Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.scalpay.freechurch.org/sermons/2047/1-peter-412-13/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] just for a little while just look together at the passage we read and centering especially on verses 12 and 13 so 1 Peter 4 12 and 13 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to cry you as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings and that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy so what's the first thing really we would notice about our text really that trials are a certainty aren't they, in the life of the Christian and if we look just now many of you sitting here who have been on the Christian walk probably longer than I've been living potentially and I've seen blessings [1:10] I've seen trials I've seen tribulations as well I've seen the island in a state possibly where people enjoyed going to church to hear about God, to think about God and so on and now we're experiencing something quite different in island Christianity we are under attack and I'm not saying there wasn't attack back then but what I'm saying is just now if we're not realizing there is attack on us then our head is buried in the sand the church is deeply under attack locally here as much possibly as it's ever been through various means the local secular society are pushing hard against the church lots of different bodies all coming together and what they're aiming for is Christians and a Christian walk a Christian faith what unfortunately they can't see is the truth that is as simple as it is but the word tells us that we shouldn't be surprised by trials we shouldn't be surprised by suffering we shouldn't be surprised by difficulties so the certainty of trials [2:27] John 16.33 says this Jesus says in the world you will have tribulation and wasn't that might have you will have tribulation who's he talking to the believing people in this world you will have tribulation but he also follows that up as we always have to do when we look at trial and tribulation and suffering we have to follow it up with the blessing he says in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world we need to worry although sometimes we do sometimes we think that the world is getting the upper hand over Christ and his church and science seems to be showing things that points against Christianity if you listen to science now if you're a believer in God's word science does not in any way contradict what God's word says in any way but sometimes the church hears things and says well how can this be true if they find this and sometimes we just simply don't have the answer and that's okay because God tells us that sometimes we won't have all the answers but that's where faith comes in you see all other world religions don't rely on that one thing they don't rely on faith there's lots of works to do you can do this and you get to heaven you do that you get to heaven you pray at certain times and do certain things in certain ways you'll get to heaven nonsense we're asked for faith we're asked for nothing more repent and believe the bible says now of course repentance comes as the holy spirit floods in upon us repentance comes as part of that so that comes but faith it is that brings us to [4:32] Jesus faith and that faith has to be there continually then from that day on we need to walk in faith regardless of what the world throws at us but the more we centre ourselves on the word of God the more we actually see him outworking his will in our hands the less time you spend in the word of God and in prayer the less you will see it and the more your faith will be diminished so these things go hand in hand as well if you're not reading your bible much and you're not spending time in private prayer then expect your faith to be dwindling and that's when you often hear people saying I have no assurance the Bible says we should have assurance now if we're sitting here and we say we have no assurance then we need to take that to the only one who can give us assurance but there's no point in saying we have no assurance and just expecting it somehow to come without looking at the word and praying because our private devotional time is always shall take it ever nd shall end our to what come and if fall and go get Tow and in the państwo that we road that the those and [6:11] Thank you. 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