The Christian Pilgrim and Unjust Suffering

And react to happenings that are under your sovereign control.

We pray now God as Pastor Jason opens your word to us that you would fill up

with the Holy Spirit and fill us with the Holy Spirit.

Instruct us our God, correct us, inspire us, motivate us

our God to do your will.

For we ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.

One of our greatest and most effective tools.

That the Lord God has given to us his children to assist us in our walk with him,

to assist us in our godliness and our holiness, to assist us in our spiritual

journey, our pilgrimage through this world is the life and example of his son

Jesus Christ.

As the God -man who dwelt among us whose glory was seen, the Lord Jesus Christ

lived an exemplary life.

The Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life.

He perfectly followed the Lord God.

He perfectly obeyed the Lord God.

Jesus Christ perfectly walked through this sinful and fallen world in complete

submission to the will and purpose of God the Father.

And the manner in which the Lord Jesus Christ lived his life, his words, and his works

serve as the pattern that which we must closely follow.

The life of Christ, his words, and his works are a tremendous help to us in our

sanctification, in our ongoing conformity to the image of Christ.

Consider the following passages.

Matthew 11 29.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in

heart.

Matthew 16 24.

If anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross

and follow me.

John 10 4.

When he is brought out all his own he goes before them and the sheep follow him

for they know his voice.

John 13 15.

For I have given you an example that you should also do just as I

have done to you.

Romans 15 5.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accord

with Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12 1 and 2.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus

the founder and perfecter of our faith.

And 1 John 2 6.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in

which he walked.

As Christian pilgrims, as sojourners, as exiles, as citizens of the kingdom of

heaven, as those who are temporarily traveling through this world, we must

look and learn from the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Beloved, we ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Our lives must be lived in accordance with his life.

We must look to him.

We must learn from him.

We must follow him.

We must follow the pattern and example set by the Lord Jesus Christ,

who was given as our example that we should do

just as he has done.

I grew up in Seattle, Washington, right across the street from Woodland Park.

And I spent a lot of time at that park.

There were playing fields and tennis courts and a running track and a large wooded area with lots of

walking trails and BMX bike trails all throughout.

And my favorite all -time activity was riding my bike on these trails because the

entire park was situated on a hill.

So you would start from the top of the park and ride all the way down to the bottom.

It was a lot of fun.

And on one of these steep trails, there was a bike jump called the Parachute Jump.

And it was called the Parachute Jump because if you were to go off that jump, you would need a parachute

to land it.

Now none of my friends, including me, had ever attempted the Parachute Jump.

There was a lot of legend that surrounded this jump.

No one knew who built it.

Kids had died trying.

It was illegal, that sort of thing.

But then one day, some unknown kid on a sweet BMX bike came

soaring down the hill and flew off the Parachute Jump, landing it perfectly.

It was amazing.

And I still vividly remember that day.

At 10 years old, my world had just been turned upside down because the impossible had been made

possible.

The Parachute Jump had been conquered and I had seen it with my own eyes.

I later found out that unknown rider was Lars Larson.

I'm kidding.

I don't know who that rider was.

And I never saw him again.

But his example gave us the confidence to attempt the Parachute Jump.

And that very day, every one of us successfully attempted and landed that jump.

And no one died.

And what made our attempts possible?

All it took was someone to go first.

All it took for us was someone to lead the way.

For us to make the jump, all we needed to do was follow the example set by the unknown

rider.

So we followed the same route, down the same track, at the same speed, and we successfully

made the jump.

Beloved, in our walk with God, in our journey through this world, the Lord

Jesus Christ went first.

The Lord Jesus Christ led the way.

He has gone before us and he has set the standard.

He is the benchmark.

He is the pattern and the mold to which our lives must conform.

Please turn with me to the book of 1 Peter.

Our passage this morning is 1 Peter 2 verses 21 to 25.

1 Peter 2 verses 21 to 25.

For to this you have been called,

because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you

might follow in his steps.

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him

who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to

righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed, for you were straying like sheep, but now have returned to

the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

In this passage, Peter reveals to us that the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ

provides for us everything we need to know in order to endure and triumph

over unjust suffering and tribulation.

And Peter reminds us of four things.

The call to unjust suffering, verse 21.

The example set by the Lord Jesus Christ amidst unjust suffering, verse

22 and 23.

The purpose of unjust suffering, verse 24.

And the results of unjust suffering, verse 25.

The call, the example, the purpose, and the results.

This morning we're going to take a look at points one and two, the call and the example.

And Lord willing, we'll conclude next month with points three and four, the purpose and the

result.

Let's take a look at each one of these.

First up, the calling.

First Peter 221, for to this you have been called because Christ also

suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps.

Now notice the first section of verse 21, for to this you have been called.

What is Peter referring to?

What is the this?

To what have we been called?

Well, the term this refers back to the previous passage of verses 18 through 20, which

addresses believers who experience unjust suffering.

Believers who are suffering for doing what is right.

Believers who are suffering for doing what is pleasing to the Lord God.

Verse 19, for this is a gracious thing.

When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

For what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?

But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of

God.

Unjust suffering is a gracious thing in the sight of God, and

it is for this unjust suffering that you and I have been called.

The Lord God calls his children to suffer unjustly.

Back in first Peter 2 .9, we learned that we are a people of tremendous blessing.

We are a chosen race.

We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,

so that we might proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out

of darkness into his marvelous light.

Just as we have been called from death to life, and just as we have been called out of darkness

into light, so also have we been called to unjust suffering.

The call to salvation and the call to suffer go hand in hand.

In fact, it is actually through unjust suffering that we will experience our great

salvation.

In other words, in the life of a Christian, suffering is not just a

temporary detour on the road that leads to everlasting glory, but rather

suffering is the road that leads to everlasting glory.

To this we have been called.

But why?

Why does the Lord God call us to suffer?

Well, suffering is necessary for us because suffering was necessary for him.

Our example, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1 .29 says, for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you

should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

Engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now I hear that I still have.

As Christian pilgrims, our suffering for the sake of Christ has been granted.

Our suffering for the sake of Christ is to be counted a privilege because Jesus

suffered for us.

Charles Spurgeon commented that there are no crown bearers in heaven that were not cross

bearers on earth.

And J .C. Ryle remarked, a religion that costs nothing is worth nothing.

A cheap Christianity without a cross will prove in the end to be a useless

Christianity without a crown.

Beloved suffering must precede glory.

The cross must precede the crown.

This is our calling.

This is our road to travel because Jesus Christ suffered for us.

Well, what kind of suffering are we talking about?

How did the Lord Jesus Christ suffer for us?

I think Peter here is referring to the condescension and the humiliation of Christ Jesus.

The Lord God entered into his own creation.

The Lord God Almighty became flesh and blood.

He took upon himself humanity.

He dwelt among us.

His glory was seen and he was crucified at the hands of his sinful creation.

Jesus Christ was our sacrificial lamb.

He was the divinely appointed substitute for sinners.

Jesus Christ stood in the place of sinners as the propitiation, as the wrath

absorber of God.

And he received in full the penalty and the consequence of sin.

Philippians 2 .6, who though he was in the form of God did not

count equality with God a thing to be grasped but made himself nothing.

Taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man, here speaking of his

condescension, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming

obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, here

speaking of his humiliation.

For the Lord Jesus Christ, the road to everlasting glory, was the road of suffering.

And the example of his life serves as the pattern that we are called to

follow.

Look again at 1 Peter 2 .21, for to this you have been called because

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in

his steps.

The Greek word translated example is hoopergramos, meaning to write under or to

copy or to trace.

This is an educational term which refers to the faint outlines of letters or patterns which are

then traced over by those seeking to duplicate the original image.

Just as a student with painstaking effort and close application follows the

contour and the shape of the letters of his teacher, so is the Christian pilgrim

with the same effort and same application to trace and follow the pattern

that was set by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, he is our standard and we are to follow all of his lines, we are to follow in

all of his steps.

The Greek word for steps literally means a footprint or a track.

And the picture that comes to mind is a small child attempting to walk in the footprints made by his

father or his mother in the snow or in the sand.

Likewise, we are to follow with extreme diligence and effort in the same

footprints, in the same path that our Lord Jesus Christ walked.

Amidst suffering, amidst unjust suffering, we are to walk in the same

path that he walked, in the same manner that he walked.

Well, practically speaking, what does that look like?

What does it look like to follow his example?

Because we live in a very different time, in a very different culture, with very different

challenges.

So how are we to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ who lived over 2 ,000 years ago?

Well, the answer to these questions are found in the next two verses, verses 22 and 23.

He committed no sin, nor was any deceit

found in his mouth.

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him

who judges justly.

Peter highlights the response of his unjust suffering by alluding to the messianic prophecy of Isaiah

53, the suffering servant.

Isaiah 53, verse 7 says, he was oppressed and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that

before it shears is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment, he was taken away.

And as for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people, and they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich

man in his death, although he had done no violence and there was no

deceit in his mouth, the Lord Jesus Christ

committed no sin.

Neither was any deceit found in his mouth, even though he was unjustly afflicted and

even though he was unjustly oppressed, even though he was cut off from the land of the living and

stricken for the transgressions of the people of God, yet in all of this, he did not

sin.

Jesus Christ is the holy one.

He is the righteous one.

He is the lamb who was slain, yet without spot, yet without

blemish, yet without sin.

Second Corinthians 521, for our sake, he made him to be sin

who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 4 15, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one

who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

First John 3 5, you know that he appeared to take away sins and in him

there is no sin.

I want you to think for a moment about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to think for a moment about what he had to endure as a man.

Hostility, exile, threats,

danger, temptation, disrespect,

mockery, rivalry, unbelief,

misunderstanding, rejection, name -calling,

gossip, slander, intimidation, betrayal,

false witness, false arrest, unjust trials,

conspiracy, beatings, floggings, imprisonment, public shame, and

crucifixion.

In all of these unjust difficulties, the Lord Jesus Christ did not sin.

In all of these, he did not violate the word of God.

He did not transgress the law of God.

Peter's reasoning is clear.

If in the most difficult of circumstances, the Lord Jesus Christ did not sin,

then neither should we sin in far easier circumstances.

In our unjust suffering, in our mistreatment, in our difficulties, in our trials, we too

must strive to be without sin.

We must strive to be like Christ, including our speech.

What's the first thing that typically goes when you experience pain, suffering, or frustration?

The control of your tongue, your speech, the things that you say.

For most people, including myself, pain, suffering, and frustration will often remove the filter

between our brains and our mouth.

And do you know why?

Because your mouth is the spout of your heart.

So what comes out of your mouth actually comes from or proceeds from your heart.

Matthew 12 33, either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad

and its fruit bad.

For the tree is known by its fruit.

You brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you are evil?

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good and the evil person out of his evil treasure

brings forth evil.

I tell you on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak.

For by your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemned.

It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

The words that come out of your mouth proceed from your heart.

Thus, evil words proceed from an evil heart.

Good words proceed from a good heart.

Angry words proceed from an angry heart.

Joyful words proceed from a joyful heart.

At the heart of all of our communication problems is the heart.

The reason why there was no deceit found in the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ is because there was no deceit

found in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In our pain, in our suffering, in our difficulties, the reasons why we lose control of our tongue,

the reasons why we lose control of our speech is because our mouths are simply speaking

from the overflow of our hearts.

Even after our conversion to Christ, even after the Lord God replaces our heart of stone

with a heart of flesh, indwelling sin is still ever -present and our

speech reveals the idols of our hearts.

James 3 -2 says, if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able

also to bridle his whole body.

It is only the perfect man who will never stumble in what he says.

The Lord Jesus Christ was and is the only perfect man.

He never stumbled in anything that he said.

He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

Again, Peter's reasoning is clear.

If in the most difficult of circumstances, there was no deceit found in the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ,

then neither should deceit be found in your mouth in far less

difficult circumstances.

The Greek word translated deceit is dolos, and it refers to a fish hook, a fish hook,

or a trap, or a trick.

And this term is a reference to every form of deceitfulness.

To be deceitful is to deliberately attempt to mislead, or to snare, or to bait

another person by telling them lies.

It's a desire to gain advantage over another, or to preserve your own position by deceiving other

people through cunning and guile.

Proverbs 12 .22, lying lips are an abomination to the

Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Ephesians 4 .25, therefore having put away falsehood, let each one of you

speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Deceit must not be found in our mouths.

In pain, suffering, and difficulty, our speech must reflect a regenerate heart, a

changed heart.

It must reflect the speech of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It must be honest.

It must be truthful.

It must be righteous.

It must be sound.

There should be no form of deceitfulness, none whatsoever, in any part of our

speech.

As we strive to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are many forms of deceit

to which we must pay careful attention.

One of the most common forms of deceitfulness is the outright lie.

The outright lie is a complete fabrication of the truth.

And a good example of the outright lie is the conversation between Eve and the serpent in the

Garden of Eden.

Genesis chapter 3.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast in the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?

And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said you shall not eat

of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it lest you die.

But the serpent said to the woman, you will surely not die.

What was God's command and promise in these verse?

You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden,

neither shall you touch it lest you die.

And what was the serpent's response?

You will surely not die.

Now is he speaking the truth?

No, that was not the truth.

That was a blatant lie.

And Satan outright calls the Lord God a liar.

And he verbally negates his promise.

He deceives Eve into thinking that she will not most surely die.

But what were the consequences of Adam and Eve?

Death.

Both Adam and Eve died.

And what were the consequences for the rest of mankind?

Death.

One trespass led to the condemnation to all men.

The outright lie is the mother of all deception.

But more commonly, I think most of us probably struggle with lesser forms of deception, the

respectable side of lying and deceit, such as exaggeration.

You know what?

You have never treated me right.

You have never supported me.

You have never been nice to me.

Never?

Never ever?

I have never been nice to you?

Not even once?

You know what you always do?

You always leave a mess wherever you go.

You always make a mountain out of a molehill.

You always hurt my feelings.

I always do these things.

I may do them quite often, but always.

You see what's happening here?

Exaggeration.

Exaggeration is when you take the truth and you go far beyond it, using words like always and

never will get you into trouble.

Always and never are exaggerating words.

And let me tell you, beyond the truth lies nothing but falsehood and deception.

Exaggeration is a common and subtle form of deception that we must be on guard against.

How about another respectable form of deception, the half truth or the partial truth?

This is when you give only part of the information so that you lead a person to believe that something is

true when it's not entirely true.

For example, Abraham and his wife Sarah traveling through the land of Egypt.

Genesis chapter 12.

When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarah, his wife, I know that you are a beautiful woman in

appearance.

And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, this is his wife.

Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you and that my life may be spared for your sake.

Now, was this an outright lie?

No, this was a half truth.

Sarah was actually Abraham's sister.

She was his stepsister.

But the other half of the truth was that Sarah was also his wife.

Be very cautious of presenting a half truth as the whole truth.

A half truth presented as the whole truth becomes an untruth.

Another subtle form of deception is evasion, the evasion of the truth.

Do you remember the story of Cain and his brother Abel?

Both Cain and Abel brought their offerings before the Lord God and the Lord God had regard for Abel in

his offering, but for Cain in his offering, he had no regard.

Genesis 4.

Cain spoke to Abel, his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel

and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother?

And he said, I don't know.

Am I my brother's keeper?

Do you see what Cain did there?

He played dumb.

He played the I don't know card, and then he changed the subject.

He did not honestly answer the question, but rather he was elusive to the truth and he answered the

question with another question.

Be on guard against every form of deceit.

Be on guard against the outright lie.

Be on guard against exaggeration.

Be on guard against telling half -truths.

Be on guard against the evasion of the truth.

Determine now and always to speak the truth, each one of you.

Beloved, commit no sin and let no deceitfulness be found in your mouth.

Always speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the whole truth.

Strive to follow the footsteps and examples set by the Lord Jesus Christ, who

always spoke the truth because he himself is truth.

First Peter 2, 22 and 23.

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who

judges justly.

What's the definition of the term revile?

What does it mean to revile?

This term is not often used in today's vernacular, but it is quite often seen

in our speech.

To revile means to verbally abuse or to vilify or to insult strongly.

The term implies an abusive attack which is prompted by anger or even hatred.

To revile someone is to reprove them in a highly insulting and scolding manner.

John Calvin defined this term as a harsher railing, which not only rebukes a man but

also sharply bites him and stamps him with open contempt.

It is to wound a man with an accursed sting.

The Lord Jesus Christ was reviled.

The Lord Jesus Christ was continually reviled, but he did not

revile in return.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not retaliate.

He was goaded.

He was incited.

He was provoked.

He was stamped with open contempt.

He was wounded, but nothing broke his countenance.

No matter how hard the enemies of the Lord God tried, they could not make any

sin come out of his mouth.

Isaiah 53, he was oppressed.

He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that before it shears is silent, so he

opened not his mouth.

Under sustained and repeated provocation, the Lord Jesus Christ, King Jesus,

the omnipotent creator and sustainer of the heavens and the earth, did not revile

in return.

While greatly suffering, he uttered no threats, but rather

he persevered and he entrusted the entire situation into the hands of

him who judges justly, God the Father.

The Lord Jesus Christ was and is the perfect example of submission.

He is the greatest and the highest example of submission.

In the midst of the most unjust and difficult suffering, he submitted his will to the

will of the Father.

He continued to entrust himself and his circumstances to him who

judges justly.

To entrust means to give into the hands of another.

It means to commit or to commend something into the hands of another, to keep or to use,

to care for, to manage, or to protect.

This term was commonly used of delivering up a criminal to the police or to the courts for punishment

and implied as the idea of one being given over into another's power.

In other words, this phrase paints the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ surrendering

himself, surrendering his circumstances into the hand of his heavenly

Father.

Jesus yielded himself, he yielded his circumstances into the hands of his

Father's righteous judgment, and he did so continually again and

again and again.

Every injustice, every difficulty, every persecution was handed over to

and entrusted to God the Father.

And this was the ongoing pattern of his life.

Do you remember the Lord Jesus Christ's words just prior to the crucifixion in the Garden of Gethsemane,

Luke 22, 42?

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup.

Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

Do you remember the last words of Christ as he hung on the cross at Calvary?

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

All throughout his life and at his death, the Lord Jesus Christ continued entrusting himself

to the Lord God.

In every act of injustice, in all of his suffering, in all of the violent assaults against him by the enemies of

the Lord God, Jesus Christ continued to hand it all over again and

again into the hands of his Father.

And do you know why?

Do you know why he entrusted himself and his circumstances again and again into the hands of

his Father?

Because God the Father is a righteous judge.

God the Father judges justly.

He knew that the Lord God would assess the situation rightly and that he would judge in

righteousness.

So rather than depending on his own abilities to retaliate, he kept on entrusting it all into the hands

of God the Father, knowing that the Father would be just and fair.

John MacArthur remarked, undergirding Jesus's peaceful, resolute acceptance of

suffering was an unshakable confidence in the perfectly righteous plan of him who

judges righteously.

He knew that God would vindicate him according to his perfect and holy

justice.

He knew.

The Lord Jesus Christ knew that the Lord God was big enough and strong enough and

wise enough to make things right and to take care of business.

Again, Peter's reasoning is clear.

If in the most difficult of circumstances, the Lord Jesus Christ did not sin, nor did he

revile, but entrusted it all into the hands of his heavenly Father, then in far

easier circumstances, we should not sin, nor should we revile, nor should we seek

vengeance, nor should we depend upon our own abilities for retaliation, but rather we need to

entrust it all into the hands of our heavenly Father, our heavenly Father who

judges justly.

And beloved, he will do just that.

God will judge justly.

God always does what is right.

As a Christian pilgrim, when you suffer or you are persecuted unjustly in your job,

in your family, or wherever it might be, you must always focus on

and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

You must focus on the standard, the pattern, the example of the Lord Jesus Christ,

which is to accept suffering without any retaliation and to entrust the situation into

the care of him who judges justly.

This is the reason why 1 Peter was written, in suffering and in difficulty, hand it over

to the Lord God.

Commit it all into his care.

In pain and sorrow, hand it over to the Lord God.

Commit it all into his care.

Entrust yourself, entrust your circumstances into the hands of the Lord God who will

most assuredly make it right.

What if my employer is harsh to me?

What if I'm ridiculed and mocked because of my faith in Christ?

What if I'm passed over for a promotion?

What if I'm given all the lousy shifts and all the grunt work because I'm a Christian?

What if I'm unjustly terminated?

Entrust the situation to the Lord God.

He will make it right.

But what if the government passes anti -Christian legislation?

What if the government starts to infringe upon my Christian liberties and my rights?

Entrust the situation to the Lord God.

He will make it right.

Our God is the creator and the ruler of this world.

And our God is the great equalizer.

The Lord God will deal with the unjust in righteousness and justice.

And this is our unshakable confidence.

God is just.

God is sovereign.

He is in control.

God is a righteous God who judges justly.

Our God will do what is right.

There is no injustice with God.

His purpose, his plan cannot be thwarted.

And his will will ultimately prevail.

It will most assuredly prevail.

Beloved, as you journey and walk through this world, always remember the

benchmark.

Always remember the example of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look to him, learn from him, follow him, and

entrust it all into his hands.

Beloved, it is a gracious thing when mindful of God you endure sorrows

while suffering unjustly.

To this you have been called by a good God because Christ

also suffered for you.

So imitate him.

Conform your life to the pattern and the example of his life through the power of

the Spirit.

In suffering, do not sin.

Do not speak deceit.

Do not revile.

Do not revile in return.

Do not threaten, but rather entrust it all into the hands of the Lord God.

Entrust it all into the hands of him who judges justly, our Heavenly

Father.

Let's pray.

Gracious Lord, we rejoice that we have the example of Jesus Christ.

We rejoice that we have your word that so perfectly pictures him, that

gives us an account of his life and his words and his deeds.

And Lord, we confess that we don't often turn to the scriptures.

We don't always turn to the scriptures.

We turn to other things.

But Lord, we have everything we need for life and godliness in the word of God.

So help us, Lord, to go to the word.

Help us to live free of distraction and focus eternally on who you are and what you've done.

Help us to remember the fact that you are working in our lives, even in the midst of great, great difficulty,

even in the midst of difficult situations, strained relationships.

Lord, you are working.

You're working for our good and for your glory.

So Lord, please help us remember these things.

Help us live our lives in light of everything that we've learned.

And Lord, we give you praise, glory, and honor for you are worthy.

We thank you for your example.

We thank you that you judge justly, that you are faithful, that we can trust in you.

We rejoice in who you are.

Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus' name, amen.