Broken and Remade: Suffering That Refines Us

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and at that time I've seen another me like outside just like me and I can see his like inside his heart I could feel it so clean so like pure and I said God how can I be like him and God said God I heard the voice you pray and I'm praying God please help me to be like like like like like another me like like this one and at that time like maybe like literally five minutes and my inside my heart was so clean so pure and I was like like like a baby like I didn't have any conscience of sin at all it was instantaneous immediately and I was thinking like what God told me other things but I'm not going to talk go into it and that it it was feeling like I was got out of my body and then I came like I was said like God I I don't want to go back I want to be there I want to be with you and then because it's not time not time yet so he I kind of went back into my body and you know the feeling was like me like a clean clean person goes into into the into the mod that's how I got in into my body like why the thing is that God instantane can change us instantaneously you know the the the um robber or banded on the cross with Jesus when Jesus told him you're going to be today you're going to be with me in in Paradise I believe that's what happened to his heart and that's how he became clean like right away and I was but we if we live we have to actually fight to get this and I thinking why you know also like a little bit later I I was also like I was praying and I like like Holy Spirit came to my heart I felt that that Purity that that that righteousness in my heart and I I'm praising the Lord I see that's I'm ready to go to heaven right now and at the same time I I'm thinking I'm I'm thinking about uh our church I'm thinking what's going on in the church this misunderstandings and all that stuff and I was thinking like I'm just repented I'm already ready and they just been Christians for 20 30 years and they still have this yeah and as soon as I thought that all the righteousness went away right away you know that's a very big danger with God can do changes in instantaneously dangerous pride comes into our heart and that's why God needs to work with us for many many years before we learn how to how to deal with that you know CS Lewis once said he wrote the Christian writer I don't know if you have seen Chronicles of Narnia that he wrote that that book so sometimes God lets us to to be into to dwell into lesser sins in order to save us from the biggest sin of all from Pride sometimes the pride is the biggest of them all yeah God can Deliver Us from all sins we we we not we not supposed to be held by sin but are you ready to receive it are we ready in our heart to give all the glory to God and not thinking oh I'm better than him you know when I became Christian I had a lot of Temptations in my heart even like on mental on my in my in my head and my thought level you know I was raised up not in Christian family I was I was uh in the world and when I I became Christian all those bad words the Satan just get into my heart repeated all those bad words toward God I was going like everywhere I was shaking my head no no no I don't want to think that it's not me I don't want to thing and I couldn't even I couldn't do anything about it also when I read started to read the Bible I read that the verse that everything is clean to whatever you eat everything is clean but uh if you doubt if you have doubt in your heart that is unclean for you and the devil got me there says yeah everything is clean but you don't but you have doubt it's not clean for you and I think yeah really I have I have I got that doubt and I couldn't eat a lot of things like people like why don't you eat because I said it's not clean for me I know it's clean but it's not clean for me and couple years when by like maybe year year a little bit more than a year went by when I came to the Army and when in Army you know you always hungry whoever was in in the Army especially in the beginning you always go hungry they gave us those um Kasha the porridge with the and at first time when you call to the Army you they give you this porridge you're like I don't eat that but a week week and a half goes by everybody that that a lot of the porage is gone because everybody's so hungry don't care what it is we just hungry and at that time I I I was so hungry I said devil I know it's it's clean I does I don't care about my doubt I I believe the God say it's clean and I start eating and at that times all the doubt came went away you know also it was so sometimes when I just became Christian it also was so bad for me like in a church you know when you see all this misunderstandings you you you think like what why am I even here and I see all this my my suffering inside of me I said like why am I even here in the church why am I Christian and I the devil told me like forget about it just go back and go back to your previous life but you know in one time actually when when I told you was those bad words was going into my head toward God and also this this bad word was toward Holy Spirit bad words in my head I heard the bad words toward Holy Spirit and I was thinking that time and I thought that thought I thought that's it I'm I'm I'm done there is no no repentance for me that's it and I was like like walking weeks like dead and then I was I was thinking I'm going to pray like a fast for three days like actually and just find out can I be even a Christian at all or I cannot and then that time God gave me peace God gave me like I understood it's that's not there was not me there was devil talking into my head if I wanted to read one more passage uh in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 vers verse 13 no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to Mankind and God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it you know when I thought it it said that I'm done when I thought I'll go back to my previous life and just forget about being Christian God came God gave me his peace God gave me his hope and I understood this is not the end this is not it you know God is the Bible says God is a good shepherd and sometimes the when we are the when the pastor is leading the sheep the Sheep don't know where they going they're just following the shepherd the Shepherds the Sheep sometimes don't even know what they need but the shepherd knows sometimes we don't know where we going what's going to happen next but all we need to do is to follow the shepherd and sometimes we don't need we don't know what we actually need in our hearts but God knows and God says the spirit is praying uh is uh praying for us with the groanings not even canot we cannot understand what what we're saying I think it's Romans 8 uh chapter 8 verse 26 Romans 8:26 believe in the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness we do not know what we ought to pray for but the spirit himself intercedes for us through worldless groans no I remember one time we were going to church when my kids were still little actually elanna was not even born yet the Dennis and Victoria were were like maybe like three four years old and Victoria too Victoria was older he was she was like four maybe five and you know when you go when you go with the kids to church especially small kids kids usually play around they and at that time they did not for some re we we started to pray with my wife and I don't even know why like how it happened and the kids were praying with us we praying in spirit we didn't know what's going to what's going on and it was quite a big traffic people the car was going like back to back and at that time ahead of us one car stopped all of a sudden everybody started to stop like very break hard and I knew like I I was right be right before that car was right before me I would not I knew in my head I would not have time to stop we all going like 55 miles an hour it was East like Road like 45 speed limit everybody going 55 and I break as much as I could and I I just closed my eyes like I know it's going to be like big bang but nothing happened I opened my eyes and my car was on the side of the road and the car was behind me was like on my spot I have no idea how it happened and then we probably understood why our children were not playing but praying it was God we didn't know what's going to happen we didn't know it's going to be about to be an accident and we would all of a sudden God just put on everyone's heart in our car to pray we don't know what we praying for we were praying in tongues and God children tried to repeat some kind of prayer I don't even know what they pray what they pray for but I think that at that time like angel of God came and just put our c car to the side that's the only explanation I couldn't get because I had no idea I know I didn't turn I was I was just breaking as hard as I can and then God God did the rest you know sometimes God puts suffering problems in our lives uh you know if you remember Apostle Paul he had a lot of suffering in his lives in one one of the chapters he to the church his in his letter to the church he he lists them all he was in in in the heart of the sea he was like Allah he was stoned he a lot of a lot of so he suffered a lot and even though he suff suffered a lot he still had a thorn in his flesh he said that the the the the messenger of Satan that also like make made him suffer even more and we don't know what it was like Bible doesn't say what it was Apostle Paul doesn't explain what it was and Paul says three times I asked the Lord to take it away and I think three times actually I heard it like some of the Bible scholar Scholars said three times it was not like was in last Monday then on Wednesday and then on Friday again I prayed this was not like he prayed last Monday and then he prayed again on Wednesday and on a Friday one more time it was three periods in his life that he was praying extensively with the fast and really really think seeking the faith of the Lord to to to get rid of that that thorn in his flesh you know that it was like you at first for when when he received that Throne he recognized it was messenger for Satan I think and you know the Apostle Apostle Paul when he he saw that the devil in others he just cast it away and he probably thought that the same thing I'm just cast it away and that's it and he trying to cast it away doesn't go trying again and he just commanding to go but it doesn't and he probably started praying and and fasting and God what's going on and God said enough that's because my power is made known in weakness because God knew that because Paul had so much so many Revelations and the pride was also dangerous for him too and that he he showed him that even though he could cast out demons from [Music] others he could not do it from himself you know at the end I wanted to tell one story you know there is a in Japanese culture there is um like a tradition it's not like a tradition it's more like um like art form know they uh they they make uh The Potters make very uh great very beautiful vessels from and it it it's not just one it's it's a form of art a lot of them do that a lot of artists do that it's very hard because if when they they achieve very very beautiful pot and they take it and they crush it and then they pick up the pieces and they put them together but not with glue but with molten gold melted gold and they put it together with melted gold and you know that vessel when it put together with that gold it cost a lot a lot more than when the new one that they just just just made first Peter 1: 6 and 7 1 Peter 1 verses 6 and 7 in all this you greatly re joice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of Trials this have come so that the proven genuiness of your faith of Greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may result in Praise Glory and Honor when when Jesus Christ is revealed [Music] you know God can give us righteousness as I said in the beginning in the in the blank of an eye God make can make us righteous but it's not as valuable as then after we God breaks us and then put us back together we have to be broken you know of course there's instances like this um Bandit with the Jesus Christ when we don't have time God will give us righteousness right away but it's a lot more valuable when we are broken that's why God we we suffer all kinds of Temptations and all kinds of suffering sicknesses sometimes anything in our life God wants to put us back together with c and then we will be a lot more valuable let's pray for fore fore for for for for for for for for praise be to Jesus Jesus Christ God was speaking to us amen I was listening to brother teras and he was preaching whatever I was supposed to preach today continu the theme that we uh continued for a few weeks already we reading the uh first letter of apostle Peter and today I'm going to share some thoughts about chapter 4 of course there is a lot of thoughts and you cannot share everything but as much as our Lord will allow it for our uh education and for our read first six verses for the verse we're going to be thinking about it's very important what all the word of God is important moment but this verse is very important in uh This Moment he opens up for us how do we live how do we have to live correctly how do you live according to the will of God very often the the believer ask a question what what should I do in order not to sin what do I do to know and and love God's will this this scripture opens up this secret for us and Apostle Peter says verse one because whoever suffers in in the body is done with sin whoever suffers in the body he stop sinning and you can say it in other words whoever is suffering with body stops sinning but the question is what does it mean uh before I was I thought that when the person has some kind of problem in his body some kind of pain in the body his hand hurts his leg hurts his liver hurts he stopped sinning and sometime passed and I understood it's not always that it's not always when we have pain in our body we stop sinning and I notice sometimes when we have a bad pain in our body we don't even have to have the strengths to pray and we when we don't pray we don't have strengths to overcome evil therefore what is the secret or what does it mean whoever suffers in the body stops [Applause] sinning and here it it's it's talking about our personal choice it doesn't even say what go is that God send something into your life like for example like to us said about Apostle Paul sometimes God sends that the pain in our body or some certain kind of problems in order to lead us in in the correct way that's one moment God knows what to send to to whom whoever loves him and for because we read whoever loves him everything work together for good but here in this moment it talking it's talking about our personal choice of suffering it says when that Jesus suffered for us in his body we have to arm our ourselves with the same thought and we have I want us to ponder about about it Jesus Christ suffered in his body for us therefore arm yourself with the same thought because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin verse two for what why as as the result that you do not live the rest of their Earthly lives for evil human desires but rather for the will of God and the question is what do we have to do what do we have to do first of all we have to arm ourselves with the same thought which Jesus had was armed himself but with with which thought Jesus Christ was armed he was armed with the thought that he has to suffer he he he was armed with the thought that he has to suffer to the end for the righteousness that's why it's so important to arm ourselves with that kind of thought how what does it actually mean to arm ourselves with a thought or um make up your your mind or your attitude sometimes it tune our mind like you know sometimes we tune the guitar because if we not tuned into right thing different kind of problems come into our lives you go all kind of problems that people says it's it's in their head if the head is not tuned or made up the mind is not made up when when the guitar is not tuned nobody wants to listen to it and and our head is not tuned correctly nobody wants to listen to us and sometimes we think why the children don't listen to us why other people do not listen to us but where our when our head is tuned correctly we listen to ourselves and other people listen to us and person has a different kind of moments in their lives they we have to tune ourselves correct for example to go to school we have to tune our mind to to to study when you go to work you have to to make up your mind tune yourself into uh into going to work because if you go to work and not tune your mind toward it and I see it very often and sometimes people come to work but they not not ready to work they start to Grumble it's a hard and I don't know how to do this and it's too hot they they didn't tune their minds correctly I I know about myself when I go to work everything is normal even not even too hot but when the Saturday Sunday comes I don't know what what's happening starts to be so hot because I'm not tuned and I'm not ready to work at Saturday and Sunday what do I want to say about it it's brother and sisters very important to tune ourself for for the fact that we are children of God first of all if we tune our mind that we are children of God not just children of Peter Ivan or but we are children of God if we tune our minds toward understand that that we are believers and we Are Holy God's people and we if we tune our mind toward the fact that we are called by God you know our thoughts going to be different our ways our deeds will be totally different because tuned out our minds that's why Apostle Peter says that we have to arm ourselves with the same thought that Jesus armed himself Jesus Christ suffered and we have to be armed with the same thought for suffering for righteousness sake for Jesus Christ what kind of suffering did Jesus Christ have when he started his ministry we know the all the evil people evil Pharisees they persecuted him they wanted wanted to Stone him they wanted to push him from from from the mountain he they tried to catch him in his words they always persecuted him because hee he was preaching the truth because he was preaching about the heavenly father because he was preaching about kingdom of God he healed people he saved people and he forgave people and people wanted to destroy him to Stone him to death to for this I wanted to ask that question what would happen if Jesus Christ said the following oh okay if you don't like me preaching about the truth I'm not gonna I'm not going to preach if you don't like me preaching about the heavenly father I'm not going to do it again if you don't like that I open up sin then I'm not going to talk about it anymore what do you think would they persecute him would they would not persecute him and they would not crucify him so even though he Jesus was persecuted he continued to speak about truth and the same Apostle [Music] did and the same thing all the Christians during the whole history did the same thing and the Christians were suffering for for for for truth they were standing up for the pure truth even though they were persecuted apost Paul writes to Timothy second Timothy 21 the believer has two choices and there is no third first choice is to stand up for truth and preach the truth and be persecuted for the truth and for this going to be reward at the uh Reign reigning with Jesus Christ the second choices a Believer can make in their lives it's avoid the suffering for the truth not even talking about the truth do not open up the sin and in order to have peace with everybody but this will lead toward Eternal judgment this thing this way of life will lead the person to the internal judgment and the believer that tries to avoid the persecution for the truth they're more open towards sin the more open to the sin would crush them they more open toward um temptation of their own bodies because they're not protected they do not suffer anything they do not uh have have war with with anything they like don't have this thick skin or and when the Temptation comes the the believer or soall Believer cannot stand in verse four Apostle Peter says the following you know the people who left the world and came to to Jesus and repented they're totally different people and those people who were were their friends with in the world they don't understand what happened to this person yeah yesterday you stole with us yesterday you cursed with us yesterday you smoked with us you did some kind of adultery fornication with us yesterday and today he's not with us anymore they understand what what what what happened to you and they they they think we are crazy sometimes we happened to our head and it's written that those people Heap abuse upon us they they uh keep Abus on those people who follow Jesus Christ those who does don't live according to the customs of this world why because they already have a mind of Christ word of God says the following words of secondy Timothy 3:12 in fact everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted people who decided to follow Jesus Christ will be persecuted they will be persecuted in this world sometimes they're pers Ed at home regrettably sometimes they're persecuted in church not from everybody but from some people why because in in in church sometimes there are different fleshly Christians they say how can't you live like this like you you cannot do this you cannot do that every everybody does it and they mock them in their own circles maybe they should Point their fingers but we have to understand one thing whoever is suffering for Christ's sake will re also reign with him doesn't matter who mocks you that the most important thing to stand on the word of God and and Fight For Truth for the truth I I think everyone had the situation that we were mocked and people did not understand why do you behave certain way but God gives us strength to overcome all of it as I said before the Christians always suffered they were always mocked and persecuted but Peter in verse five Comforts us but they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead we don't want so for them to give account we don't want them to be on a judge on the in court on God's Court that's why we preach to them and we we we offer them the truth to get to know Jesus Christ but if they do not if they refuse to accept Jesus Christ then Peter tells them and us that the end will come one day our suffering will come to the end to it's not going to be for eternity but we have to stand on truth you know that verse six Peter tried to wrap it up with with the verse you know this interesting verse and uh it's hard to to understand and the scholars has have disputes about this verse because I'm not a scholar so I don't have no problem with it and it says the the gospel was preached to dead and they repented and they now believers there is there is um doctrine that about the place that when you go when you die you go to the place that you can still repent there but we have to understand one simple thing the word of God does not contradict itself we have to uh understand even harder places of scripture we uh explain the harder harder passages with the simpler ones we understand one thing when the person is given a life it it's given to him one time and the word of God says and then what this death and judgment and we understand when the person leaves their bodies they don't have a chance to repent anymore and there is no chance for for repentance there is no reason to preach the gospel what does it mean that means that the gospel which we hear right now was preached to the people who are already dead the same scripture the same gospel was preached to the living people but they received death according to the by their bodies why because they they were put to death for the truth may they maybe they they they burned them or or crucified them for Jesus Christ why because they are standing for the truth and for Jesus Christ and it is written that today they live uh Godly by by by spirit I will finish but on this thought this to today's uh next time we will continue we have a few minutes if somebody has uh something to say or question no what [Music] for my anybody else when Jesus Christ suffered and the end result he was crucified when the believer suffers for Christ it's he the person becomes stronger against the sin against their own uh wants and he is Jesus is the best example for us because he suffered he suffered to the death yeah for com any anybody has any anything to add please my for mhm p for foree for the for am for