Hope in Suffering

Worship Service for July 26, 2020

WELCOME

I pray that your time spent here on CrossPointe’s website will rejuvenate and reinvigorate your faith in the Risen Lord Jesus to more confidently and hopefully face the difficult days in which we are presently living.

During an impassioned sermon about death and final judgement, a pastor said forcefully, “Each member of this church is going to die and face judgement.” Glancing down at the front pew, he noticed a man with a big smile on his face. The minister repeated his point louder. “Each member of this church is going to die and face judgement!” The man nodded and smiled even more. This really got the preacher wound up. He pounded the pulpit emphatically as he came to the conclusion of his sermon and repeated, “Each member of this church is going to die and face judgement!!!” Everyone else in the church was looking somber, but this guy in front continued to grin from ear to ear. After the service was over, the preacher made a beeline for the man. “I don’t get it, whenever I said, ‘Each member of this church is going to die, and face judgment’ your smile got bigger. What’s up with you?” The man said, “I’m not a member of this church.”

The story reminds me of how wonderful it would be to be seeing you right now. I never realized the extent of how much your faces and your responses mean to me as I preach. You motivate me to preach better. And I miss that desperately. Preaching is not a one way communication. There’s give and take with your body language and eye contact and facial expressions; your occasional laughter and amen’s. And I can’t wait till this thing is over with. I’m going to be one elated preacher when I see you with great big grins on your faces because you ARE members of this church!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

I will remain after worship until 12:30 pm for those of you who wish to drop off your offering. You may place it in the box that is located in the lobby.

If you prefer to send your offering in the mail, the address is

CrossPointe Community Church
P. O. Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215-0126

This coming Friday is our next Community Meal. John and Amy will be preparing beef rouladen, potato salad, watermelon, and for dessert, pineapple pudding cake! It will once again be served to folks as they drive up in their cars. If you’d like to get in on the action by showing up at 4:45, please let me know.

Once again, let us open our hearts to praising and hearing the Word of the Lord by reading through the worship service. Please take advantage of the opportunity to read, pause, reflect, and pray when you feel led. I hope you also noticed that most of this service is also available in video format on the same page where you accessed this.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And He also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-7

HYMNS OF PRAISE

How Firm a Foundation

Rippon, John

How firm a foundation, Ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Fear not; I am with thee. O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, Omnipotent hand.

When through fiery trials, Thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

©Public Domain
CCLI License No. 1843349

Awesome In Power

Founds, Rick

Oh God, awesome in power.
Oh God, gentle in love.
Oh God, You are my God
And I love You.

Oh God, full of compassion
Oh God, faithful and true.
Oh God, You are my God
And I love You.

Oh God, You are my God.
And I love You.

©1990 Maranatha Praise, Inc.
CCLI License No. 1843349

OPENING PRAYER

O Lord, You are the Awesome One, the first, the last and the Living One who rules the earth from Your throne of heaven. As we come into Your Holy presence, we bow before You and ask that You would rule in our hearts that Your will might be done in our corner of the world as it is in heaven. For the sake of and in the name of Christ our Lord, amen.

THE GIVING OF THE LORD’S OFFERING

(see announcement above)

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21

PRAYER SONG

Near to the Heart of God

McAfee, Cleland

There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where all is joy and peace
Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.

©Public Domain
CCLI License No. 1843349

PASTORAL PRAYER

Near to Your heart oh Lord; that’s where we wish to be as we come before You in prayer. For when we are near Your heart, we see the world as You see it. When we come near Your heart we perceive how much you love all the people of the world, how much You long for Your children to stop their running away, how much You desire for all your children to turn to You and Your Son Jesus with true discernment and faith so that they might begin to live new lives with You.

When we come near to Your heart we see how much You love us, and we thank You for gracing us with faith in Your Son, Jesus. When we come near to Your heart, we see ourselves as You see us; standing before You, blameless and without a single fault. And we just have to ask, “What did we do to deserve this grace?” And when we come near, we know the answer. And we fall silent before You. (please pray silently as led).

O Jesus blest redeemer, sent from Your heart oh God, send us, we pray, to one of those whom You are still longing for, that we might join You in loving and reaching them for the sake of Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

SCRIPTURE

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Matthew 5:10-12

Before I read from Peter’s first letter to the churches of Asia Minor, let me warn you that it can be quite difficult to follow Peter’s line of reasoning. This is especially true from here in 3:13 through the end of chapter 4. One can easily get lost as Peter seemingly at random jumps back and forth from one topic to the next.

To be sure, the big picture in this passage has to do with the matter of suffering, as that is what he addresses three times in the beginning, the middle and the end. But in between those three sections on suffering, he twice goes off on a tangent to remind us about who Jesus is and some of things He’s done.

With that in mind, I will read the entire section and give you a heads up on when he switches subjects.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

[Now here is where Peter deviates for a time from the main subject].

He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits; to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also; not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him.

[Now he returns to his main point. Note how what comes here nicely follows the first paragraph].

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse (suffering) on you.

[Here begins Peter’s second deviation from the main thought; but don’t worry, he’s not through with suffering yet].

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

[And now he concludes his thoughts on suffering].

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

I Peter 3:13-4:19

THE MESSAGE

Randy K’Meyer

Hope in Suffering

As I read, you probably picked up on the fact that Peter is not talking about what we most often associate suffering with; trying times and/or illness and death. The suffering Peter is talking about in this passage concerns the suffering of persecution brought about by simply being a Christian:

3:14; “Don’t worry or be afraid of their threats,”
3:16; “if people speak against you,”
4:4; “they slander you,”
4:14; “if you are insulted.”

So although it is easy to see that he is addressing the suffering of persecution that resulted from being marked as a Christian, we can apply Peter’s principles about how to view and/or respond to suffering to any form of suffering.

“What principles?” you ask?

First, suffering comes to all; even Christians, and in this case, especially Christians.

Peter writes, “Don’t surprised at the fiery trials you are going through as if something strange were happening to you.”

As it concerns suffering persecution, we are grateful we don’t have to suffer the severe persecution Peter’s audience was, and as many around the globe today still do.

To be sure, other forms of suffering will surely find us, as has the pandemic. Many are suffering economic effects, most the psychological effects of isolation and loneliness, and those less fortunate have suffered the illness itself, and many have died.

And many are wondering, “Why God?”

We’ve talked about the theological answer to that question many times. And, as we have come to understand, we can trace all human suffering back to the Fall when God meted out consequences for sin.

But we have also come to understand that God is a redemptive God who is always ready, willing and able to bring something good from something bad.

One day a young teenage boy found a cocoon and took it home to keep an eye on it. He watched closely as a small opening appeared, and for several hours a butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole, until it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther, so this boy decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. He was at first thrilled to see the butterfly easily emerge, but then saw it had a swollen body and shriveled wings. He expected at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand and the body would contract but neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings and was never able to fly. ¹

Even though the boy had good intentions he didn’t understand that the small opening in the cocoon is God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

God will use suffering as a means to cause our growth in Christ. If God made everything come up roses for His children, we would not be as strong as what we could have been, nor could we ever fly.

Therefore; Peter’s first principle is all of us are going to suffer, and his second follows . . .

Suffering gives us an opportunity to remain faithful.

Peter says, “So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats, instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life” (3:14-15)

Concerning this pandemic: although it took us by surprise, God saw it coming long ago. Just like all other events in human history, God is using this pandemic for His and our good. One way is that He is encouraging us to think about where our hope lies.

You know there is an inborn human tendency, when things are going well,
to put our hope in people, places and things. Then when things fall apart; when the job we thought was secure suddenly vanishes, when distancing prevents us from experiencing the love of family and friends, when doctors can’t save us, we also fall apart.

And suffering serves to remind us we cannot control these things. But we can control in whom we put our trust and to whom we will remain faithful.

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, Paul wrote about trusting God in the midst of suffering:

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

So, Paul along with Peter want us to know that in the midst of suffering, God is our only hope, and that we must concentrate on remaining faithful to Him.

It is true that how we respond to this pandemic will prove our faith.

Back when gold was a widely accepted currency, the question often arose as to whether a coin was genuine or fake. Someone who doubted a gold piece’s authenticity used droplets of Nitric acid to reveal whether it was real or not. If the piece was false gold, the acid decomposed the substance. If it was genuine, the gold remained intact.

In the same way, the trials we encounter in life provide an acid test for our faith. They cause fake faith to dissolve. But if we have genuine faith, trials prove the authenticity of our faith by driving us to remain faithful to Christ.

Or as Peter has here, “To worship Him as Lord of your life.”

What can we do to remain faithful during the duration of this pandemic?

If we are not already, we must make a concerted effort to pray. For some, suffering can initiate giving up on prayer, but don’t stop praying. Cry out to God, tell Him what’s on your mind and heart.

We sometimes may think that because we are experiencing pain God is far away, but that’s exactly when He is a lot closer than we realize. Psalm 34:18 says: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

And as Peter prepares to close this letter, he reminds his readers to: “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).

Second, we must turn to God’s Word in our suffering.

“How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.”

And what did Paul say in that word? We must focus on what God has done for us. In the middle of suffering, Paul reminded himself who God was: He “raises the dead,” “rescued from mortal danger,” “will rescue again.” This is why Paul concludes, “On Him we have set our hope.”

The word of God is the book to which we must turn to feed our faith. Peter has already stated in 2:2-3, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

Thirdly, we can maintain and even grow the discipline of giving to the Lord’s work through His church.

I must thank you for your continued generosity. When we decided to abstain from worship, one of my first thoughts was how are we going to keep up financially. But many of you have chosen to remain faithful in this regard and some, knowing this would be a difficult time, increased. Thanks so much for your faithfulness. You are making it possible for us to continue as a church. We don’t know how long this situation is going to last; but one thing we can do while it does is to remain faithful with our giving.

Paul asks the Corinthians, “What is required of stewards,” and then he answers his own question, “That they be found faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2).

You who will suffer; must remain faithful and 3rd, know there will be a ‘reward’ for suffering.

Peter writes, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it” (I Peter 3:14).

I have a hunch Peter remembered Jesus talking in those terms in the Sermon on the Mount. Do you remember?

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.

Matt. 5:10-12

All of us are familiar with our heavenly reward.

But William Barclay, in commenting on Jesus use of the term ‘reward’ provides us with two other earthly rewards to consider:

The first of the Christian rewards is satisfaction. The doing of the right thing, obedience to Jesus Christ, the taking of his way, whatever else it may or may not bring, always brings satisfaction. It may well be that, if a man does the right thing, and obeys Jesus Christ, he may lose his fortune and his position, he may end in jail or on the scaffold, he may finish up in unpopularity, loneliness and disrepute, but he will still possess that inner satisfaction, which is greater than all the rest put together. … This is not to be evaluated in terms of earthly currency, but there is nothing like it in all the world. It brings that contentment which is the crown of life.

The poet George Herbert was a member of a little group of friends who used to meet to play their musical instruments together like a little orchestra. Once he was on his way to a meeting of this group, when he passed a man whose cart was stuck in the mud. George Herbert laid aside his instrument and went to the help of the man. It was a long job to get the cart out, and when finished he was covered with mud. When he arrived at the house of his friends, it was too late for music. He told them what had detained him on the way. One said: “You have missed all the music.” George Herbert smiled. “Yes,” he said. “But I will have songs at midnight.” He had the satisfaction of having done the Christ like thing. The first Christian reward is the satisfaction which no money on earth can buy. ²

To continue working at the Christian life by doing what we can to remain faithful in the midst of this pandemic will bring us a sense of satisfaction that is priceless. We will go to bed at night in God’s peace content in knowing we gave Christ our best.

And then Barclay continues:

The second reward of the Christian life is still more work to do. It is the paradox of the Christian idea of reward that a task well done does not bring rest and comfort and ease; it brings still greater demands and still more strenuous endeavors. In the parable of the talents the reward of the faithful servants was still greater responsibility (Matthew 25:14-30). … The Christian reward is the reverse of the world’s reward. The world’s reward would be an easier time; the reward of the Christian is that God lays still more and more upon a man to do for him and for his fellow-men. The harder the work we are given to do, the greater the reward. ³

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. He laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. Then as the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition. ⁴

Paul again this time to the Romans:

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

Romans 5:3-5

Endurance, character, hope; these are the rewards of those who strive to remain faithful.

So as we approach suffering, let us ever remain faithful knowing that our faithfulness will be rewarded.

I conclude with two illustrations that I hope will pull all this together.

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule that fell into the farmer’s well. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling a thought struck him. Every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did with each shovelful. Shake it off and step up; shake it off and step up; shake it off and step up! No matter how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like would bury him, actually blessed him all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. ⁵

That’s life. If we face our sufferings and respond to them positively, refusing to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity; but by remaining faithful, the adversity that we think is going to bury us blesses us!

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.”

That verse was Missionary Karen Watson’s motto. That’s why she left a letter with her pastor before going to Iraq. She went to provide humanitarian relief in the name of Jesus, but she was gunned down in the country she came to serve.

The letter began, “You’re only reading this if I died.” It included gracious words to family and friends, and this simple summary of following Christ:

To remain faithful was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward.” ⁶

I will close my remarks with the words Peter closes his thoughts on suffering in 4:19:

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.

Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER

(I encourage all of you to pray as you feel led).

CLOSING SONG

I Will Not Be Shaken

Guerrero, Tony

My soul finds rest in You,
My Fortress and my Rock,
My hope for life, my hiding place,
My Refuge and my God.
In You I’ve found my home,
My shelter from the storm,
And I’ll pour out my heart to You
And lean upon Your throne.

I will put my trust in You,
I will put my hope there, too.
I will stand upon Your Word
And I will not be shaken.
I will let my praises show,
Holding on to what I know,
Because I know
You’re always there
And I will not be shaken.
I will not be shaken.

My soul finds rest in You,
My Fortress and my Rock,
My hope for life, my hiding place,
My Refuge and my God.
In You I’ve found my home,
My shelter from the storm,
And I’ll pour out my heart to You
And lean upon Your throne.

I will put my trust in You,
I will put my hope there, too.
I will stand upon Your Word
And I will not be shaken.
I will let my praises show,
Holding on to what I know,
Because I know
You’re always there
And I will not be shaken.
I will not be shaken.

I will not be moved.
I’m leaning on the throne,
Because You died for me
And called me to Your own.
And even when the strongest winds begin to blow,
I will stand my ground.
I will not be moved.
I will not be shaken.

My soul finds rest in You,
My Fortress and my Rock,
My hope for life, my hiding place,
My Refuge and my God.
I will put my trust in You,
I will put my hope there, too.
I will stand upon Your Word
And I will not be shaken.
I will let my praises show,
Holding on to what I know,
Because I know
You’re always there
And I will not be shaken.

I will put my trust in You,
I will put my hope there, too.
I will stand upon Your Word
And I will not be shaken.
I will let my praises show,
Holding on to what I know,
Because I know
You’re always there
And I will not be shaken.
I will not be shaken.

©2002 Maranatha! Music, admin by The Copyright Company/Butterfly Music,
admin by Encouraging Music
CCLI License No. 1843349

SCRIPTURAL BENEDICTION

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

II Thessalonians 2:16-17

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1 http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/documents/0040/1426/Motivational_
Stories.pdf

2 William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study Series; Matthew. Volume 1, [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, © 1975], page 183.

3 Ibid., page 184

4 http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0040/1426/Motivational_Stories.pdf

5 http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0040/1426/Motivational_Stories.pdf

6 Missionary Slain in Iraq Mourned, Los Angeles Times (3-17-04);
submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California