Embracing the Hard Things on the Narrow Path

For some of you, this might be a tricky question to start out with. Do you remember what it was like to grow up as a child? I see some of our younger adults shaking their heads pretty fervently. How many of you can think back with me to our younger years and the challenges that we faced growing up? Growing up from an immature child to a mature adult wasn't always easy, was it?

I remember, I'll share a little bit with you. Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite me. I remember being in sixth grade and receiving a progress report that was sent home to my parents. Written on the progress report were the words, Michael has a difficulty with accepting personal responsibility for his actions.

I remember this still very clearly as if it was just a few years ago because I was one that did like to shift blame and I didn't like to get in trouble. I didn't like to be the one that was the one disciplined. And so if there was an opportunity to drag somebody else down with me or throw somebody else underneath the bus, I would take it. If kids were laughing in the classroom or doing things that they shouldn't be, and I was with them doing that and we all got in trouble, yeah, I had a difficulty accepting personal responsibility for my actions. It's still funny to this day. It's funny how, thankfully, we mature and we grow up. I would hope that I still don't have this issue or that people don't call me out on it. But it's amazing that, and thankfully, we do grow from a lot of our childish behaviors as we continue to mature. Maybe you can remember challenges that you had growing up. Maybe there were things that you had to overcome or to learn as a child in order to become a better and more rounded person as a teen and then later as an adult. Consider for a moment this illustration by Charles Swindoll. He said, I love babies. I think it's a delightful and enjoyable experience to watch babies grow up and to become little people, little men and women, adolescents and functioning persons. But you and I know that there are some things about little babies that are not very attractive. We humor them because they're babies. Here's a list of things. They are dependent and demanding. They are unable to feed themselves. They are unable to stay out of messes. They love to be the center of attention. They are driven by impulses such as hunger, pain or sleep. They're irritated when they're dirty even though they made the mess and you've got to clean it up. They have no manners, no control. They have little attention span, no concern for others, no abilities or skills.

And he goes on to say, now these are natural things that are part of babyhood, but when you see adults with those characteristics, something tragic has happened. Something terribly unfunny. The Christian who is not interested in growing wants to be entertained. He wants his way and he's going to get it no matter how many he will have to disrupt to get it. I thought that was an interesting illustration. I share this because growing up in a physical and developmental sense is hard. Sometimes it's easier just to pause and to stop growing. It appears to be less painful and maybe even more comfortable for some. But if we're honest with ourselves, we know it's not really what's best for each of us to stop growing or to stop developing. As any child does on a daily basis, we must continue to grow in a physical sense because we can't stop that biological process that God has designed for mankind. But as we grow physically, we must also grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well. Another illustration, this one is from H.A. Ironside from, I believe it was his book, Act Like Men. He says this, he says, Whatever you see Christians fussing, quarreling about their own rights, complaining because they are not properly recognized or because people do not greet them as they think they should, or because they do not get enough applause for what they do, or put it down as the baby spirit coming out, the mature man in Christ is indifferent to praise or to blame. May God deliver us from our baby-ness. And he says, If you are living for God, people cannot slight you because you will not let them. It will not make any difference to you. So what about you and me? Does it ever feel like it's hard as we continue to grow up in life? Do we ever feel like it's a challenge to continue to mature? I would consider myself as one who is continuing, still today, to grow. Each of us are continuing to live a life where, hopefully, we are continuing to grow spiritually and grow closer to God. But it's not always easy, is it? Let's open our Bibles today, looking at Matthew 7 and verse 13.

Matthew 7 and verse 13 and 14.

Here we're given an admonition by Jesus Christ Himself.

Here in Matthew 7 and verse 13, He says, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. It's hard work for you and I to be a Christian. It always has been, and it always will be. So today, with the time I have with you, let's consider how, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we must embrace and overcome the difficult things we face on the narrow path to eternal life. How we must, with the power and the help of the Holy Spirit, how we must embrace and overcome the difficult things we face on the narrow path to eternal life.

Again, it's hard work to be a Christian. It always has been. We can read through the book of Acts and see the hardships that the apostles faced right from the get-go, right from being sent out by Jesus Christ to go and to share the gospel message throughout the world. They were persecuted. They were attacked for the message that they shared. They ran out of town after town for just showing up and sharing what God had told them, what Jesus Christ had told them himself, and the example that he had given to them. They were beaten. They were thrown into prison. We could be here all day reading through these accounts from Acts of just what they went through. But let's just read Paul's own summary of the things that he faced separate from the other apostles that were sent out. This is in 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 24. 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 24. It's a passage that when we feel like we've been beat up, when we feel like we've taken on the world and we've come through battered, I often like to go to this passage and realize I haven't not only not suffered yet like Christ, but I also haven't suffered yet like Paul in a lot of the ways that he went through as he was continuing to share this gospel message of Jesus Christ. Here in 2 Corinthians 11 and 24, Paul says this about himself. From the Jews, five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep. And journeys often, and perils of water, and perils of robbers, and perils of my own countrymen, and perils of the Gentiles, and perils of the city, and perils in the wilderness, and perils in the sea, and perils among false brethren. And weariness and toil and sleeplessness often, and hunger and thirst and fastings often, and cold and nakedness.

But then, after going through this whole description of everything that he went through, he ends up in verse 28 saying this. Why he was willing to do all these things. He says, besides the other things, so he didn't even list everything that he had gone through. He says, what comes upon me daily? And he says, my deep concern for all the churches. That's why Paul was willing to go through so much in his life, because of this love and this deep concern for all the churches. Which in turn, all God's people who were being called, all God's people who were being worked with in those churches. That's why he did these things. So how did Paul do this? How did he endure through all these hardships and continue the work he was instructed to do? How are we to do the work we have been commissioned to do together and also as individual people of God? In order to do this work, it's simple. It really is. It takes putting on the character of Christ. Simple, right? Putting on the character of Christ. That's all it is that we have to do.

You and I, as we continue to do this, as we go through life, we know that developing the character of Christ is hard. You and I are to live as Christ lived. We are to think as Christ thought. We are to handle our lives and our interactions with others as Christ did. How does God work with us? Often, it's by Him allowing us to face those difficult situations, those hard things of life. And then seeing how do we handle ourselves in them. What do you and I do when life gets challenging? What do we do when we stub our toe or we don't know exactly what's the best approach to something?

If we try to tackle these situations on our own, often we fall short. We know we must draw close to God and ask Him for His help and His guidance. Then with that guidance in our lives and with the Holy Spirit working powerfully within us or with us if we're not yet baptized, we are able to respond to the situation in a way that God would, in a way that Christ would.

This is putting on the character of Christ as we read about in Romans chapter 13. Romans 13 and verse 14 is where we'll turn to next.

Romans 13 and verse 14. Here again, the Apostle Paul says this. He says, Romans 13 and verse 14, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The other way that you could phrase this, he says, Clothe yourself. To put on. To clothe oneself with the Lord Jesus Christ. As if you or I were going to come to church and we put on our church clothes today, or if we're going to go to work and we have a uniform we wear, or if we're certain attire that's expected there, if you go to school, I know my daughter has a uniform that she's expected to wear.

So you take these steps to clothe yourself, to put on what that expectation is. And as we see here, Paul says, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. One chapter earlier in Romans 12 and verse 1, we see what putting on Christ involves. This is a weighty passage. One that we could spend our entire lives studying and still be able to glean, because there is so much weight in what we are encouraged and admonished by the Apostle Paul to do here, which is all representative of Jesus Christ.

Romans 12 and verse 1, he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, giving up of ourselves, giving up of our own will, what we think is right, what we think is fair, and just giving that up as a living sacrifice, holy, which means set apart for God's work. God is the only one who can note something as being holy. So if he says that we are to be holy, that is set apart, and it is because he makes us holy. It says acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

That is one of my favorite words throughout God's Bible right here in this passage, reasonable service. Not going above and beyond, not going and just scoring perfect straight A's on your report card. He is saying this is reasonable. This is that expectation of how we carry ourselves. He goes on to say, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

So we have to ask ourselves now, what does this transformation look like for you and for me? It's honestly doing the hard things that don't always come easy or natural to each one of us. It's putting on, again, the character of Christ. He goes on in verse 3 to say, For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

And he goes on to say in verse 9, and this is where the rubber meets the road again, Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor of giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, not tiring ourselves out, he's pretty much saying, not getting blindsided or distracted, as we heard about in the sermonette. It's amazing how the messages have blended this afternoon. He goes on to say, not lagging in diligence, in verse 11, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality, bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, be of the same mind towards one another, do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.

Not to get too big for our britches, it's pretty much in modern vernacular. Do not be wise in your own opinion, repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.

He finishes up by saying, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This is the mind of Christ and the example he demonstrated when he walked the earth as man. We read through this list and at times it can be daunting to think of how tremendous this list is. Now, this is the transformation that we are to have in our hearts. This is the mark that Christ set and what we each have to strive for.

Like I said, it is easy, right? Putting on Christ, it is easy. It is a challenge. Truth be told, it is hard. This is how we are to think, how we are to be transformed to live our life. But this is the character of Christ. And with the power of the Holy Spirit, achieving the character outlined in this passage is not only possible, but it is necessary for Christians who are to be overcomers.

From Revelation, you can put in your notes, Revelation 21 verse 7. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. He who overcomes, that is you and me as we continue to put on Christ, and to live this life, we will become overcomers. But we have to take those steps. I had in my notes here, we are going to turn to Galatians 5 next, but we have already covered that in the sermonette.

So I will just reference it for, you can put in your notes, Galatians 5 verse 16, because we have another daunting list here. Again, another one that we could study for the remainder of our life, and still strive to work towards, and never necessarily get it perfect, because he says, in Galatians 5 verse 16, he says, I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And then in verse 22, he gets into the fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, again, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such there is no law, and those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. It's not just enough to proclaim ourselves to be Christian. It's not enough just to proclaim that we believe in Christ, but as we saw in Romans, and as we see here in Galatians, there's works that we are to do. Not to earn salvation. That's not the point. We do it because we're commanded to. We do it because of the love that we have for God, and the way that he said that we are from the grace that we're given through Christ's sacrifice, this newness of life that you and I walk in because of our Savior giving His life, and our Father who set that process in place and started it.

That's why we want to put on a new mind. That's why we want to be clothed in Christ. It's to fulfill these aspects of living a renewed and a different life. As we live life and as we mature, we must see fruit developing in our lives by the working of God's Holy Spirit. Like the list we read in Romans, some aspects of the fruit of the Spirit come more naturally for us.

They just naturally do for some of us. Some of these things are easier for us to exhibit than others. We all know people who are naturally peaceable, naturally joyful. It's just who they are, and it almost like it oozes out of them. We also know those who have a strength in the area of gentleness and kindness. What a blessing to have that as a gift and something that just kind of comes naturally.

But other aspects are really hard for you and me sometimes. Long suffering. I can't put that at the top of my list. My teacher in sixth grade could have probably put that on my progress report as well. Long suffering. She did put on the next one. Self-control. She put that on my progress report. These aspects of really loving people in the Greek agape love that is used in that verse in Galatians 22 can at times be very difficult to do. We have to look inward and examine how much we personally are emulating Christ in each of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we're allowing to be in our hearts and in our minds. What makes Christianity hard for us sometimes? Let's look at 1 John 5 and verse 2.

What makes Christianity hard for us sometimes?

1 John 5 and verse 2.

Let's actually start in verse 1.

1 John 5 and verse 1.

The apostle John says, Wait. Didn't I just say that Christianity is hard? I did. I said it's hard. Why do we then struggle if the commandments are not a burden? It's pretty straightforward. We, you and I, we are the weak link in this process. Our own human nature makes Christianity hard. Sometimes it seems we can't even get out of our own way when we try. Loving someone, caring for someone, helping someone, giving up things for someone. All of this can be hard because it goes straight against our own human nature. It just does. As much as we can become calloused or desensitized towards sin that exists in our life, we can become calloused towards the physical, emotional, or spiritual needs of others in our midst.

Each of us needs love shown towards us. I don't need a show of hands to see everybody would agree with that. We each need love shown towards us. We each need patience shown towards us. We need gentleness shown towards us. I know I have a hundred percent agreement with everybody here that these are things that we want, things that we need in our lives. And there are so many other things that we need shown towards us because we are weak at times and our human nature rears its ugly head. We need the patience and gentleness of others when our own nature pushes forward at times. One of the hardest parts of Christianity is being able to be on the giving sides of these things that people need from us. I just went through this list and said, these are all things that we want. These are all things that we really need in our lives. But to be on the giving side of that is what makes Christianity hard. As much as we need these things, others do as well. How do we do it giving others the love that they need? Not what we think they need, but truly what they need. How do we do it giving others the patience that they need? How do we do it being gentle with someone who needs our gentleness in their life? We recognize that we need these things. Do we recognize that others need these things from us? Christianity is hard sometimes. How hard is it to love the seemingly unlovable? How hard is it to be joyful in trial or tribulation? How hard is it to exhibit peace in the midst of a challenging relationship? How hard is it to suffer long with those who upset us? How hard is it to be kind to someone behaving unkindly? How hard is it to exhibit the goodness of God with those who choose evil over good? How hard is it to be faithful when our faith is tested? How hard is it to be gentle with one whose words are sharp? How hard is it to exhibit self-control when temptation stands right before us? Christianity is hard sometimes. While we recognize that Christianity is hard, what must we do to be the overcomers that were admonished to become? First and foremost, we must recognize that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. And what a powerful gift this is! This gift of God's Spirit gives us a power that can transform our life unlike anything else in the universe. Again, I'm preaching to the choir this afternoon. Jesus Christ himself told the disciples about what they would receive and, again, what they were to then do in Acts 1 and verse 6. Acts 1 and verse 6. God the Father and Jesus Christ, we're not going to just leave the disciples and the later become apostles. We're not just going to leave them unequipped to go do this mighty work, but not to give them what they needed to be able to do it. That's not the Father that you and I serve, nor has He done this to you and me. But here in Acts 1 and verse 6, it says, "...therefore when they had come together, they asked Him..." This is Christ saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Because that would have been easy. That would have been simple. Everything just happened. Christ was crucified. He's now resurrected. They believe. They know He's the Son of God.

And now is the time to bring home the bacon, right? Come on, bring the kingdom, because then this takes care of everything else.

And He says to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But He says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria. And here's where it gets close to home for us and to the ends of the earth. This is our calling as well. "...Now when He had spoken these things which they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Imagine those marching orders when you're hoping that this is going to usher in the kingdom of God, that Christ had come to do this. And then He leaves you with these words, and then He departs. And you're left, I guess, holding what's left of life, saying, okay, where do we go from here?

What does this look like? And just like you and I, when we placed our hand to that plow of baptism, we had no idea where our life was going to go. We had no idea the challenges that we would face because of that. I'm so thankful that God doesn't show us those things, because you know what? I might have ran.

I think each of us would probably have a similar idea that if we knew that going walking this walk and taking these steps, while at most of the time, it's the most amazing gift that we have been given, to have this understanding, to have our minds open, to have God's trust and have His support behind us when we go through the tough things in life, we'd never say that I don't want that.

It's a huge blessing. But He didn't show us the hard times that we'd have to go through. He didn't say the difficulties and spell them all out, because I think if He had told me, I would have said, I can't do this. This is more. There's no way. This is too much. And imagine for the disciples when they heard these words, No, the kingdom's not coming, but I'm going to give you the helper. I'm going to give you a power.

I'm going to give you the Holy Spirit that will come up on you, and then, just like you and I today, then you'll go and do these mighty works, these mighty things.

I think a powerful example of what God's Spirit can do that we have recorded in God's Word is the example of the Apostle Peter. We have, thankfully, my whole story before and after baptism isn't captured in God's Word like the Apostle Peter's is, but the Apostle Peter, we have a before and an after. Peter was an impulsive and outspoken disciple before receiving the Holy Spirit. One example of this is right after Jesus described His upcoming death, and this is in Matthew 16. You can begin turning there.

This just shows the glory of God and the power of His Spirit that each of us have as we've committed our lives to Him, and what a blessing to have that. There'd be no way we'd go back on that. No way that we would ever ask not to have it, because we see the power and the transformation that you and I have been able to do because of that Spirit in our lives. But here in Matthew 16 and verse 21, this is right after Jesus described His upcoming death and the events that would lead up to it. Peter impulsively jumps in here. You see, Matthew 16 and verse 21. It says, From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up the third day.

And here comes an impulsive Peter at this moment. Says, He took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Jesus Christ took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, that this should not happen to you. But then Christ turned and He turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. And then not soon after this account that we have here, there's another account in Luke chapter 22 and verse 54 that we're all very familiar with.

Luke 22 and verse 54. This is a well-known passage of Peter denying knowing Christ three times, to the point of utterly even denying Him. Some translations say, Luke chapter 22 and verse 54. He says, Here, having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.

And this is where Peter said, I'm not going to deny knowing you. I'm not afraid to stand up for you. Remember, without the Holy Spirit, He says these things. He brought Him into the high priest's house, but Peter followed at a distance. Now, when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

This is one of those passages I try, I can visualize in my head, almost as if it's a movie, because it's so well described here. There's a fire and others are sitting around, chatting about what's been going on, who was arrested, probably. And it says, In a servant girl seen Him as He sat by the fire, she probably had seen Him other times, because it says, She looked intently at Him.

I know you from some place, she was probably thinking. This man was also with Him. Ah, it is! I do recognize. This man was also with Him. But here in 57, it says, But He denied Him, saying, Woman, I do not know Him.

And after a little while, another saw Him and said, You also are of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not! Matthew 22, verse 72 says, I do not know the man. Verse 59, he says, Then after about an hour had passed, so now he's probably calming down a little bit. Maybe he's even moved, shifted to another place, because these people were calling Him out.

It says, Now after an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, Surely this fellow also was with Him, for He is also a gilean. But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying. And immediately while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

Matthew 26, verse 74 describes it a little bit more in detail. It says, Then he began to curse and swear. This is Peter. He began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. And this is that part that gives me chills every single time I read it.

Luke 22, verse 61, because I put myself in Peter's shoes. I'm not perfect. None of us are. But this part always gives me chills. Luke 22, verse 61, And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Could you imagine the disappointment? Because Christ already told him, You'll deny me. You'll do it. And he says, No, I won't. And then when push comes to shove, he did. And I envision, like, here you're still around that fire. Others have done this. And you can see Christ off into the distance. Peter was keeping an eye, trying to understand and wonder. And imagine at that very moment, Christ looking up to you or to me. And he looked at Peter. And then that's when it hit home. Peter remembered the words of the Lord. How he had said to him, Before the rooster crows, You will deny me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Some Christians, after having an experience like this, may quit religion altogether. Some may say, I'm not cut out for this calling. Exhibit A. Look at my life. I cannot even follow through on my own words. Not only that, but I was completely out of control. Cursing, swearing. Sometimes we don't live the life we've been called to live. Sometimes we don't love others like Christ and the Father loves us. But Peter never quit on Christ. And Christ didn't quit on Peter. We see in John 21, verse 15, a passage where Jesus Christ gives Peter his marching orders. John 21, verse 15, After everything that happened, as bad as Peter obviously felt, Christ didn't quit on Peter. John 21, verse 15. This is after his Christ's death in burial. This is after he was resurrected by the Father. He says these things to Peter, John 21, verse 15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. See, this is where in our human nature we'd say, yeah, but you ran out. Don't you remember what you did? Don't you remember that you denied me? Because I'm calling you out on it now. That's human speak. That's human thoughts. But God sees the heart, and he knows where we can go, and he knows what he's enabled us, you and me, to be able to do, so that we can read through the passage in Romans. We can read through Galatians. And we can say that we can do those things if we let Christ live within us, if we let the power of his Spirit work within us. Because here Christ says to Peter, again, breaking into the passage in verse 15, he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And then Christ said to him, feed my lambs. And he said to him a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, tend my sheep. And he said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? Maybe he even thought back to when he denied him other things coming up and he goes, does he ask me this because he doesn't believe? But he says, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.

With all the shortcomings that Peter had exhibited, Christ still gave Peter the commission to care for those that God would call after he departed from the disciples. And then we have the after effect, though. A short time later, after the Holy Spirit was given to him, Peter gave one of the most powerful sermons we have recorded on the actual day of Pentecost, which ended up moving 3,000 people to commit their lives to God, and these people were baptized. Let's turn ahead to just a couple pages, Acts 2, verse 22. Let's read some of the account of the sermon that Peter gave.

This man that had struggles, this person that wasn't living the full life that he could, because at that time he didn't have God's Spirit. He believed, but he didn't have the help of the Holy Spirit. But then after, we see what he could do. Acts 2, verse 22, he gives this amazing sermon. Men of Israel, hear these words.

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

When they had heard this, they were cut to the heart. Just as Peter was cut to the heart, when Christ obviously looked up at him, and they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted him, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

I'll have to meet Peter someday. I want to hear in his own words some of these accounts that we have recorded. So I don't say this slightly, and I think if he was here, he would agree. Peter, the weak, cowardly disciple, was transformed into a strong, bold teacher and testifier of the Gospel of Christ. No longer was Peter one who was ashamed or afraid of being persecuted. He boldly spoke of sin and the power of living a transformed life. The disciples who were greatly displeased over who could sit at Christ's right and left hands, the disciples who ran in fear when Christ was arrested in the garden, these disciples would later become mighty in faith, powerful in works, and completely devoted to the calling they had received.

Let's hope ahead just a couple. Go ahead and read this, Acts 5 and verse 12, because it speaks to what they were able to do with that transforming power of God's Spirit living in them.

What you and I are able to do, that hard aspect of being a Christian, it's hard. But you and I are able to do that because of God's Spirit living inside us.

This is the works that those disciples were able to do. Acts 5 and verse 12. It says, And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people. How many times do you and I stand out because of the power of God's Spirit working inside of us? How many times have we been told there's something different about you? Why did you not lose your temper? Why did you treat that person with that love?

They don't fully understand it, but they know that there's something different.

In verse 14, it says, And believers were increasingly added to the Lord multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at least a shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormenting, and by unqueen spirits, and they were all healed.

Christianity remains hard, but we have a Savior who overcame all that this world threw at Him, and left us an amazing and perfect example to follow.

Let's look at Peter's own words in 1 Peter 2 and verse 20.

Again, I can't wait to meet Peter.

I think he'll give the most amazing sermon on transformation, of letting God's Spirit work in them, just like we all do at times. We share parts of our past. We say, Yeah, I was the one that had a hard time taking personal responsibility for my actions in sixth grade.

Peter's words and his experiences and his life is captured for our edification in this Bible.

And he won't be... I don't think he'll be too upset when he realizes this someday, because he sees the transforming Spirit power that he had in him, and he saw the works he did later. He had to forget those things which were behind him and move forward. And here in his own words in 1 Peter 2 and verse 20, he says this, For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled did not revile in return, and when he suffered he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. Remember, Revelation 3 verse 21 again. Put that into your notes, because this is the promise from our Lord and Savior. Revelation 3, 21. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. Again, Revelation 3, 21. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

So we begin to wrap up today. We have an opportunity to stir up, to fan the flames of the Holy Spirit within us more effectively, to be more efficiently focused on the aspects of Christianity that are hard for us. Removing the old clothing of our human nature and putting on the nature of Christ is hard. We live in a physical world, and we ourselves are physical beings, but we have been called by God to a higher calling, higher than anything else on this earth.

We have had our minds open to a priceless truth that provides blessing with this truth lived in our lives. But loving one another as God has loved us is our calling. It's the narrow path to eternal life. From time to time, we will have disagreements with one another, just as even the disciples did. What family doesn't?

But we must be overcomers. We must fight internal feelings that cause us to want to draw away from one another. We must remember the calling that we have each received, the calling to be family. And we must remember that we each have received God's Spirit, which is the glue that truly unites each of us as children of God. The coming of the Holy Spirit dramatically changed the lives of the early Christians and the apostles in the Book of Acts. After His transformation, Peter wrote an admonition for us to live the new life we have been called to live. This is in 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. Just back one page. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. The Apostle Peter says, Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. As a lamb without blemish and without spot, He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one not one another fervently with a pure heart. Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever because all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flowers of the grass, the grass withers and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which, by the Gospel, was preached to you. We have the Spirit of God, His essence dwelling inside our hearts and in our minds. When you encounter the hard things of life, when you encounter the challenging aspects of loving others, pray for that strength. Draw on the power that God provides. Fight the urge to give in to your own nature. Seek peace and harmony among our brothers and sisters. God's gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost made it possible for the Church to fully express God's commandment of love. May we grow in this type of love for God and our brothers and sisters. Because if we do, then Christianity won't be hard for us at all.