"The Significance of Suffering" Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.

when I was a young Christian developing my walk of Christ I got into the habit in the practice after being challenged of memorizing scriptures by the way that's a good way to grow in Christ is memorizing scriptures not just a scripture to our memorized chapters I know we need no amens on that point right there and this is one of the first chapters that I memorize first Peter chapter 4 you may hear me slip up and use King James verbage while I'm talking about this passage today because I memorized it in the King James translation but here's what the first four verses of this fourth chapter of first Peter says therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves also with the same mind for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men but for the will of God for we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness lust drunkenness revelries drinking parties and abominable idolatries in regard to these they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation speaking evil of you I want to talk this morning about the significance of suffering somebody say the significance of suffering yeah I didn't feel no reverbs kick back at me from that very exciting topic but I wanted to follow up because last Sunday we talked about the last days last Sunday we looked at that passage in Timothy second Timothy that deal we'll dealt with the the appearance of what the last days would look like and I in brevity talked about suffering didn't spend a lot of time with it but I just hid it for a few moments because ultimately here's what people have to understand in the Christian life they are going to be seasons and periods of suffering yeah I know y'all we don't like that a matter of fact I think I said it at 11:00 I'm not sure I mean at 8:00 I'm not sure if I said it a date or not but but you don't see people signing up to go to the suffering conference did I say that last week yeah we don't you know here nobody with no banjo on saying I'm I'm favored and suffering well I'm highly blessed and suffering no no no people don't celebrate that and I wanted to talk about it for a season this morning for a period today when I go ahead and and and leap off on that point because we are entering a season where where the church is going to have to suffer and I want to talk to the seasoned Saints but I also want to talk about the new Saints to understand that you don't get saved so you can get a new car yeah no that's not the gospel that we preach it we don't preach a gospel except Jesus and you get a new job get a new house no no save your house no that's that's not why we accept Jesus we accept Jesus because we are sinners on our way to hell and if we don't accept the Lord Jesus to give forgiveness of sins we will spend an eternity in hell that's why we accept Jesus and what goes along with that situation is to understand the fact they're going to be seasons of suffering we had and I wanted to talk about this today because I want the Saints to be encouraged and I want some of the new Saints we had last Sunday 141 decisions made in our four services look at your neighbor say that's a lot of people 141 people decided they want to be ready when Jesus comes 141 people said I'm not quite right where I'm supposed to be and I want to get into the place that need to be 141 people from all of our services last Sunday made a decision to say I want to be in God's perfect will for my life and what all of us need to understand will make a decision for the Lord that we're going to have to suffer now here's the deal walk with me with just a few moments I promise I get you out of here before 10 o'clock I think it's important for us to realize and come to grips with the reality that we are living in a culture and we're living in a society where the lines are being clearly drawn as to which side you're going to be on it's you are either a follower of Jesus or you are not the time is over for you to be under kind of undercover Christian you can't be undercover Christian no more those days are done you are either for Jesus or against Jesus you're either for his ways or gifts his ways you either committed to his lordship or you are not committed to as lordship we're getting to the an age where you will have to decide this day who's the god that you're going to serve and here's what the fact is the fact is if you make a decision to follow Jesus you're going to be talked about laughs debt rejected ridiculed you're going to you're gonna lose some friends yeah you're gonna lose some friends and and it's becoming more more rabid matter of fact sin is is rampant and bold and sin is coming out the closet oh yeah I mean they coming out all of all the sin is coming out of the closet if they had to go back in the closet I don't think they could all fit back up in their closet the arrogance of sin is so bodacious that if you if you think differently if you have an opinion that's different than what their lifestyle is they want to label you as being discriminatory a hater no I don't mean I hate you I love everybody as nasty and as ugly as you have acted I still love your nasty behind because I don't like your behavior doesn't mean I hate you I got a major announcement to make this morning I told my family yesterday it brought sadness to the whole family yesterday and I need made announcement to yall cuz I have told y'all about my dog Jasper Jasper exhibited some behavior yesterday where he has gone too far he bit me he gone I told him first I told him come sit down he sat down I said Jasper you've gone too far you have bit the hand that feeds you I love you you have worked your way into my heart you were not my dog when you came here I walk you every morning but you bit me and you're out of here so if anybody would like Portuguese water dog I'll be standing right here after service or ticular taking I love him I said that story because I loved him but he exhibited behavior that's not acceptable to me it don't mean I don't love you but you got to go and get a Amen right there from somebody so you and I'm going to have to make a choice when I make decisions now we're going to be sold out to Jesus and are we willing to embrace and accept the territory that goes along with it which is suffering suffering in many ways suffering from being rejected by friends and being rejected by people that we love and rejected by co-workers because you take a stand because you believe in something that they may not believe does they're kind of suffering then there's a suffering because you choose to do right and other folks choose to do wrong and sometimes you're going to have to experience some hurt and pain because of what you're going through because you choose to make righteous choices while other folks make unrighteous choices and that's the hardest thing for me to get people to understand is that we are called has believers to do the right things even when other folks choose to do the wrong things amen you make the right choice don't get frustrated because your spouse or your kids or somebody's not making the right choice you make the right choice you do the right thing even if they choose to do the wrong thing you think you know I think I think God is burdened because Christians are spending too much time responding to what other folks are doing in making their decisions when the call of God is for to make decisions in our lives based on what this says and not in response to somebody else's behavior thrown in preach pastor Jigga's y'all can't handle the truth so right here in 1st Peter 4 I love this this disbelief s Peters a great book because Peter is writing here's a guy who has had some experience in the course of his life he's had some experiences and he gets to chapter 4 and this was one of those chapters that I memorized and chapter 4 says therefore verse 1 chapter 4 therefore starts off with the word therefore anytime you see therefore you must ask what is there for there for why is there for there therefore connects follow me what he's about to say with what he has just saved therefore says since I have just talked about what I just talked about let me dive into the next thing that I want to talk about now I don't have time to go through chapter 3 but you need to read chapter 3 because chapter 3 spends times dealing with matter of fact I love verse but I don't have time to read through all of chapter 3 but can I just read verse 1 for a minute wives likewise be submissive to your own husbands I just want to read that part right there this teach I feel the Holy Ghost right there there's somebody feel the anointing of God the whole third chapter deals with challenging us his Christians to submit to authorities it spends times a dealing with suffering for doing right from people who do wrong it spends time telling us and challenging us and I love this that Christ is the model for us for suffering he's example for us and he's telling us through our closets third chapter did you got to learn to make the right choice even goes back to chapter 2 chapter 2 in Chapter 3 deals with this whole matter of learning how to submit to those who treat you badly see our American mentality says that I'm going to treat you good if you treat me good that's the American mentality but the Christian mentality is I'm going to love the hell out of you even if you don't love me back daddy think I get too many amens on that because too many of us have brought have bought into the American mentality I'll treat you good if you treat me good I'll do you right if you do me right but Christians are called to a highest standard of life and we're called to love folk even if they don't love us back so so since he spent all this time going through chapter 2 and 3 dealing with that matter then he says in chapter 4 therefore since Christ has suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves also with the same mind now I got three points here's the first one verse 1 gives us the model for suffering somebody say the model for suffering matter of fact Jesus is our model for suffering he's our model and what is his model he he if we just look at the history of what he went through he suffered Isaiah 53 jot that down I don't have time to turn there but jot down Isaiah 53 this pastor says that he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquity and the chastisement of our peace was laid on him this passage tells us with clarity that verse 1 says of first Peter Christ suffered for us in the flesh he suffered physically somebody say physically he was he was beaten with a whip that had metal and bone ships tied into the straps he had a crown of thorns placed on his head he was bleeding he had he was pierced in his side he was stripped naked he suffered in the flesh he say y'all y'all ain't been to no suffering you somebody talk about you you crying let me tell you what you need to be worried about you have not gone through any real suffering somebody won't be your friend you think you suck come on doll bro sister Jesus went through physical pain for you he who committed no sin became sin for us God laid upon him the iniquity of us all he got the whipping that you and I should have gotten he took the whipping physically he took the punishment John 111 says he was rejected by his own he not only took physical pain but he was he suffered because the people who are his own family rejected him he rejected by his own by his own people they rejected him a first Peter 3:18 says he suffered for our sins the just for the unjust he his suffering brought us closer to God he went through hell for us he felt matter of fact in Matthew and Mark when he was on the cross he felt abandoned by God he said my God my God why has God forsaken me when he became sin for us he suffered so God had to turn his face away from Jesus he the Father had to say I can't look at the scene the father had to he felt abandoned by God he wasn't abandon but he felt abandoned by God he went through emotional and spiritual and physical suffering and you my brothers and sisters oughta go through some suffering - you gonna be talking about lab's debt rejected it goes with the territory he is our model yeah I knew I wouldn't get a whole lot of celebration but look at slide over to chapter 2 it might be close to you verse 21 I just thought I should point this out I didn't have this in my outline but it's it's highlighted the the pages verses jumping off the pages at me saying please mention me maybe it'll prove your case verse 21 of chapter 2 says for to this you will all y'all want to be called to the ministry but do you know that you're called to suffer because Christ also suffered for us doing what leaving us an example that you should follow his steps he said Jesus suffer us he said we hear he got beaten by you know the thing that's amazing about Jesus here's somebody who had the power to call a legion of angels down to wipe out those who were putting him through yeah you have you if you had the power to call down angels to take out people who getting on your nerves some of y'all be sitting in your section all by yourself you would wipe out everybody would be wiped out you kill everybody this he had the power to do that but he chose to suffer oh praise God we serve a God that so that we can live he and do it what he went through he's a model for us some of us should recognize that we ought to follow his steps he is our example you're going to have seasons of of suffering you gonna be left and talked about rejected cussed out but don't don't retaliate don't don't give back what's been given to you don't cut your wife back out cuz she cut your up take it like a man tell her tits and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me sometimes you're going to be rejected because you choose to make righteous choices let me roll on the number two there's a model of suffering crisis are examples he went through physical pain emotional pain he went through he went through suffering but but here's what it also says it says arm yourselves also with the same mind I want to talk about the mentality of suffering somebody say the mentality of suffering y'all I didn't get enough people to say that let me try that again say the mentality of suffering see see your mind needs to change has a relation to suffering your mindset needs to change your mentality needs to change some of your not able to endure because you don't you don't have the right mind and this passage says arm yourself with the same mind you got to have the same thought pattern said he the same self and and and what what was his thoughts how did he think how should we think slide down to verse 12 y'all see verse 12 beloved do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you he said don't don't think it's unusual that because you took the stand for Jesus and took a stand for righteousness it took the stanford was holy that somebody came against you think it not strange it's not it's not a strange thing anticipated expect it it's going to happen it's going to happen verse 13 says but rejoice there's the mentality but rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ's suffering oh I feel a shot right there he says learning shout that when you are being sucked when you are suffering and you've been rejected and talked about and things that are going the way you want them to go and people to treat you the way they're treating you rejoice because you are a partner with Christ I know it's hard to shout and celebrate over suffering but I'm gonna tell you why you can shout over it in just a few moments I'm gonna be finished I'm almost done I just got seven minutes to go I'm gonna get hit you upside to hear this one more time my mama be out of here verse 16 says verse 16 says yeah if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed the mentality is don't be ashamed at your suffering you don't be embarrassed about it but let him glorify God in this matter if you suffer has a Christian and I think I need to point this out because verse 15 says don't suffer has a murderer a thief and evildoer or a busybody in other people's matters but make sure that your suffering is because you're making a stand for what's right somebody some of y'all are suffering cuz you a thief you evil do it you are you are you you got your nose and everybody else's business you're a busybody somebody on your road is a busybody go ahead and look up and down and see if you can figure out who it might be go ahead look up and look up and down somebody there got their nose all in other polls business did you figure out who it is don't point to one don't point to them don't point on this oh yeah the church is full of busybodies church is full of busybodies see busy bodies maybe cannot stick can I pause right here so not a part of my message I'm an address and give it to you for free I won't charge our extra for this but busybodies want to find out all the message that's going on in other folks lives and they want to know that because it makes them feel good about their own mess yeah child did you hear about so and so so and so did this and so and they want you to know about it cuz they got they put sin in categories and levels and and and then saying child I might have done this but I didn't do that but let me tell you this and that will send you to hell don't matter whether it's just or that but this and that ain't no big sins and little sins I told somebody others I was talking to my yesterday how frustrated I am with the political system in our country I'm just talking y'all y'all forgive me I'm just I'm mad I'm angry I'm upset I'm mad and angry I'm angry at the Democrats because they just as liberal as they can be it ain't wanna kill babies they want to save whales but kill babies y'all ain't got to say men I got the I got the mic right now I got to make they want to legalize same-sex marriage which is gonna the promise of God is he's going to judge this nation it's gonna go right down the trail you can live a same-sex lifestyle if you want to and nobody's stopping you from living but don't try to force it has it acceptable on the rest of us because that's what you choose to do I'm mad about and I'm mad at the Republicans today they don't seem to have an ounce they have done nothing to demonstrate that they have an ounce of compassion for poor people anyway in there I don't want to vote for none of a man I'm angry you only got to come back you only got to come back I got the mic and I went down that road for a reason but I forgot why I went down that road what was I talking about I know I'm talking about suffering but what was I talking about the farmer down there ultimate holiday yeah yeah this and that and I was trying to I was with the distance y'all ain't helping nobody thank you for helping me I was talking about this in net we got sent all over elders on both sides of the case and when you make a stand you gonna be rejected talked about ridiculed it's going to be a problem you're going to have it it goes with the territory and so you got to have a mentality of understanding that that goes with the turf oh but let me close out with this let me take these last two minutes and tell you every time I take a stand on some of these things I get emails don't send me no more emails I know your thoughts don't write me just I'm not going to change a charge I have to keep and a god that must be glorified let me close this message with my third point that I have one minute to get through which I'm not going to get through one man I want to talk about what was my first point model what was the second point go ahead pass it with your M's in your your essence number three the mathematics of suffering here's here's the mathematics there's benefits to suffering and here's what here's what verse I got several verses I want to look at his verse 1 therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves also with the same mind here's the mathematics here's the first part for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin suffering helps to purge you from the wickedness that's in you I know y'all don't admit that but here's what I discovered God puts you in the fire and when you put you in the fire it purges the impurities that's in you out it purges the attitude it purges the lust it purges the wrong in you out of you so he says when you suffer in the flesh it moves you into a dimension of ceasing from sin somebody say praise the Lord for that matter of fact he goes on verse 2 says that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men but for the will of God suffering helps you to transition from living in your flesh to living for God for we have spent enough of our past lifetime verse 3 and doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness lust drunkenness how many y'all have how many y'all been drunk before oh my goodness I'm pastoring a bunch of drunkards drunkards I've never been drunk in my life I don't know what it feels like to be drunk I don't know what it feels like to lose control of myself but I'm pastoring a bunch of drunkards but the time has passed in our lives robberies that means partay ah party that means partying like OSU how many y'all party I thought this was the save sanctified crowd drinking parties and abominable idolatries he says because you've gone through suffering it's helped to purge that raggedy lifestyle adi it doesn't come from somebody laying their hands on you and rebuking and bonding and loosen comes to suffering when you when you let me tell you something I was talking to somebody yesterday I'm sorry y'all forgive me whose child is out of control and they've been trying to reason with that child this this 20 year old child and I told them reasoning is that gonna change they're gonna have to suffer and while I'm on this point let me say something to the mothers who keep intercepting God's something on your child by stepping in the way you better get out of God's way and let God deal with that joke y'all can't handle the truth over here what you better do is get out of the odds way cuz suffering produces righteousness amen look at verse 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy when you suffer you also have the opportunity to participate in Christ's joy whether you realize that in our suffering produces joy I know y'all don't see the correlation but I'm telling you when you go through some hell when you come out on the other side you have joy verse 14 says if you are reproached for the name of Christ blessed are you when you get when you suffer and you get reproached and talked about and rejected verse 14 says you are blessed somebody say you are blessed blessed are you I for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you when you go through suffering and your reproach you're rejected and talked about and you take it like a soldier the scripture says the glory and the Spirit of God rest on you I don't know why y'all nah I want God's glory resting on me that's what I want the glory of God and the presence of God and the Spirit of God resting on me I want that in my life verse 16 says if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in this matter when you suffer you know what I discovered Fuko watching you I'm coming to a close I'm bring my plane in for landed I'm about to this is my first close right here my first one right here I discovered when you go through suffering folks are watching you they want to see how is the so-called Christian gonna handle this not only are people watching you the devil has challenged God and said that if you let me put some on them I'll make them curse you to your face but God has allowed it allowed the suffering because he knows that he has put enough in you to be able to endure through it and when you come out of it you gonna be better and he will get the glory somebody say he'll get the glory HiFi your neighbor telling when I get to what I'm going through when I come through what I'm going through when I get on the other side of my drama cars gonna get the glory watch me look at me I am a testimony and can't nobody tell my testimony like I can tell my testimony I have a chance to moaning Hey y'all excuse me I feel like hollering this morning Hey thank you Jesus I can take a lickin and keep on tickin I can go through I can make you soup I won't quit I won't change whoo hey thank you Jesus thank you you didn't bring me this far to leave me you didn't bring me through all that I've been through to abandon me now amen I'm going on to see what the ends gonna be come on help me give God some praise up to here today today's dynamic message from Pastor Jenkins is one that has the power to change your life but it can only do so if you have a heart and soul that belong to Jesus Christ perhaps you want to be able to make such a claim but you don't know how it's simple you just have to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again with all power your sins are now forgiven and you're part of the family of God welcome maybe you're already saved and in need of a church home one that will nurture your growth and development as a Christian or perhaps you were once in fellowship with God but have since drifted away and are ready to return to your first love whatever the case we'd love to have you become a part of the first baptist family simply contact us a 301 773 3600 or visit our website at WWDC glenarden org for more information on any one of our four convenient services for our 100 plus ministries designed to meet your most intimate needs First Baptist Church of Glen arc where God is developing dynamic disciples you

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Keywords: FBCG, Pastor, John K. Jenkins Sr., First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Lord, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Holy, Grace, Fellowship, Revival, Sermon, Word, Bible Study, Baptist, Church, Gospel, Preaching, Ministries, Ministry, Praise, Spirit, Religion, Blessed, Blessing, Salvation

Id: 51o5zVwLLzc

Length: 35min 30sec (2130 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 06 2014