Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
When I was very young, we would cut a tall tree out of the woods, remove all of its limbs, and then attach an extension cord that went the entire length of the pole. On the very top, we would fasten some bright flood lights, and check them to make sure that they were working properly. Finally, we would chop a hole in the ice, and drop the pole in the frigid water of our lake so it would freeze overnight, and by the next evening, we had plenty of light available, and we could practice our skating at length on our new rink.
If there was anyone who needed to practice ice skating, it was me. For those of you who have never tried it, it is incredibly hard on the ankles. Oh sure, you could use the skates that had two runners on the bottom, but if you really wanted to turn sharp and go fast, you needed to get up on single blades. Sometimes I would get a few feet and then fall over. My ankles would hurt so bad that it was a pleasure to shovel the rink, just so I could have some extra support to keep me standing upright. When I finally got up to the house and took off my frozen clothing, my feet felt like they had been wrapped in a tourniquet, and I could hardly walk. Ice skating is not something new, because it’s been claimed to have been around for approximately 3,800 years, and were first constructed out of different types of animal bones, such as the elk, cow, and the horse. Learning to skate can be a painful experience, and to be successful, you must embrace the suffering that comes along with it. You will have to learn to endure the pain, until your ankles become strong enough to skate all the way around the lake without any difficulties at all.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Suffering is a big part of the Christian faith, and like learning to skate, we must grow through pain. Some of the closest people in your life including your relatives, family, parents and even your own spouse can put you through things that are hard to imagine. They will persecute you, falsely accuse you, betray you, and even cast out your name as evil. But when this happens to you, (and it will,) you must accept it as a normal situation. Obviously it can be very difficult at times because it hurts, but like a soldier in the military, we must learn to take the pain and embrace hardship. Jesus allowed himself to suffer when people did such evil and wicked things towards Him, leaving us an example to follow in His footsteps.
1 Peter 2 ¹⁹ For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰ For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. ²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: ²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: ²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
The Christian walk is not easy, and you must plan to enter into some type of suffering right from the very get-go. It happened to Jesus, the Apostles, and the Prophets of God.
“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.” James 5:10
John 15 ¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
2 Corinthians 11 ²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. ²⁵ Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
When people do wicked things to you, and cast out your name as evil, you already have a reward in heaven.
Luke 6 ²² Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. ²³ Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Christians are appointed to these types of sufferings.
1 Thessalonians 3 ³ That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. ⁴ For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.
But you had better count the cost, because one thing that you never want to do is begin the Christian Life and not finish the race.
Luke 14 ²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ²⁹ Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, ³⁰ Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. ³³ So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Some people don’t like being hated, and want everybody to love them and get along. They don’t want to have to deal with getting persecuted because of the gospel, and because of this, they will eventually turn away from the Christian Life.
Matthew 13 ²⁰ But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; ²¹ Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Jesus didn’t come to bring peace but to divide, and when you take a diligent stand and make a concerted effort towards loyalty and obedience to the will of God, you will be hated by the impenitent. I’ve had people so upset with me at what I was preaching, that they were screaming in my face and foaming at the mouth. I didn’t do anything to provoke that reaction, it was just the message of God’s Word that they couldn’t handle. But like anything in this life, the more that you do something, the more experience you are going to gain. When we suffer, the more seasoned and mature we become in our faith. We must become strong in order to overcome the sufferings and weaknesses of our flesh, like strengthening our ankles as we head onto the rink, and begin another day of…..
………Ice Skating
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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