Good Wednesday morning.

Well, on Monday, we looked at the topic of suffering, namely the divine design behind

suffering.

What is God doing inside of us when trials hit?

That was APJ 1852.

God is the great physician.

He knows how to use pain in our lives to kill inside of us the sin that robs us of the

greatest pleasures, namely enjoying Christ as our greatest treasure.

That Monday episode was a deep exploration into why suffering is not paradoxical to the

joy aims of Christian hedonists.

As a compliment to that episode, I want to play for you a sermon clip today, one that

stands out to me.

In this clip, Pastor John explains how to prepare for suffering.

If we're going to suffer well, what groundwork must happen inside of us first?

This is a crucial point to be made with principles drawn for Paul's own ministry in Philippians

chapter 3 verses 1-11.

Here's Pastor John to explain the text.

You know this list, don't you?

He's listing off his distinctives that as an unbeliever, he really enjoyed.

Some sounds on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew

of Hebrews.

That's a pedigree, which in the Jewish culture was simply awesome.

...