Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Dr. Paul David Tripp connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

If you ever need to speak to an individual or group of people that you don't know very well, and you want to speak a word that will apply to them, speak a word of encouragement or comfort. In today's episode,

we continue through the sermon series in First Peter, and today Paul looks at the encouraging

words that Peter has for Christians experiencing mockery, rejection, and persecution.

Here's Paul with the sermon, once for all.

Are you a person in need of encouragement this evening?

Maybe for all of us, the answer in some way is yes.

If you don't think that you're a person in need of encouragement, you are surely near someone

who is, and you will be that person someday soon.

I had a professor once tell me in seminary that if you ever want to speak, need to speak

to a crowd of people that you do not know, and you want to speak a word that will

apply, speak a word of encouragement or comfort. There is a way in which suffering is the

universal experience of all this side of eternity, because we do live in a broken world.

And Peter has been particularly talking about a certain type of suffering,

suffering because of your faith, suffering because of your stand for the gospel of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

And so this passage that we're looking at now that's there in your order of worship

is intended to be a passage of encouragement.

And I'm very concerned for us that as we look at this passage, which is a bit of a curious

passage, a passage has been the subject of lots of discussion, that you not lose sight of what

the passage is intended to do.

Peter would encourage the people that he's talking to by first pointing to the example of the Lord Jesus Christ,

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