Today is the day for another edition of the Weekend Sermon. It is good to be with you today, and I hope that everyone is doing very well.
Thank you for your prayers on my behalf this week. So far, my house is not flooded. I thank the Lord for that. I would ask you to please keep praying, because we are having more rain today, and as much as three inches of rain is expected tomorrow.
On the work front, the tension continues. Please pray that the Lord will assist me in finding a job with at least a little bit less stress. This job is really starting to get to me. It is just a means to an end. That is what I try to keep in mind.
In prayer this week, I would ask you to continue to remember those in Nepal and Vanuatu who are recovering from natural disasters. I heard a report on the radio that the Ebola situation in Sierra Leone is almost under control. This is a real answer to prayer.
Let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled and warfare plagued nations of the world. Also, please pray that two under reported problems will be brought under control hear in the United States. There is a major outbreak of flu in the poultry population of the Midwest. Please pray that this ends soon. Also, please pray for an end to the dog flu outbreak. Those who are dog owners are getting very concerned about this. Thankfully, there is a vaccine available.
Last week, we continued in our series of messages on I Peter. Today we will finish up with chapter 4.
As I mentioned when we started our series in I Peter, Peter is addressing a group of believers who are suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. It would not be too long before Peter himself would be put to death for his testimony of Jesus.
Here in chapter 4, Peter reminds his readers not to be surprised when they experience trials, tribulations and persecutions in this world. Those who live for the Lord will suffer persecution. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Jesus also told his disciples in John 15 that they should expect persecution because they are not of this world.
Many Christians around the world are experiencing great persecution at this time. In Syria and Iraq Christians are under threat daily by extremist Islamic forces. Extremists in Libya and some other countries have put Christians to death for their beliefs. North Korea and China also have restrictions on Christians.
I have great respect for those who are willing to face persecution and martyrdom for the sake of the Lord Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that great will be their reward in Heaven. The Lord has a special crown for those who sacrifice their lives on His behalf.
There is a different type of persecution that Christians are facing in Western nations. I know that in the United States, if a person stands up for traditional Christian values, that person is often ridiculed as being a bigot, intolerant and old-fashioned. Some people here in the US are on the verge of losing their businesses because they are standing up for their beliefs.
The main type of persecution that believers in the Western world will face is ridicule by a culture that is becoming more secular and alienated from the things of God everyday. The Christian ideas of morality as outlined in the Bible are ridiculed in the media constantly. The belief in God is constantly under assault.
I believe that we are living in a time when those who wish to stand for the testimony of Jesus will suffer increasing persecution.
Jesus said to expect it when you go full out for Him. Whenever you decide in your life to follow the Lord Jesus with all of your heart, you will face persecution and ridicule. Why? Those who follow the Lord shine light into a dark place. As Jesus said, people love the darkness and they hate the light because the light exposes their evil deeds.
The Bible makes it clear that it is a privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus. When we suffer on behalf of our Lord, we are partakers of His sufferings. When Jesus returns, those who have suffered for Him will be made glad, and they will have abundant and great joy in the presence of the Lord.
Those of us who are believers should not suffer for doing what is wrong. We are called to have a good testimony in the world. Christians should be the must upstanding and virtuous people on earth. In verse 17, Peter talks about judgment beginning at the house of God and the righteous barely being saved. All of us will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We will be rewarded for what we have done for the Lord here on earth.
As far as salvation is concerned, we can contribute nothing to our salvation. We are saved based on the grace of the Lord and His sacrificial death for us on the cross. His resurrection from the dead brought victory over the consequences of sin.
Those who refuse to place their faith in Jesus, will one day face judgment. The end of those who do not believe the gospel of God is eternal separation from the Lord.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday and I will have a review of a dog book on Wednesday. On Saturday, we will take a one week break from our series in I Peter. In the following weeks, we will conclude chapter 5 and bring our study of I Peter to a close. May God bless you. Amen.
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