October 13, 2024 | In the Hands of God

Transcript

This morning we'll be continuing in 1st Peter chapter 4. Children, if you're headed out the back door to Children's Church, you're welcome to go ahead and do that. You're also welcome to be in here with us. We are glad to have you here.

Anxiety, depression, paranoia, attachment issues, persistent jealousy, anger, self doubt, perfectionism, control issues. What do all of those have in common? There's probably a few things. One thing is that, at least according to some Google searching, some modern secular psychologists see trust issues as one of the root causes of everything I just listed.

This morning I want to suggest they're more right than they know about the problem. But God wants something better for us than just coping mechanisms to deal with symptoms. He offers a real solution that you won't find apart from Him. And that's because the solution to trust issues isn't to find a human that you can put your trust in.

It's to find the God who you can trust.

And so, when we get to this section of 1 Peter Peter knows there will be difficulties. He knows there will be attacks that cause us to question whether we can trust anything. And he writes this, beginning in verse 12 of chapter four, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Jesus, you know what it is like to walk on this earth and to feel sufferings. So we ask you this morning to come alongside us in our weaknesses You And to display your glory again before us so that we worship you today.

When we get to verse 19, we have this massive therefore that comes. And I hope every time you see words like that, I hope it's like a buzzer going off in your mind. Therefore, I need to think, why is it there? Because words like therefore are pointing you to a crucial, logical connection about the reality of what Peter's describing.

They're part of what makes it so that Peter is not just giving you random good statements of advice. Which you could find maybe in the Hallmark card section, but he's giving you truth and how it fits together. And so he gets to this point and he says, therefore, where we want to ask, what is the therefore based on?

What is his statement? Which really is one of his key statements. Throughout the whole book, if you were going to say, what's the big theme of 1st Peter in one sentence? You probably could just take 419 and say, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

If it's not the theme, it's certainly one of the central themes throughout the book. So what is this therefore based on? Well, from the section we just read, we're going to look at three truths about suffering. Which are grounds for his therefore statement first suffering in this world is normal So don't be surprised now.

That's true. Simply living in a fallen world We know just living in a world where our bodies don't continue functioning at peak capacity living in a world where Sinners are all around us living in a world where my heart has sinful desires and patterns Living in a world where there are hurricanes, sometimes huge ones.

A world where people press buttons and launch rockets. A world where friends betray each other. A world where selfishness results in anger, bitterness. We know living in a fallen world with all of these things, we know suffering is normal. We don't live in paradise. When Milton wrote Paradise Lost, he could assume everybody knew they didn't live in paradise.

But it's even more true for followers of Jesus. Because not only do we live in a fallen world where sin happens and hurricanes happen and bodies wear down, but we know that the one we follow, our master, he suffered. He suffered simply because he was righteous in a fallen world. Sometimes I think we underestimate the suffering that Jesus would have gone through.

If you think, if you are absolutely perfect, But had to live in a world where everybody around you wasn't.

You're nowhere near absolutely perfect, and yet, the little things wrong with people around you irritate you. Or worse, they cause suffering. So imagine Jesus every day of his life living as a perfect human, surrounded by sinners. He suffered simply by being righteous in a fallen world, but we know he also suffered On his path to the cross, probably the sufferings we think of most immediately.

And we suffer in the same ways. We're not perfect like he is, but we have been transformed by the new birth. If you were a believer in Jesus Christ, your heart has been changed so that you long to please God. And yet not only do you live in a world surrounded by sinners, you are one.

Somebody I was with the other day said, I look forward to heaven because I won't have sin. That's a kind of suffering, but it's not just that we're transformed. It's that we walk his path. Jesus's path is not unknown. That leads us to our second truth. One, suffering is not, it is normal, so don't be surprised.

Our second truth, identity with Jesus in his suffering leads to identity with Jesus in his glorification. This is Jesus path. We know it. It's not unknown. We don't have to wonder. Jesus was in heaven. Philippians 2 describes it. He was equal with God, but he didn't cling to that. He humbled himself and suffered and became obedient all the way to the cross.

you That's another one of those words, by the way.

So you know the path of Jesus goes from heaven, he humbles himself, he suffers in obedience, and he's glorified. That means if we are going to walk the path of Jesus, We should expect the path of Jesus to look like the way He walked. We live on this world and as believers, as followers of Jesus, we humble ourselves.

We will find suffering. We long for obedience. Why do we do that? Why do we entrust our souls to a faithful creator? That's the end of this passage, the therefore statement. Why? Because we know if we're united with Him in His suffering, we will be united with Him in His resurrection.

So since we know that's true, we rejoice. Amen. We rejoice because our perspective changes on suffering. Perspectives are powerful things, aren't they? We could go from maybe the, the silly examples. We're not quite to Christmas, but if you think about the Grinch for a minute, what happens at the end of the story?

His perspective changes. I know his heart grows three sizes bigger and all that, right? The whole point is he's had one perspective on something and his perspective changes and it radically shapes the way he acts. Berean Christian School is going to be doing the Christmas Carol in a few weeks. There's some pretty significant perspective changes in that story too, aren't there?

See, a change in perspective can be powerful, but we could go to a less humorous example.

I doubt you know this name, Dora Lefkowitz. If you do know it, you might know that I said it wrong, so I don't know. Dora Lefkowitz was a holocaust survivor who went into the concentration camp saying she believed in God, came out saying, I can't believe in God after what I saw.

On the other hand, Viktor Frankl, you might know that name, was also a holocaust survivor. He was a devout Jew who said even in horrific suffering, one could find meaning and purpose. And so he came out, unlike Dora Lefkowitz, remaining a believer in God. But Viktor Frankl's solution was really more of a, it was almost a psychological one.

You can find meaning somehow, so make sure you do for your own sake. Another man, Walter Blass, he was a follower of Jesus when he went into the concentration camp. And he would later travel, giving testimony to the fact that his faith was deepened.

Perspective changes things.

When they went through the Holocaust, Doral Lefkowitz, Viktor Frankl, and Walter Blass, who all saw probably far worse things than any of us will ever see,

what happened with their souls was different because their perspective was different.

So, when we remember that identity with Jesus, in his suffering, Leads to identity with Him in His glory, it shapes our perspective on suffering. It gives us a different kind of perspective, which allows us, as difficult as it may seem sometimes, to rejoice. Just like we read earlier, Jesus walked that path for the joy set before Him.

He endured the cross, despising the shame, and we walk His path. So how does this all, how does this all work? What does God do in our suffering? And we can't really wrap our head around all that God is doing in any given suffering. But we can, from Scripture, know the kinds of things that He is doing, even if we can't label it and say, This suffering is bringing this about.

One, He purifies us by showing us either the consequences of our sin, when we've done wrong, and consequences come from it, and we find sufferings. And He is purifying to say, This did not work well for you. Don't go there again. And Or maybe it's not the consequences of an action. Maybe it's, I placed my hope in the wrong thing and he shows me that it's empty.

And I feel that as suffering. Well, what is he doing? He is purifying us. That's really, in verse 12, that's where this word comes from. Don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, to prove you. That word's used for both purifying and for refining. He purifies. Suffering comes so that we see emptiness of other things, so that we see consequences of sins, so that we can then turn from it.

But he also refines. He takes something that's good, and you might, I love God and thirst after Him, and sometimes suffering comes, and you say, I love God even more, and I'm thirsty for Him even more. For example, I think the easiest one for us to grasp is as your body starts to wear down, as you face aches and pains, I don't think any of you in here over the age of 75 would say, I would love to live exactly the way my body is now forever.

Because the sufferings, even the little tiny ow, that hurts kind of sufferings, the sufferings are, in a sense, refining your thirst for something beautiful and eternal. Or, as Paul describes it, in 2 Corinthians, God is working through our afflictions to prepare for us an eternal weight of glory. He's preparing us to love Him more and more and more, and more deeply.

And as you see the emptiness of other things, as you see the sufferings you feel, you say, I just can't wait to be with Jesus.

He also deepens us. You know, people who have gone through Difficult suffering, and yet, whose hope is on God, who love him, there's a depth to To their soul that, that you really almost can't describe in words. There's a reason why those people I described, Dora Lefkowitz, Viktor Frankl, Walter Blass, they could all go and speak places and people will come listen.

Why? Because their suffering had deepened them in a way that people wanted to see.

Our suffering shape, our desires and our thoughts and our longings and our hopes and our character. They give us a depth of our soul and a longing for God. They purify us, they refine the good things that are there, they help us to turn from the things that should be turned from. And God is not just doing that for you in your suffering, He's doing it for each of us in our suffering.

And then, God in His wisdom, when you go through suffering, you aren't the only person who sees it. He may not just be purifying your soul, He may be helping to purify your child's soul.

He's not just refining you, He may be refining your spouse in your suffering. We can't trace the mind of God to say, here's all the sufferings and here's exactly what's going to happen. But he has told us, this is the kind of thing I'm going to do, which is why when we get to verse 19, he says, here's what you do.

You don't calculate all the impacts. You entrust your soul to a faithful creator.

A third reason not only does is suffering in this world normal, So we shouldn't be surprised. Not only does identity with Jesus in His suffering, this is verse 13, result in identity with Him in His glory. We'll rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. But earthly shame is not heavenly shame. As he continues in verse 14, if you are insulted, if you are shamed from someone on earth, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are actually blessed.

If you are insulted, if your status is put down by someone else, if your worth or value is questioned, if your intelligence is mocked, that ever happened to Christians in our world today,

you can find example after example of it online without looking too hard, or if your strength is questioned, someone looks at Christians and say, Oh, Christianity is just a crutch. You're a bunch of weak minded people who need delusions of religion. If you are insulted. For the name of Christ, you are blessed.

Somebody ever tells you Christianity is a crutch? Say, no, no, it's like the whole wheelchair.

But it's if you're insulted for the name of Christ. If you take on his reputation and you honor him, yet you're insulted for it, then you are blessed. Now he tells you because he knows where our minds can go and we can start saying, well, then I'm just going to do whatever I want. And anybody insults me like, fine, I'm just heavenly blessed.

Like, no, they're don't suffer this way. Verse 15. Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. These start with strong terms, right? Murderer, thief. Okay, we get those and we could go to Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount and say it's not just actually committing murder.

It's hatred in your heart. And it's not just actually stealing it. It's covetousness, but there's still strong terms. Then we get to a broader term, evildoer. It's just a generic, almost a catchphrase, catchword for whatever you can think of that's evil. Then he says, we're as a meddler. It doesn't seem to fit our categories, does it?

As one who is a, one who is an irritating busybody, one who passes judgment on another trying to run their life. Now, the opposite of being a meddler is not just to say, well, it's none of my business. You do whatever you want. Because we have the New Testament which tells us a whole lot of things we're supposed to do with one another.

For brothers overtaken in a fault, we help them, we try to restore them. We're to edify one another and exhort one another. We can't go, you aren't my business. That's not what not being a meddler means. The opposite of being a meddler is being an edifying peacemaker. You're not stirring up trouble everywhere you can.

You're trying to help and edify as a peacemaker.

Now, the implication when he says, don't suffer these ways, is this, if you were to suffer or be insulted for those reasons, somebody comes along and says, you're really a jerk. Well, if you are really being a jerk, which Christians sometimes are, you don't get to go, well, I don't feel any shame. I just love my Jesus.

No, no. You turn from the sin.

If you are insulted, if you lose status for these reasons, you ought to feel the right kind of shame. Shame is not a bad thing. Not always. Shame can be a really good reaction, but it's a terrible master. Shame can be a helpful feeling, but it's an awful place to live. Just like pain in your body is a good thing.

You're glad if you touch a hot stove that it hurts because it tells your brain, stop doing it. In fact, there are people who don't feel pain and they end up destroying their own bodies because they just don't know that they're hurting themselves. Shame is like, it's like pain of the soul. It's a healthy part of a soul if it's not misplaced or wallowed in.

So, if you feel shame, to use his examples, if you sit here and as you live your life, God convicts you, you say, I'm being a meddler or God convicts you and you say, I didn't steal something, but I have such a heart of covetousness toward that thing right now. If you respond with, I feel shame for that, that's a healthy response.

Staying there's not. Turn from it, turn to God, rejoice in his forgiveness and then continue on entrusting your soul to a faithful creator while doing good.

So he says in verse 14, if you are insulted, if you're attacked, For the name of Christ, you are actually blessed. Earthly shame is not the same as heavenly shame because the Spirit of God is on you. So you experience part of glory. Now you experienced the Holy Spirit. Living with you, fellowshipping with you.

You have the down payment, the first experience of the blessings of heaven already. I know we don't value this enough.

And not only do you have it, he says, the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The Holy Spirit is not here on you today and may be gone tomorrow. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, You have an opportunity to see, because here's the only way you will really do that. Is if the Spirit has so disillusioned you with the things of the world, that you say, I would rather suffer with Christ, than enjoy the pleasures this world offers for a season.

The only way that's true is if the Holy Spirit has transformed you. Is if the Spirit of God is on you and rests on you. When you delight in God enough to be willing to suffer for Him, then you see the reality that God's Spirit is poured out on you. And you say, yes, what I have is a foretaste of something even so much better.

So he comes back in verse 16. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, Let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. If you suffer, whether emotional or relational or physical suffering, you take whatever aspect of it, for the name of Christ, as a Christian, he's going to give you two things not to do and one thing to do.

First, he says, don't be ashamed. Or we could word it this way, don't wallow in self pity.

If self pity is self absorbed unhappiness about your troubles, If someone insults you for being a Christian, don't go, Oh, woe is me. My life's terrible. Don't sit there. Instead, someone insults you because you follow Christ, and you say, The Spirit of God is on me. I'm blessed.

Don't wallow in self pity. Don't be ashamed. And then, don't defend and glorify yourself. This is implied because he says, Let him glorify God in that name. Amen. So the opposite, if someone insults you as a Christian, how easy is it for someone, comes up to you, you suffer because of something you're doing that's right, and this is our posture.

We put our fists up. Maybe not physically. But we want to defend ourselves. We want to talk about how it's actually better, and actually the way we view the world is so much better, and you're all a bunch of losers. Like we want to defend ourselves so much. He says, no, if you suffer, For doing what's right for the name of Christ.

If you suffer as a Christian, don't defend and glorify yourself. Instead, glorify God in the name of Christ. I think Paul's a beautiful example of someone came up and said, Paul, you're such a weak guy. I'm going to boast in my weakness so that you know the strength of the grace of God. Someone says, Paul, you're such a fool.

I will gladly glory in the foolishness of the cross. He's not defending himself. He's certainly not wallowing in self pity about it. He says, you're going to make me suffer for doing what's right? I'm going to glorify God in that name. That should be our response. He continues then, for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.

I think we get the wrong idea because of the word judgment here. Sometimes we think of judgment only as condemnation. Like, as if to have judgment, that means you look for all the bad stuff and squash it. But judgment, there is a more specific Greek word that means that. That's not what he uses here. This is more the idea of, of evaluation, whether good or bad.

Judgment doesn't have to mean, here's all the bad stuff. If you think of a, a judge, for example, in a gymnastic competition. Or a marching band competition. They're not only supposed to look for the bad things, they're supposed to say, what did you do that's good? So, here, when it says, judgment is to begin, he's talking about the evaluation of what is both good and bad.

Peter seems to be referencing Malachi chapter 3, where, in that context, the first five verses of there, you can look it up at some point, Malachi 3, 1 through 5, there is judgment. And there is refining that happens. God's people are going to be purified. God's people will demonstrate the truth of their salvation and their offerings will be accepted.

And then after that, it says, God will bear witness against the wicked. So the picture for Malachi is judgment or evaluation begins. God's people are refined, purified, their offerings are accepted, and then God bears witness. against the wicked. So the choice is here. And when Peter comes, he says, judgment begins here.

The evaluation is through this kind of suffering where we're purified, where we're refined, where we're strengthened, where we see the reality of the spirit on us. That begins here. And if that leads to suffering here, but glory along the path of Christ, if that's what it looks like for God's people, how much worse is it?

If instead of coming through Jesus, you come and find God is the one who bears witness. That's what he's saying in verse 17 and 18. God is either going to be your refiner and your king, or he is the primary witness against you. That's what scripture teaches. God is going to bear witness about you one way or the other.

It's either Jesus bearing witness, or this is mine. This one belongs to me because of faith, or it's God bearing witness against you in judgment.

So on the basis of these truths, since suffering for Christ's reputation gives you reason for joy, not surprise, since earthly shame is not heavenly shame, since we are to glorify God rather than pity ourselves, therefore, therefore, let those

who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator. Let those who suffer, this is worded so broadly, any suffering you find can fit into this box. You can suffer physical pain because someone hurts you. You can suffer physical pain because you get older and your body just hurts.

You can suffer loss of reputation or betrayal. You can suffer disappointments. Anything that brings suffering into your soul. Little sufferings. Kids in this room, some of your sufferings may seem really little. You can take those sufferings and put them in this box. Entrust your soul to God through them.

Some of you in this room, maybe kids or older, your sufferings seem really, really, really big. They fit in this box as well. Take your deep disappointments, take your insults, let those who suffer, that's all of us in different ways, according to God's will. Sometimes we wrap ourselves in knots about phrases like that, as if God is like looking at me, trying to hurt me.

That's not what he's saying. What's required from what he says with this phrase is that God knew about your suffering ahead of time, and he could have stopped it if he wanted to. And yet, for his good purposes, He did not. That's according to God's will. It's not that God looks at it and goes, I want to hurt them.

He has a purpose. Your suffering is not pointless. It's no comfort to think I have all this suffering, and it's just random out of control. Pointlessness, it's comfort to say God knew I don't understand all of his purposes. But He has a purpose. That means if it's according to God's will, your suffering is limited in time.

It's not going to go on forever. It means your suffering is limited in intensity. It's not going to be more than your God knows will accomplish His good purpose.

So let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls. The immaterial part of you, your emotional well being, your Entrust your emotional well being to a faithful creator. Take the most precious part of you. Jesus described it that way, right? What does it profit a man if he gained the whole world but loses soul?

The most valuable part of you, not, not the body, the soul, but your soul, while it's the most precious part of you, it's not the most valuable thing that you have because you have a faithful creator. If you see your soul Your emotional well being, your immaterial part, if you see that as the best treasure in the universe, you will never entrust it to God.

If you see Him as the best treasure, and your soul as the most valuable part of you, then you can give it to Him and let Him keep it.

Entrust their souls to a faithful creator. He's Faithfulness this morning. He has not changed, and He will never change. He's faithful. The same God. Who came to earth, the same Father who sustained Jesus all the way through humbling Himself, through suffering and obedience, all the way to glory. He's not any different now.

And if He did that with Jesus, and He united you to Jesus, then you know where you end up. He's a faithful Creator. Even if you think your suffering is going to absolutely tear you apart, you You say this suffering is so bad it is going to unmake me.

Then who else would you trust but the maker?

He's the one who made your soul in the first place. This is like Abraham in Romans. It describes him as one who trusted God's promise because he knew God could give life from the dead. He said, If I sacrifice my son Isaac, God can bring him back to life. He entrusted it to a faithful creator. He said, there's no way in the world Sarah and I can have a kid except that there's a faithful creator who can create new life however he wants to.

Entrust your souls to a faithful creator that even if you are completely unmade, he could remake you while doing good. How do you entrust your soul to Him? Practically, how do you do it? We could go back to chapter 2. He says, Abstain from the desires of the flesh which wage war against your soul. So you turn from that, how?

By worshiping, by proclaiming His glory. And then, you obey what He said. You do good, you continue to do good, so you act with kindness. Just a practical example. There are times when our suffering feels like I can't go act with kindness because I will get hurt. So how do you entrust your soul to a faithful creator while doing good?

You go and continue to act with kindness even when it's excruciatingly painful because you are trusting that the faithful creator who told you to be kind to one another knew what he was doing. And that He can and will protect your soul.

When you do good, despite the consequences, out of worship to God, you are entrusting your soul to a faithful Creator. While doing good. Now I want to come back to this word, entrust. Cause I actually think it's the hardest thing in this whole passage. If we could just make the word entrust mean less than it means, this would be easy.

This is the same word Jesus used on the cross. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. I entrust my spirit. And then he died. Right afterwards.

To entrust is to give it to God and take your hands off.

Everything up until that last part feels easy.

To entrust your soul is to say, if God does not protect my soul, then it will not be protected.

We like our backup plans, but it's not really entrusting. We like to say, if God does not protect my soul, I'm ready. It's not entrusting.

We might sound really good. We But deep down, are you actually convinced that God can care for your soul better than you could?

Even if you had all the power in the world, God can care for your soul better than you can. To entrust means, I don't have to defend myself because God will. That's exactly what Jesus did on the cross. He didn't revile back. To entrust means, I don't have to cling to control in my life. Because I trust him.

It means I don't have to find myself all clenched in anxiety because I have entrusted my soul to my faithful Creator. I don't have to worry. Oh, God might not get it right. That's not really entrusting. I don't have to be bitter. God, you got this wrong. That's not really entrusting. Entrusting my soul to Him strikes at the root of anxiety, worry, bitterness, anger.

My soul is safe. I don't have to lash out because my faithful Creator cares for me. Approval. My soul could not possibly be loved better than the fact that it's loved by God. This is the root of trust issues that leads to all kinds of problems. Do you entrust your soul to a faithful creator?

I want to push a little bit further because I think in my heart sometimes I, I want to say that I want to trust God because I know my limitations. But ask the question, if you really had all power,

would you give God your soul and take your hand off of it? I hope so, because He's way wiser than we are. Alright, so, if you had all power and all wisdom, would you give God your soul and take your hand off it? I still hope so, because you might change. He is perfectly faithful. His character is always perfect.

So, if you had all power, all wisdom, and perfect, unchanging character, well, at that point, you're God. So you don't have to entrust your soul to Him then. Amen. But you're not there. You're never there.

So therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Now this text gives you a basis for therefore, but the whole book gives you a basis for therefore. If you want to turn back to chapter 1, we're going to fly through a couple, and I'll try to point where they are and you can see them.

Chapter 1, 3 through 5, God has already poured out abounding mercy on you. He's given you life where you were dead. He's given you treasure where you were poor. He's given you protection where you were vulnerable. He made you His because He loved you. If that's what God has done, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

It Verse six and seven of chapter one. Your sufferings in trials should be a source of joy because it tells you God is guarding you through faith for salvation that is coming. Therefore, since he's doing that even in sufferings, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Down in verse 12 of chapter one. Your salvation is so incredible that the angels of heaven want to see. They want to look into it and say, look at what God's doing right there in those people at Berean Bible Church. If God's doing something so incredible in your life that the angels want to see it, entrust your souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Later in chapter one, verse 18, following. You've been ransomed from all the futile, empty, worthless ways of acting and thinking by the precious blood of Jesus. If he did that for you, therefore, entrust your soul to a faithful creator while doing good. The end of chapter one. You've been born again by the living and abiding good news.

It's living, it's there, it's continuing. Therefore, Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Chapter 2, you are God's people chosen by Him. You're His temple so that you can bring acceptable worship that pleases Him. He's done that amazing thing for you. Therefore, entrust your soul to a faithful creator. You were created, chosen, and loved so that you would proclaim His glory as the one who called you from darkness into His wonderful light.

Once you did not belong, but now you do. Once you had to stand or fall on your own performance, and now you've received mercy. If He's done that for you, therefore, entrust your souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

You face sinful desires that wage war against your soul. Chapter 2, verse 11. There's a danger, so entrust your soul to a faithful creator. The end of chapter 2, you can trust the Savior who suffered for you and who healed you as the shepherd of your soul. If He's the shepherd of your soul who did all of that, To save your soul, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Chapter three,

verse 10, he wants you to love life and see good days. God loves you like that. If he wants that for you with all of his wisdom and all of his power, you can trust your soul to him. Chapter 3, verse 18, Jesus died to bring you to God, and in the next section, He has all authority now. So He died to bring you to God, and nobody can sit above Him and say no, they can't come.

If He did that for you, entrust your soul to a faithful creator. Here,

you can know that anyone who is safe in Jesus, beginning of chapter 4. Anyone who is safe in Jesus can look forward to the day when they no longer feel the suffering and the sting and the pull of sin. If that's where you're headed, you can trust your soul to the one who gave you that destiny.

You have an enemy who wants your soul to be crazy and drunk according to God's reality. So, chapter 4, verse 8 and following. Love one another, show hospitality, steward God's varied grace well, serving one another. By doing that, even when it's difficult, you are entrusting your soul to a faithful creator while doing good.

One of the most influential sermons in American history was Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, preached by Jonathan Edwards. It was one of the sparks of the Great Awakening. Perhaps this morning you need a different spark. Perhaps you need a different kind of awakening. The kind that says while you were His enemy, God poured out His love on you.

Because of Jesus's death and burial and resurrection, you can know Him and love Him so that for those who are united to Jesus by faith, we are not sinners in the hands of an angry God, we are His children in the hands of a loving God.

Do you trust Him?

Will you entrust your soul to this faithful Creator and say, I don't have to cling to control and worry and anxiety? Because my Shepherd cares for my soul.

Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Let's take a moment and silently reflect on God's Word. Talk to Him about it. Specifically, I want to invite you to fully consider whether or not you really are entrusting your soul to God or clinging to it yourself.

And where you don't fully entrust your soul, come before Him honestly. He calls you to freedom. And I invite you to genuinely trust Him. With all of your spiritual and emotional well being. Let's respond to him in prayer.