strong guy because I'm coming up on the chair oh I'm sorry right because I'm not like that what because I trust you guys no don't catch me so soon that's not fun this dummy you guys are no funny you sure almost let me hit the ground I'm a man of god I'd be healed in Jesus backup and die [Laughter] [Applause] okay now now notice I'm not I'm not I don't have to look that I implicitly trust that they have the ability to catch me here's the problem most of y'all if we're not careful we do this with God when it comes to our giving I'm not sure if I tithe I'm not sure if I wait and do the relationship the right way I'm not sure cuz cuz you haven't got a revelation that God is big enough to not only take care of your finances but take care of your relationships come on take care of everything in your life you should clap your hands come on everybody because God is able to be trusted he says trust he has don't trust in those people trust don't leave my chair there trust in my chair there now you're messing me up bro you're missing my flow oh jesus thank you lord I ain't gonna stand up here I'm gonna fall backward see if anybody comes and catches me because see you've got you see some of you like I don't care pastor I don't like you anyway I hope you hurt yourself let me tell you some hater I love you trust that Jesus and trust in him triumphs over your trials Trust is not focused on on the what we see but on what we know for what we know is greater than what we see I believe that Jesus has made a way for me I believe that God is working all things out for my good I believe that no weapon formed against me form against you shall prosper I believe that God opened up a door that no man can shut I believe the favor of God is on me I believe God is gonna do so that's gonna blow our minds I believe the best is yet to come I believe good things are anyway I believe God because of Jesus it's looking at you good you see do you actually believe that absolutely I believe that because I gotta believe your scripture I gotta believe what pastor you've been through some setbacks absolutely because we think when we take step backs all of a sudden man we're just we're just going backwards what you don't see and I've said this before is that God is pulling you back in his slingshot and when God gets ready to let you go you're gonna go forward faster than you could you know nobility hardened who I'm talking to right now but somebody's been set up by God somebody's gonna have a breakdown somebody's gonna have a breakthrough somebody's gonna get myself happy you know I whoa I felt that no you gotta believe man don't believe in your ability believe in his ability never been that good pastor get your eyes off yourself Jethro since when does God do it because you've been that good God does it because his son was that current don't live under the law that you only get blessed when you do good God blesses you under the New Covenant because God is that good because now God is that gracious then why should I live righteously why should I live right because living unrighteous Lee is not wise simple as that living unrighteous then you'll wreck your life cheat on my wife I'm dead she'll believe in divorce she believed the preacher till death do us part oh no no oh yeah they're no knives in my house when I go to sleep when denote when you know you staying in the room did that see you see look at me the reason why I live righteous isn't so god accepts me the reason why I live righteous because he's accepted me the reason why I continue to look to him and he continues to work things out in and out through me even though I'm declared holy I still continue now by His grace become more and more like Jesus and why do I submit to that process because I know what's in Benny Perez apart from Jesus I'll cut you well I'm bigger than you then I'll pay somebody to cut you no no you see you know how you really are huh apart from Jesus you know how you really are okay nobody's in okay you're all holding over let me deal with these people you know apart from Jesus how you really are if somebody does something and and if you're not walking in the grace of God you want to retaliate awesome you don't do it physically you do with words you gossip you say things you dishonor you go on Twitter Facebook it just bothers me when people attack me and attack this church and attack some of my friends via fit yours you're so chicken and let me tell you when people when people when people watch me some people are so good that you can never say this anything negative but it's not what you what you say but what you don't say is it dig to be it'd be like me saying I know man I honor my parents but I sent out of Twitter I want to thank and I thank everybody else but I never mentioned my parents I just dishonored my parents even though I didn't do it where you can get me the spirit of it come on are you hearing me you can say I want to thank I just I just thank God for for all my siblings and you leave off one oh there and then somebody confronts you I just forgot no you didn't you know what I want to do with people like that I want to find them and say okay let's not hot let's not hide behind Twitter now you got a problem let's go and if they're bigger than me I'm showing up with three of my friends because I'm a wise pastor are you hearing me see apart from Jesus except it be for the grace of God come on there we go what is what is Peter don't you understand these people I'm I'm landing the plane but you know what Peter Peter is talking to people that are going through such incredible pain and heartache and persecution that they probably want to retaliate and what is Peter right he says don't do any of that God's gonna reward you in fact here's how you should respond I want you instead of doing all that worrying and being afraid of the threats and retaliated verse 15 I want you to worship Christ as Lord of your life what what do you mean Peter you want me to worship Peter not difficult it is to worship when I'm having threats and being persecuted but Peter says I want you to worship Jesus notice the words as Lord over your life in the context of the Greek that's what the New Testament written he's not talking about just your own personal affairs he's talking about lord over everything in your life that means it's lord over the person he's lord over the person that is persecuting you he's lord over every situation he's lord over every sickness he's lord over every cancer he's Lord over everything he's Lord over your finances he's Lord over all the unjust stuff from your employer come on somebody Jesus is Lord he says I want you now to worship I want you to worship as your response worship because Jesus is control worship because when you worship and you put your focus on him it becomes your dominant focus and whatever is your dominant focus we either strengthen you or weaken you tomorrow's Monday is my depression day very preacher is honest after giving hers giving my selves to five six times the preaching I'm exhausted on Monday and I found not careful I could spin off into some depression medically I'm okay there's no there's no I think imbalance it's just because emotion I'm emotional being and and I got to be careful Sebastian what do you do you could dance my wife what i do i i'll just worship I'm not against Christian rock music and all that kind of stuff it's all cool listen to what you want to Petra all that's kind of cool nobody knew it I just think but when you focus in on Jesus and and he becomes now your dominant focus not you I'm the biggest critique of my messages I could tell you that right now I just I'll Drive home to that I shouldn't have said that why did I bend over and kind of do that little thing I'm Mary Kylie's and he needs to do that I don't need to do that anymore I just don't know I'm serious I'm gonna beat myself up and what I say that for right how I hate that man artists well I just in the guy over there you know God that girl over there with the tats and you know and and I didn't man I looked at her too long I don't want her to think I was trying to you know like say this this but this point is for you because you're all jacked I don't even know just let you in the life of I should be on preachers of LA how do you think I should be on preachers of Las Vegas Peter says respond in worship no matter what keep it clear conscience just like to look to God and he says you know live right man because then they can't hang anything on you he's talking to persecuted people and to reading this letter and he said okay history would tell us that a few years later Peter was crucified as they began to get ready to nail him on a cross history tells us that he said I can't be nailed right-side up like my lord crucify me upside down and they crucified Him the writer of this letter was not only writing to persecuted Jewish believers but he was writing to himself make no mistake about it every time I preach I'm not preaching to you I'm speaking to us I'm just like you just like you and now I understand that I'm under the grace of God so now I could view myself through my own eyes or view myself through God's eyes and if you are a follower of Christ and have trusted Jesus you're in Christ just like Tony Stark gets in the suit urine cries you got pulsator this is worth living for no matter what happens he's still come on what bring us through you learn something today give God a big hand clap [Applause]

Channel: ChurchLV

Views: 11,259

Rating: 4.7647057 out of 5

Keywords: Sean Cannell, Think international, thinkintl, seanthinks, Benny Perez, The Church LV, the churchlv, henderson, henderson nevada, christian, Pastor Benny Perez, las vegas church, the church at south las vegas, family church, Henderson church, las vegas

Id: wjxcQ9ruJxM

Length: 38min 46sec (2326 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 13 2014