Bible Study

The Gift of Eternal Life Berean Bible Study Course

PART III--The Way Of Serving God In Christ Jesus

E. Lesson 17--We Serve By Persevering

4. READ: PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30

c. What two blessings has God granted to us?

Answer: It has been granted to us on behalf of Christ to 1) believe on Him, but also 2) to suffer for Him, (verse 29).

MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

• In our modern language, we might say that putting on Christ in baptism, and living in and for Him, is a "package deal." We cannot have one (the blessing of believing on Him) without the other (suffering for Him). If Christians accept the reconciliation offered by God through the blood of Jesus Christ, but REFUSE to suffer for Him (or AVOID at all costs suffering for Him), then we are not willing to be disciplined by God, and we are then illegitimate children, and not true sons--we have no part in and with Christ and God and the Spirit, and we do NOT and CANNOT share in God's holiness:

Hebrews 12:7-11: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

• Persevering through and under hardships, sufferings, trials, tribulations, struggles, etc., is a gift, or privilege. Christian suffering, as well as faith (obedient belief), is a blessing. When Christians suffer, or are persecuted, for their faith, and for THE faith, this is a sign of the genuineness of their salvation. It means YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT, BECAUSE YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING GOD'S WAY!!

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5: "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering."

• Concerning being blessed for our suffering, as well as for our faith, and the rewards promised:

Matthew 5:11-12: [Jesus said,] "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Acts 5:41-42: [After being arrested for preaching the Gospel, being thrown into jail, being released by an angel of the Lord, going back to the temple courts to preach to the people again, being forcibly brought before the Sanhedrin by soldiers, being questioned by the high priest, almost being put to death, being flogged, and being ordered not to speak in the Name of Jesus,] "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ."

Acts 14:21-22: "They [Paul and Barnabas] preached the Good News in that city [Derbe] and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said."

2 Corinthians 1:3-7: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."

James 1:2-4: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

1 Peter 1:3-9: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

1 Peter 2:18-21: "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps."

1 Peter 4:12-19: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that 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 the family of God; 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."

Revelation 2:10-11: [Jesus said,] "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death."