Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Hope Beyond Bitterness When Life “Just Ain’t Fair” Msg 917 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living

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Hope Beyond Bitterness When Life “Just Ain’t Fair” Msg 917 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: There is something within each one of us that longs
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  Speaker 1: for life to be fair. Isn't there for the good
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  Speaker 1: guys to win, to receive their rewards, and at the
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  Speaker 1: same time for the bad guys to be soundly defeated.
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  Speaker 1: We all want that. We love it when the stories
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  Speaker 1: work out like that, and well everybody lives happily ever after. However,
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  Speaker 1: we don't live in a dream world where magic and
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  Speaker 1: superpowers overwhelm the forces of evil and meet out perfect justice, Dewey.
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  Speaker 1: Real life doesn't always turn out the way it should,
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  Speaker 1: least of all the way we want it to. Our
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  Speaker 1: response to unfairness, as in all other issues, will be
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  Speaker 1: based on the particular vantage point from which we look
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  Speaker 1: at life, our own personal perspective. Basically, we have two
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  Speaker 1: view points to choose. From the human viewpoint, and you
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  Speaker 1: guessed it, the divine viewpoint. Turn with me to first
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  Speaker 1: Peter Chapter three. I want to read for you verses
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  Speaker 1: thirteen through seventeen and see what we can learn about
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  Speaker 1: the divine viewpoint from Peter's words. He wrote them to
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  Speaker 1: the persecuted first century Christians. We'll see where Peter encouraged
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  Speaker 1: these persecuted Christians to choose the divine perspective, even in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of their persecution. So one Peter three, I'll
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  Speaker 1: begin reading with verse thirteen. Who is there to harm
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  Speaker 1: you if you prove zealous for what is good? But
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  Speaker 1: even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,
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  Speaker 1: you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, And
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  Speaker 1: do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in
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  Speaker 1: your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to
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  Speaker 1: everyone who asks you to give an account for the
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  Speaker 1: hope that is in you. Yet with gentleness and reverence,
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  Speaker 1: and keep a good conscience, so that in the thing
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  Speaker 1: in which you are slandered, those who revive your good
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  Speaker 1: behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it
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  Speaker 1: is better if God should will it, so that you
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  Speaker 1: suffer for doing what is right, rather than for doing
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  Speaker 1: what is wrong. I would like to speak for a
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  Speaker 1: while about a subject that has touched all of us
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  Speaker 1: in one way or another, and for some it is
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  Speaker 1: still going on in your life. And I have reference
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  Speaker 1: to times when life is not fair, and we find
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  Speaker 1: ourselves unable to get even or get back, and we
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  Speaker 1: must live with the consequences of what is occurring. Would
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  Speaker 1: like for you to join me for a few moments
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  Speaker 1: of prayer. As I begin, will yubao, and for a moment,
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  Speaker 1: will you, with your eyes closed, blocking out all visual interruptions,
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  Speaker 1: will you focus on that person or that event that
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  Speaker 1: perhaps is still haunting your life, that series of circumstances
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  Speaker 1: that has taken your joy and has preoccupied your time
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  Speaker 1: for too long. Father, there is something in all of
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  Speaker 1: us that loans for things to be fair. There is
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  Speaker 1: this equitable sense within us that requires for our own
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  Speaker 1: peace that there be justice, that truth be rewarded and honored,
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  Speaker 1: and that lies be dealt with and sequences be suffered
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  Speaker 1: as a result of dishonesty. But, oh Lord, you know
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  Speaker 1: how it is in this life. Not all things do
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  Speaker 1: work out, at least as we perceive them fairly and
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  Speaker 1: in such a way that we feel a sense of relief.
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  Speaker 1: For some this has occurred in the family to a child,
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  Speaker 1: even an adult child, whose mate has walked away, and
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  Speaker 1: we feel within such anger and such frustration in not
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  Speaker 1: being able to bring that mate back. The family has
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  Speaker 1: been torn apart. For others, it is one's mate, where
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  Speaker 1: though a good life has been lived, disease has come
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  Speaker 1: and has stolen the light from their eyes. For others,
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  Speaker 1: it has been an unfair situation at work or at school,
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  Speaker 1: and we cannot seem to make it right. Life just
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  Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be fair for some. I pray that
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  Speaker 1: you will use these few moments we spend together in
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  Speaker 1: your precious word to give us a sense of relief
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  Speaker 1: and release. Thank you in advance for addressing each one
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  Speaker 1: of us in our own particular world, and remind us
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  Speaker 1: again of the power of the Cross, and may its
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  Speaker 1: shadow cast itself across our lives. And may your spirit
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  Speaker 1: win us and woo us to righteousness in our response.
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  Speaker 1: For jesus sake, Amen, life is difficult. I was reminded
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  Speaker 1: of those three words when I came across a twentieth
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  Speaker 1: century testimony by Malcolm Muggridge. On page seventy two of
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  Speaker 1: that book, he makes this statement, and I want to
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  Speaker 1: read it slowly because it is what my talk is
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  Speaker 1: all about. And I quote Malcolm Muggridge. Contrary to what
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  Speaker 1: might be expected, I look back on experiences that at
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  Speaker 1: the time seemed especially desolate, especially desolating, and painful, with
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  Speaker 1: particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that
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  Speaker 1: everything I have learned in my seventy five years in
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  Speaker 1: this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my
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  Speaker 1: experience has been through affliction and not through happiness. In
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  Speaker 1: other words, if it ever were to be possible to
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  Speaker 1: eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some
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  Speaker 1: drug or other medical mumbo jumbo, the result would not
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  Speaker 1: be to make life delectable, but to make it too
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  Speaker 1: banal and trivial to be endurable. This, of course, is
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  Speaker 1: what the Cross signifies, and it is the Cross, more
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  Speaker 1: than anything else, that has called me inexorably to Christ.
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  Speaker 1: I want to repeat a statement that he makes in
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  Speaker 1: that particular paragraph. Everything I have learned in my seventy
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  Speaker 1: five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced
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  Speaker 1: and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not
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  Speaker 1: through happiness, whether pursued or attained. Now, it is one
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  Speaker 1: thing to hear those words from a man like Malcolm Muggerage,
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  Speaker 1: or to read those words in a great book that
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  Speaker 1: might move you to tears even, and it's another thing
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  Speaker 1: to embrace them in a personal way. Because I know
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  Speaker 1: that there isn't a person hearing my voice right now
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  Speaker 1: who doesn't have a reason to become bitter because of
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  Speaker 1: treatment you have received from someone, or because of an
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  Speaker 1: experience that you were not able to bring justice out of,
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  Speaker 1: or just because of life itself. You find yourself in
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  Speaker 1: an affliction that will not make itself right, and life
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  Speaker 1: seems to you to be terribly unfair. Seems to me
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  Speaker 1: that there are two perspectives on that particular inevitable reality
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  Speaker 1: that we can choose. One is the strictly human perspective.
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  Speaker 1: Since life isn't fair, I'm going to get my share.
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  Speaker 1: I am going to spend my energy getting back or
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  Speaker 1: setting it straight or making it right. I Am not
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  Speaker 1: going to take it any longer. That's the human perspective,
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  Speaker 1: and our world is full of literature and counselors who
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  Speaker 1: will help you carry that out. And if that is
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  Speaker 1: your only perspective, you may get even, but you won't
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  Speaker 1: get peace, you won't get satisfaction. You may find a
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  Speaker 1: way to channel your anger, but you will not find
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  Speaker 1: a way to glorify God. If that is your only perspective.
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  Speaker 1: Now there is another perspective, and it is the divine perspective,
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  Speaker 1: which is addressed in the third chapter of First Peter,
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  Speaker 1: which we are working our way through these days. And
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  Speaker 1: I find the perspective very well stated in the single
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  Speaker 1: twelfth verse of this third chapter. For the eyes of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears end
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  Speaker 1: to their prayers, to their prayer. But the face of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord is against those who do evil. Now you
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  Speaker 1: can count on that. Not only is it written by
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  Speaker 1: Peter himself, he quotes it from one of the Psalms,
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  Speaker 1: number thirty four. Look at the verse. Remember the principle.
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  Speaker 1: The principle is God misses nothing. His eyes are upon
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  Speaker 1: your life as a righteous child of his. His ears
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  Speaker 1: attend to your prayer. And don't ever think that He
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  Speaker 1: has missed the evil. He not only sees, he never forgets.
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  Speaker 1: He may be long suffering, but he doesn't compromise his justice.
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  Speaker 1: His eye is on the righteous and his and his
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  Speaker 1: face is against the evil. Now you might I think,
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  Speaker 1: why in the world has he let it go on
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  Speaker 1: so long? I like the way one person put it,
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  Speaker 1: Because God doesn't close his books at the end of
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  Speaker 1: every month. Sometime it takes a lifetime, and sometime it
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  Speaker 1: will even occur beyond your death. But in the end
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  Speaker 1: God will be just. In the end, it will all
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  Speaker 1: work together for good. If we don't believe that, and
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  Speaker 1: if we don't focus on that, we become the loser,
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  Speaker 1: and we spend our years in cynicism and bitterness and
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  Speaker 1: become in our aging years angry old men and women.
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  Speaker 1: Now the verses that are following this twelfth verse, actually
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  Speaker 1: just a few of them, Verses thirteen through seventeen, I
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  Speaker 1: find some helpful principles and guidelines to follow. And please understand,
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  Speaker 1: this is not a cure all for every area of life. Certainly,
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  Speaker 1: this does not have reference to national defense. This is
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  Speaker 1: speaking of personal matters. This is not ignoring your right
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  Speaker 1: as a citizen to be protected by the provision of
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  Speaker 1: our government and by the police force, etc. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: referring to that realm. I'm talking about the personal realms
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  Speaker 1: of life where you do not need some kind of
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  Speaker 1: protection or some kind of defense, but you simply cannot
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  Speaker 1: bring things to terms in relationships or in life in general.
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  Speaker 1: It is in those areas where no one can be
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  Speaker 1: your defense, no one can be your help, only the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: which is why he mentions the prayer his attending to
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  Speaker 1: our prayers. Now, let me give you the general statement
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  Speaker 1: in verse thirteen, which really has stated for us. Who
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  Speaker 1: is there to harm you if you prove zealous for
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  Speaker 1: what is good. This is a general principle, and it
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  Speaker 1: generally is true. What is it Those who live honest
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  Speaker 1: lives will usually not suffer harm. I use the word
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  Speaker 1: usually for the sake of realism. Those who live clean, honest,
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  Speaker 1: pure lives will suffer less harm. Let's put it that way.
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  Speaker 1: You pay your debts, you live financially responsible. Chances are
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  Speaker 1: good you will not get into financial trouble. You obey
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  Speaker 1: the rules of good health. You get sufficient exercise, watch
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  Speaker 1: your diet, sufficient sleep, relaxation. Chances are good you will
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  Speaker 1: live a healthier life than those who break those rules.
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  Speaker 1: Here's another. You drive within the speed limit, you obey
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  Speaker 1: the rules of safety, you will usually not get a ticket. Usually,
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  Speaker 1: you help others in need. You give yourself to those
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  Speaker 1: you will find when you have needs there will be
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  Speaker 1: someone there to give to you. It's that kind of principle. Again,
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  Speaker 1: it's a general principle. However, life just ain't fair, and
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  Speaker 1: there are times when that general principle is changed and
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  Speaker 1: you though righteous, zealous for good, pure, believing in prayer,
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  Speaker 1: and walking with God, even though all of those things
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  Speaker 1: are true, you can still find that life turns on you.
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  Speaker 1: There are occasional inequities, and that is what Verses thirty,
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  Speaker 1: verses fourteen through seventeen are all about. But these are
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  Speaker 1: the rare occasions see the words. But even if you
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  Speaker 1: should verse fourteen. Let me give you a little brief
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  Speaker 1: Greek lesson. Okay, every time the word if appears in
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  Speaker 1: the New Testament, it can be one of four things.
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  Speaker 1: It can mean one of four things. We call these
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  Speaker 1: first class conditions, second class conditions, third class conditions, and
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  Speaker 1: fourth class conditions. Let me explain a first class if
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  Speaker 1: in the Greek text assumes the statement to be true.
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  Speaker 1: Satan said to the Lord Jesus on a couple of occasions,
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  Speaker 1: if you are the son of God Matthew six or
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  Speaker 1: Matthew four Verses three and six. If you are the
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  Speaker 1: son of God, that's first class. It's assumed as true.
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  Speaker 1: Even Satan knows he's the son of God. We could
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  Speaker 1: use the word sense to describe the same thing. That
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  Speaker 1: is not what is used here. It's very common use.
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  Speaker 1: There's a second class condition if, and it assumed as
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  Speaker 1: not true. Paul writes in Galatia, if I were still
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  Speaker 1: trying to please men, I could not be a bond
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  Speaker 1: servant of Christ. That's a second class condition. I am
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  Speaker 1: not still striving to please men. That is a rare occasion,
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  Speaker 1: but it does occur. I can't say too rare. But
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  Speaker 1: it is not as common as the first. The third
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  Speaker 1: class is extremely common. It's like our use of the
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  Speaker 1: word if, maybe it's true, and maybe it's not. For example,
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  Speaker 1: verse thirteen has a third class condition, and who is
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  Speaker 1: there to harm you? If you prove zealous for what
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  Speaker 1: is good? Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Very common,
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  Speaker 1: you have a choice. Verse fourteen has a rare fourth
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  Speaker 1: class condition, which means it's unlikely, or even some have
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  Speaker 1: said it means I wish it were not true, but
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  Speaker 1: it is on occasion verse fourteen. But even if rare,
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  Speaker 1: though it may be unlikely, though it can, though it
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  Speaker 1: may be even if you should suffer for the sake
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  Speaker 1: of righteousness. You see, it's the exception rather than the rule.
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  Speaker 1: Then certain things are going to occur. And here's where
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to have you take out a pencil, find
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  Speaker 1: a piece of paper to write some thoughts down. And
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  Speaker 1: I want to give you from God's word five responses
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  Speaker 1: to certain situations in life that aren't fair, and how
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  Speaker 1: you can handle them the next time they occur. And
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  Speaker 1: I'm asking you to write them down because this is
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  Speaker 1: not my advice. This is God's advice. If I were
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  Speaker 1: to give you advice, I would tell you to kick
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  Speaker 1: him in the teeth. I would tell you to get even,
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  Speaker 1: because that is my nature. But that's not good advice.
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  Speaker 1: That's human counsel. So I want to know what God
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  Speaker 1: has to say about how to respond when you have
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  Speaker 1: done what is right, but wrong is being done to
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  Speaker 1: you in return? Okay, live pieces of advice, and there
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  Speaker 1: are in five different areas. So let's put off for
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  Speaker 1: the first one. As far as the injustice itself is concerned,
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  Speaker 1: that's verse the beginning of verse fourteen. As far as
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  Speaker 1: the injustice itself is concerned, be happy, consider yourself blessed
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  Speaker 1: by God. Go ahead, even though you don't want to
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  Speaker 1: write it down, Write it down, because that is the
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  Speaker 1: very first statement Peter writes. Even if you should suffer
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. It is
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  Speaker 1: the word for blessed, over and over for being happy.
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  Speaker 1: You are uniquely blessed by God. Sound surprising, doesn't it.
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  Speaker 1: If you like referring to other verses, write down James
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  Speaker 1: one verse two, and it's a paraphrase in Phillips, which reads,
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  Speaker 1: when all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives,
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  Speaker 1: my brothers don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them
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  Speaker 1: as friends. A question comes, how can I feel blessed
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  Speaker 1: by God if I'm getting unfair treatment. That's a good question,
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  Speaker 1: first of all, because you have been called to go
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  Speaker 1: through this. It's a reminder that God's hand is still
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  Speaker 1: on your life. You say, I'm not sure I've been
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  Speaker 1: called to do this. Look at verse twenty one of
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  Speaker 1: chapter two. You have been called for this purpose, since
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  Speaker 1: Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to
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  Speaker 1: follow in his steps. Call to what purpose You've got to?
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  Speaker 1: Look back at verse twenty chapter two. What credit is
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  Speaker 1: there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you
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  Speaker 1: endure it with patience. It's no big thing. If you
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  Speaker 1: pull over after running a red light and patiently sign
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  Speaker 1: the ticket, the cop writes you, that's no great shakes.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have a lot to be proud of. You
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  Speaker 1: just patiently write it because you've got it coming. It's
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  Speaker 1: when he pulls you over and reprimands you and begins
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  Speaker 1: to write you a ticket and you don't deserve it,
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  Speaker 1: and you take that patiently. You say, that's not only
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  Speaker 1: a blessing, that is a miracle. And you're right, You're right.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody in this world can take it patiently when you
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  Speaker 1: get rewarded for doing what is right, and even many
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  Speaker 1: people can take it patiently when you get punished for
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  Speaker 1: doing wrong. But the believer in Christ is the only
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  Speaker 1: one equipped to handle it patiently when you suffer wrong
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  Speaker 1: even though you've done right. That is what makes you
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  Speaker 1: stand out, that your uniqueness. And yes, there are occasions
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  Speaker 1: in life when you will be called for that very purpose.
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  Speaker 1: You will be singled out, just like the Prophets Verse nine,
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  Speaker 1: chapter three is saying the same thing, not returning evil
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  Speaker 1: for evil, insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead,
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  Speaker 1: for you were called for the very purpose that you
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  Speaker 1: might inherit a blessing. How else can I be happy? Well,
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  Speaker 1: I think, because someday I'll be rewarded for those events.
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  Speaker 1: There is a reward for enduring trials that were not deserved.
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  Speaker 1: You just sit for a moment and listen as I
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  Speaker 1: read from Matthew chapter chapter five, verse ten. That's Matthew five,
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  Speaker 1: verse ten. Blessed are those who have been person pecuted
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of righteousness. Blessed are those who have
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  Speaker 1: been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Blessed are you
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  Speaker 1: When men revile you and persecute you, and say all
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  Speaker 1: kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me,
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  Speaker 1: Rejoice and be glad. Your reward in Heaven is great,
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  Speaker 1: for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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  Speaker 1: How can I focus with pleasure on the moment I
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  Speaker 1: can remember this event will be rewarded. Okay, that's the first.
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  Speaker 1: Consider yourself uniquely blessed of God. Second, as far as
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  Speaker 1: the persecutor himself is concerned, look at the second response.
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  Speaker 1: Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,
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  Speaker 1: you are blessed, and do not fear their intimidation, and
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  Speaker 1: do not be troubled. Response, do not panic, Do not worry.
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  Speaker 1: Do not panic, do not worry. I find both of
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  Speaker 1: those things occurring when I operate in the flesh, having
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  Speaker 1: done what is right and having suffered for it. First,
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  Speaker 1: look at the word fear. It is the word fabass.
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  Speaker 1: We get our word phobia from it. It's a reference
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  Speaker 1: to being seized with terror and running, taking flight, running
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  Speaker 1: away from the pressure. This is don't do that, no
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  Speaker 1: reason to run. The next word is intimidation. I should
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  Speaker 1: say troubled. Do not fear their intimidation. Do not be troubled.
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  Speaker 1: This is the word to be agitated, uneasy. Remember John fourteen,
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  Speaker 1: Let not your hearts be troubled. It's the same word
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  Speaker 1: is used here. It's the word for inner agitation. There
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  Speaker 1: can be a calmness of spirit. Do you ever look
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  Speaker 1: at mad comics? Come on now, some of you are
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  Speaker 1: giving me that. Who me? There's a little guy in
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  Speaker 1: Mad Comics is Alfred y Newman, and he's all the
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  Speaker 1: way through the comics. He's got this simple little look
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  Speaker 1: and this simple little smile. Usually there's somewhere around his
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  Speaker 1: face it says, woo me worry. It's kind of like
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  Speaker 1: I'm not going to sweat that. And I thought the
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: other day, not a bad idea. Me worry the energy
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: and the effort that is expended worrying when it will
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: not solve a thing. And he says, don't do it.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Don't fear their intimidation. Don't you worry. You've got God
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: on your side. As far as the injustice is concerned,
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: consider your self uniquely blessed. As far as the persecutor
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: himself is concerned, don't panic and don't worry now as
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: far as the Lord is concerned Verse fifteen, Acknowledge Him
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: as Lord, even over this event, Sanctify Christ as Lord
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: in your hearts. We often take this verse and immediately
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: apply it to some public defense of the faith, and yes,
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: it can be applied there, but it's in a context
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: of wrong having come as a result of our doing
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: what is right, and it says, acknowledge Christ is Lord.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: Sanctify means to set apart. Let me tell you how
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: I do it. I do it in a prayer in
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: words something like this. Something has happened to me that
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: I didn't deserve. I didn't have it coming. I had
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: not done wrong, but wrong was being done against me.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: I will say, Lord, you're with me right now. You
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: are here, and you have your reason for what is happening.
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: You will not take advantage of me. You will not
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: let this go any further than you're pleased. You're much
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: too kind to be cruel. You're much too good to
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: be unjust take charge, use my integrity to defend me.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: Give me the grace to stay calm, control my emotions.
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: Be the Lord over my present situation. That kind of prayer.
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: If I have prayed that sort of prayer through the
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: year once, I must have prayed it dozens of times. Lord,
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: there is no way I can set the record straight,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: it seems, and it's getting it's getting a tougher, and
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I find myself cast at your disposal. Take over, Lord,
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: You be the sovereign. You be the master over this moment.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: I can't change this person, all right, can't alter this event.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: You be the Lord over it. I got a phone
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: call back when our older daughter was in high school
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: and she was on the cheerleading squad and was on
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: the top of the pyramid they had built, and she
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: was to do a flip off the pyramid and was
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: to land on her feet, that was the game plan.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: But she landed on the back of her head and
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: she couldn't move. And I got a phone call, and
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: between the church office where I was when I got
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: the call and the school campus where I was, within
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: a matter of maybe twelve to fifteen minutes, I was
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: offering that kind of prayer. When I got there, they
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: had her in one of these one of these stretchers
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: that wraps you and holds you, keeps you from moving.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: And she said to me, Daddy, I can't I can't
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: move my fingers, I can't feel very was kind of tingling.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: I was confessed to you that moment seized with fear,
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: and I leaned down over Caresa very slowly, and I
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: whispered in her ear, sweetheart, I will be with you
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: through all of this. But more importantly, he is a lord.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Jesus is Lord over this whole event. I was totally helpless.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: I was medically inept and inadequate. I had no control
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: over healing her life and her body. She was at
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: the mercy of God. And I remember the deliberateness in
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: which I set apart Christ as Lord in my heart,
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: and I attempted to do it for her since she
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: was in this helpless estate. She's fine today. She pulled
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: through it and there was no lasting damage. There was
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: some there was a fracture, but it thankfully wasn't in
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: that terrible spot that results in paralysis. Stephen sanctified Christ
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: as Lord when Acts chapter seven, the end of the
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: chapter fifty four to sixty. There were these who were
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: beginning to take up stones to stone Stephen verse fifty four,
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: acts seven. When they heard this, they were cut to
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: the quick and began gnashing their teeth at him. I
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: don't believe I know what that means. Maybe just yeah,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: just gritting their teeth at him. It's further than profanity.
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: It is a vile hatred, a rage that's out of control.
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: They're going to kill him, and they know it. It's
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: that kind of gnashing teeth. Look at his response. Being
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed in headly into heaven.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Look at the response, and he saw the glory of
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: God and Jesus standing at the at the right hand
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: of God. I've heard more than a few in the
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: dying moment see an image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: Stephen did. And people standing by can't see that that image,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: but the dying can. And he sees the reflection of
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: the Savior. And he said, behold, these men are standing
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: with stones to kill him. And he says to them, behold,
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: standing at the right hand of God. And they cried
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: out with a loud voice, and they cover their ears,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: and they rushed upon him with one impulse. And when
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: they were when they had driven him out of the city,
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: they began stoning him next to crucifixion. I can't imagine
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: a worse kind of death. They began to stone him,
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: and witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: the young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen,
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: and he called upon the Lord. See he's setting apart
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: Christ as Lord. In this moment, he says, Lord Jesus
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: received my spirit, And falling on his knees, he cried
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: out with a loud voice, look at this forgiveness, Lord,
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: do not hold this sin against him. And having said this,
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: he fell asleep. I'll tell you, the man could have
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: died in bitterness and cynicism. He could have died with
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: cursing on his lips. And he dies with a prayer
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: on his lips, a prayer asking forgiveness for those who
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: had mistreated him. He didn't deserve the death. Don't believe
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: today's literature. Stop listening to the council that says you
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: must always get back, that that's how you find satisfaction.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: It doesn't bring satisfaction. It doesn't not lasting, not peaceful satisfaction.
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Now you with me so far, consider yourself uniquely blessed.
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: Refuse to run and panic and sit and worry. Acknowledge
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: Christ as Lord. Here's the fourth as far as others
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: are concerned, the fourth response, be ready to give a witness.
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: Look at the end of verse fifteen, always being ready
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: to make a defense to everyone who asks you to
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: give an account for the hope that is in you.
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: Yet with gladness, or I should say, with gentleness and reverence,
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: I'm intrigued by this. Be ready to give a witness,
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: and please observe they will ask you. Some of us
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: are so anxious to give a witness that we push
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: it in even when it doesn't fit or the timing
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: isn't right. Believe me, believe me. If you are being
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: mistreated and you are handling for the glory of God
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: like we've been describing it, they will want to know
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: how you do it. They'll ask you, how do you
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: do it? How do you handle this mistreatment? How do
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: you live with it? Why is it you haven't lost
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: your joy? What is it that has kept you on
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: your feet? Why haven't you just you know, turn tail
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: and run, or why haven't you fought back? Be ready
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: to make a defense. See the word make a defense.
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: It's the word apologia. We get our word apology from it.
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: Making a statement a verbal statement of defense. And to
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: give an account is the word lagos. We get the
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: the term in scripture for it, the word is lagous.
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: To be ready with a word to give a reason. Notice,
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: there must be willingness and readiness. Be ready to give
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: a witness. There is nothing like being observed in a
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: time of mistreatment. Be a perfect platform for a witness.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: Your neighbors will want to know how do you do it?
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: Your friend at work will want to know how do
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: you pull that off? In fact, there's an old English
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: gazing stock. That's an old English term that is so
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: translated in the King James and Hebrews ten. For our
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: being observed by individuals, we are made a gazing stock.
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: Listen to verse thirty two of chapter ten of Hebrews.
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: Remember the former days when after being enlightened, you endured
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: public spectacle. That's the word trend rendered gazing stock. In
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: another rendering made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations,
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated,
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: and rather than fighting, you showed sympathy to the prisoners.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: You accept it joyfully, the seizure of your property, knowing
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: that you have for yourselves a better position and an
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: abiding one. That's foreign counsel in our day, and Christians,
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: we have bought into it. We have bought into it.
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: Be ready to make a defense, to give an answer,
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: to state a witness to anyone who asks you talk
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: about a moment to talk about Christ. It's when you
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: have suffered unjustly and you're doing it with patience. Now's
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: your moment to tell them how it happened. They will listen.
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: You have earned the right to be heard because they
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: know there's a difference in how you're responding to it
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: from how they would. Oh there's one more, as far
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: as you yourself are concerned, Keep a good conscience. That's
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: verse sixty comes right out of the text. Keep a
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: good conscience. Here Peter digs below the surface and gets
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: into inner character. He underscores the value of maintaining integrity.
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: Keep a good conscience, so that in the thing in
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: which you are slandered. Those who reviled your good behavior
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: in Christ may be put to shame. There is nothing
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: more powerful than a life of integrity. Nothing, nothing can
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: stand the test like solid character. You can handle the
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: blast like a steer in a blizzard. The ice can
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: form on your horns, and you keep standing against the
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: wind and the howling or raging blizzard. Because Christ is
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: at work in your spirit. He says, keep it up,
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: keep a good conscience. It's the good conscience that causes
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: people to watch and to listen. There is no more
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: eloquent and effective defense than the life lived consistently in integrity.
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: Now the underlying principle. Look at verse seventeen. Peter brings
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: it all to a conclusion. It is better if God
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: should will it so that you suffer for doing what
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: is right, than for doing what is wrong. The principle,
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: simply stated is unjust suffering is always better than deserved punishment.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: It is better if God should will it sow. And
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: I can't explain times it will happen, or how often,
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: or even why, but He will, on occasion will it
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: sow that you suffer for doing what is right. Let
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: me close with a great proverb. I want you to
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: look at it. I've read several other references. Let me
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: have you turned with me to proverb sixteen seven proverb
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: sixteen to seven. If you haven't circled this verse or
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: written it in the margin of perhaps a passage like
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: the one we just got through with as good time
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: to do it. It's one of those verses I memorized
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: years ago and have called it to mind on many occasions.
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: See the word enemies ayov. Ayov is the Hebrew word.
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: It means to be hostile. It has reference to a
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: personal foe. It's true, it's an enemy. Even his enemies
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: will be at peace with him. Remember the name Job.
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: It is the name eyove, eyove, and they're related. In fact,
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: you may be surprised to know that the name itself
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: means object of enmity. Lockyer in his all the men
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: of the Bible renders Job's name. He that weeps. No
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: man is more vivid illustration of one who suffered wrong
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: from the enemy, the adversary himself. No man is a
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: better example of that than Job. His name itself means
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: object of enmity. He became an object lesson of unfair treatment.
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: After describing in his brief biography his righteousness, he turned
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: away from evil, He took care of his family, He
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: walked with God. He was known for his integrity. Then
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: it seemed as though all hell broke loose in his life,
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: and he was leveled, even lost his health. You know what, Today,
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: he is one of the most admired men in all
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: of time. We refer to him as the man of patience,
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: the patience of Job, a man who was the object
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: of enmity. He won our hearts because of his response
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: to an unjust situation. I would not wish the life
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: of Job on anyone, but I'm not God. I've never
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: been too good at directing anyone else's life. I have
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: a hard enough time keeping my own on target, but
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: I have been. I have observed in my few years
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: in ministry that God does pick out a few, and
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: they are fourth class conditioned. If if he should, will
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: it so, and it will be rare, but it will
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: occur in some cases. You will be that Job. You
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: will be the one. I think you waste your time
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: trying to figure out why. I think it's a waste.
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: I think you're wise to accept it. Bruce Walke meant
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: so much to me during my student days and since
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: those days as a teacher and as a mentor and
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: a Semitic professor. Brilliant man, but a heart for God.
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: And he said to me when I was going through
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: a very difficult time in my senior year in seminary,
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: I wanted to know some of the answers to the wise, says,
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: you know what I think. Shock, He says, I've come
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: to the place where I believe only on very rare
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: occasions does God tell us why? So I've stopped asking.
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: That was wonderful counsel kind of put it to bed
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: for me. I don't have to be the answer man
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: for events in life that don't make good logical human sense.
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: I take them from Him and I and I live
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: with Him as best I can. And that's my counsel
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: for you. We begin our time with prayer. Let's end
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: it with the time of prayer. You be kind enough
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: to go back to the same throne where you were
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: earlier again your eyes are closed and you can focus
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: back on that same thing you started with. When we
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: began this message. Listen to the counsel of Peter. Just listen.
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: Consider yourself uniquely blessed by God. Do not run in
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: panic or sit and worry. Acknowledge Christ as Lord. Even
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: over this event, be ready to give a witness, keep
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: a good conscience. You cannot acknowledge Christ as Lord if
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: you haven't Christ as Savior. So maybe that's first. Maybe
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: that's your visit to the cross. Maybe that's what starts it.
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: The essential journey in life that must be made is
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: the journey to the Savior. Only through his power and
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: strength can you handle what life throws at you. Otherwise
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: you will operate from the flesh, and you will make
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: a failure of your life. Our Father, as we acknowledge
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: your son as Lord, it is with a bit of
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: a sigh, because we do not deny the pain and
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: the difficulty of the earthly trials, and for some it
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: is almost unbearable. But being sovereign and being the one
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: with full capacity to handle our needs, this is not
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: beyond your strength to take the burden and to give
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: us a perspective that we need quiet our spirits give
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: us a sense of relief in the inevitable fact that
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: life is difficult, and there will be those days when
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: it will not be fair. Enable us, in whatever season
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: of the year, to see beyond the present, to focus
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: even on the invisible, and to recognize that You are
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: always there. Thank you for the joy of this day.
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: Thank you for the pleasure of relationships, and especially Father,
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you for the truth of your word that lives
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: and abides forever. And best of all, it works. It
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: works in Jesus' name. We thank you Amen.
• 46:53
  Speaker 2: The preceding message, Hope beyond bitterness when life just ain't
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: fair was copy writed in nineteen eighty eight, nineteen ninety,
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: nineteen ninety six, two thousand and six, and twenty eleven,
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: and the sound recording was copyrighted in twenty eleven by
• 47:10
  Speaker 2: Charles Rswindahl, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of
• 47:15
  Speaker 2: copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.