Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

I’ve heard it said that a preacher’s job is comparable to that of a chef. The goal of a chef is to serve a good-tasting, enjoyable, sustaining meal. In order to do that he or she needs to spend time in both the kitchen and the dining room. It is in the kitchen that the right ingredients need to be selected, cut, pealed, mixed and otherwise prepped. Combined, they need to be cooked for the right amount of time at the right temperature. You get the idea. Once the meal is fully ready, the chef brings it out to be served in the dining room. Much of what it took to get the meal to the point of being ready to be served never leaves the kitchen and is often unknown to the one who will eventually eat it. And yet, as anyone with any culinary knowledge understands, some knowledge of the kitchen-work of a good chef only serves to enhance the enjoyment of the meal. Again, preaching is a lot like that.

Throughout the week I spend many hours preparing what I serve you on Sunday morning; much of which you never hear about. Every week, for your sake, I have to decide how much of my prep work to share with you and how much to leave out. While occasionally interesting, things like word studies and arguments between commentators often distract from your ability to appreciate the meaning and implications of the text. My aim is to share enough for you to see all the glory and meaning of the text, but not enough to unnecessarily bog you down.

I’m telling you all of this now because we need to spend a bit more time in the kitchen than usual this morning. There’s a connection in our text that is remarkably significant, but also somewhat hidden. By spending a bit more time behind the scenes I think you’ll see a lot more glory and find a lot more help for obedience. Let’s pray, then, that God would make it so.

THE CONTEXT

This primary text for this sermon is the second half of 1 Peter 4:11, “… in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” This brief passage gives us two simple—yet all-of-life-encompassing—points: 1) God’s people must glorify God in all things, 2) Because all glory is God’s. Let’s back up for just a few minutes before pressing into these.

All of 1 Peter is meant to instruct the persecuted Church on how to navigate persecution in a manner pleasing to God. The sum total of all Peter’s instructions amount to this: God’s people suffer well when we view our suffering through the lens of the gospel, make decisions in our suffering in light of the gospel, and seek to put the saving and transforming power of the gospel on display when we suffer. The rest of the letter, once again, is meant to explain how to do that in different ways and in different situations.

Thus, under that banner and as a means to that end, in 4:7-11 we find four commands flowing from a particular reality. The reality is that Peter’s readers were living (as are we) at a point in history in which “the end of all things is at hand”. The commands that flow from that reality are: 1) Be self controlled and sober minded, 2) Love one another above all,

Numbers 21:4-9 – From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Good morning, my name is Mike Maruska and I’m a member here.

If you are a guest, we welcome you. I hope you are able to get a taste of why so many of us love this church and we would invite you to stick around for a few minutes after service to give us a chance to meet you. Pastor Dave is on a well-deserved rest this weekend. I’m grateful for the chance to preach again this morning.

For those who were here last week Pastor Dave exhorted us to use our gifts to edify the church and that one way to know what our gifts are is whether people are blessed by them. I know for my family and for many of you that we as a church have been thoroughly blessed by Dave’s pastoral and preaching gifts. Dave faithfully expounds the glories of whatever passage he’s in for our benefit. It reminds me of a story I heard about another pastor. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a famous pastor in London during the 1930’s-1960’s. Many would consider him the greatest preacher of the 20th century. It was said about him that each week he would say in his sermon something to the effect of, “This may be the most important sermon I have to preach”. The apparent reason was that he would so immerse himself in his studies during the week that he had a holy burden to share it with his people. Do you notice how often Dave says similar things? “Do you see it Grace? Grace, you have to get this. Grace, write this down. Don’t miss this Grace!” He is in his office all week, every week, digging, digging, digging for the treasure in every text. And when he finds it, he urgently wants us to see what he sees. We are really fortunate to have him as our pastor and I would encourage you to tell him the next time you have a chance. And tell him specific ways that you have seen his gifts at work. Write him a note. Give him a hug.

Before we get to our text, join me in prayer. Take a moment to thank God for Pastor Dave and then Let’s seek the Lord for help to understand this text, to hear what he wants of us and to respond rightly.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your church. When I was younger, I thought I knew how great your church is, and thought I understood it, but now I can see more clearly how glorious your church is. To the world it is an inefficient, even backwards way for your kingdom to grow, but it is beautiful. You graciously give your church everything we need to display your glory: Your Spirit, your word and your covenant people gathered together in love. Technology, advertising and man’s inventions cannot improve on your good design. And you give us people with gifts. We thank you for Pastor Dave and the way he willingly uses his gifts for our benefit and your glory. Would you be gracious enough to bless our church with 10 more years and beyond for pastor Dave to bless us and lead us as we all exercise our gifts for one another?

And LORD, we need your help to hear rightly from you. Grass withers and flowers fade, but your Word lasts forever.

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

PUELSTON INTRODUCTION

As you may have heard, Kyle and Johanna have finally received a referral for a five year old boy from Haiti. And as you know, adoption is often an expensive endeavor. Before the adoption process can continue the Puelstons are required to take a 15 day socialization trip to Haiti. All things included the trip will cost nearly $4000. As a church we have an amazing opportunity and responsibility to come alongside them in this.

James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

As Christians we want more than anything to honor God with our lives. In this simple passage, one simple means of doing so is made plain: visit orphans in their affliction. Not everyone is in a place to obey this command by taking in or adopting an orphan. The Puelstons are. Therefore, the rest of us get and need to help them in every way possible.

You will be hearing more about how to support them in prayer and finances in the near future. In the mean time, please feel free to bless them and their future son by making a donation HERE. Kyle will be providing a more personal update at the end of the service.

REFORMATION INTRODUCTION

As I mentioned last week, this year marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. While seeds for the Reformation were planted long before Martin Luther, the Reformation is generally thought to have begun with the publication of Luther’s 95 Theses. The 95 theses were a list of 95 formal, theological abuses Luther had witnessed in the Church. His aim in writing and distributing these was to stir debate and reform from within the Church. What actually followed went well beyond Luther and anything he could have imagined when he nailed his theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg.

Eventually, the battle cry of the Reformation came to be understood in terms of five “solas”. That is, the central convictions of Luther and the Reformers, and the main points of disagreement they had with the church at Rome, were identified by five main doctrines (solas):

* Sola scriptura (by Scripture alone).

* Sola Deo gloria (glory to God alone).

* Sola fide (by faith alone).

* Sola gratia (by grace alone).

* Solo Christo (through Christ alone).

To honor the importance of the Reformation I mean to give a very brief introduction for each of the five solas in the coming weeks. Last week I highlighted the first sola, sola scriptura. The point, in case you missed it, is that Scripture alone is the necessary, sufficient, and authoritative source of knowledge for life and godliness.

This week, then, I want to highlight a second sola, sola Deo gloria (glory to God alone). As you will certainly see, this fits very well with our text for this morning. In short, the heart of this sola is that all things exist for the glory of God. That is, everything we do, even things as mundane as eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31), and even things as significant as using our spiritual gifts t...

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning and welcome once again. Welcome to those of you who are regular attenders of Grace. And welcome to those of you who are guests. I hope you all leave here this morning with a greater understanding of and appreciation for the glory of God and the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. I hope you also leave here with a greater burden to order your entire lives around those things (God and the gospel).

Let’s pray that this would be so.

I mean to preach on 1 Peter 4:9 this morning. Before we get there, however, I want to remind our regular attenders and be upfront with our guests about something that’s especially significant, given the fact that today is Reformation Sunday and this year marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Right at the heart of the Reformation and right at the heart of Grace Church is the deep, deep conviction that the bible is the very Word of God, and is, therefore, entirely and uniquely authoritative, sufficient, and necessary to instruct us unto salvation in Christ, reveal God’s nature and will to us, strengthen us for obedience, and persevere us in faith until glory.

Nothing else is able to do those things for us. No worldly wisdom can do them. No stories from my life are able to accomplish them. No personal experience of your own is capable. No extra biblical books, godly individuals, church officers, artists, marketing specialists, philosophers, or events in Church history will do. God’s Word alone, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is sufficient for knowledge of life and godliness in Christ Jesus.

For this reason, it is our intention that every aspect of Grace Church be shaped by God’s Word; every event, every ministry program, every building decision, every relationship, every budget item, every everything.

Similarly, based upon that conviction, we mean for this entire service to be focused on God’s glory as revealed in his Word. All of the different elements of our service—the songs, the exhortations, the dedications, the readings, the prayers and times of prayer, the announcements, the sacraments, and the sermons—are meant to draw us to God in faith and awe as we encounter God’s revelation of himself in the bible and experience his presence among us.

As it relates to this portion of our service, the sermon portion, our conviction concerning the unique authority, sufficiency, and necessity of God’s Word means that the main sermon diet of Grace Church is what’s called expositional preaching. Week by week and verse by verse we work our way through a book of the bible. To this end, I have been preaching through 1 Peter over the past several months, landing in 4:9 this morning.

On the most down to earth, practical level, our understanding of the nature of God and his Word and the purpose of this gathering has an important negative and positive implication. Negatively it means that if you came here for a self-help, make me feel good, generic spirituality, everybody’s OK, God loves you on your terms, meet my felt needs, fix my life while I continue walking my own path, entertain me and my kids, type of experience, I imagine you’ll find the sermons (and services and ministries) here initially disappointing; for youR...

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

I imagine it’s easy for you to see the basic structure of this passage (which I laid out a bit more thoroughly last week). In light of the fact that the end of all things is at hand Peter issued four direct commands (giving a specific reason for three of them) and one foundational principle. Last week we looked at the first direct command and its specific reason (“be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers”). This week we’re going to look at the second command and reason (“keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins”).

Let’s pray, then, that above all God would make us a loving people in order that sins would be covered.

DIRECT COMMAND #2: ABOVE ALL, KEEP LOVING EARNESTLY

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly”

What is your understanding of love? How would you define it? Are you able to detect any significant differences between your operating understanding of love and that of the general culture around us? These are important questions to consider in light of the fact that the center of the command in front of us is love. If we are to have any hope of obeying it, therefore, we need to be clear on what love is.

There is certainly some nuance in the various uses of the term throughout the bible (and even different words translated as “love”), but I think the following verses capture well the overall message of the bible concerning love. The question to ask yourself as I read through them is, “is your current understanding of love able to accommodate for the various uses of the term?”.

1 John 4:16, 19 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him… 19 We love because he first loved us.

Matt 22:37-39 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Ephesians 5:2 Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…

John 3:16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world.

To summarize these passages: God is love. God loves his people. We must love God above all and our neighbor second. We are only able to this because God first loved us and put his love in us. We know what it means to love God and people by looking to the example of Jesus. If we claim to love God but do not love others, our claim cannot be true. If we claim to love God but love the world, our claim cannot be true. The greatest example of love, the primary means by which God expressed his love for his people, and the means by which we are able to love is the cross (God sending and Jesus willingly dying).

How’d you do? Does your current definition of love fit with these passages?

We’ve got to get this right, Grace. Love is such a central theme in the bible, and love is such a central theme in the passage we’re looking at this morning, that getting it wrong means getting a whole lot more wro...

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

This is my third sermon on this text. In the first I attempted to demonstrate Peter’s teaching (along with the rest of the bible) that right perspective, far more than “right” circumstances, is at the heart of honoring God in this life. I summarized Peter’s overall plea this way: As Christians, instead of trying hard to get out of our circumstances, we need to be trying hard to get the gospel into them.

Last week, then, in the second sermon on this text, we looked at the opening clause (“the end of all things is at hand”). Insodoing I suggested that these few words raise at least three crucial questions: 1) What did Peter mean by “the end of all things is at hand”, 2) Why did Peter share that perspective in this text, and 3) What practical difference does it make that the end of all things is at hand.

In answer to the first question we saw that the end of all things (or “the last hour” or “the last days” or “the fullness of time” or “the last times”) is primarily a NT idea referring to the period of time between Jesus’ first and second comings. Peter’s readers were living in that time; as are we today.

In answer to the second question we saw that this period is significant because it reminds us that Christ secured our victory, it forces us to live with a sense of urgency to evangelize unbelievers who are fast approaching God’s judgment, and it fuels us (as we’ll see in this sermon) for God’s call to live in righteousness. That is, in writing what he did, Peter meant to further refine the kind of perspective God’s people must have if we are to honor God (particularly during times of suffering).

All of that was in the first two sermons. This week we move on to the third question, “What practical difference does it make that the end of all things is at hand”? Let’s pray, therefore, that God would grant us swift understanding and equally swift application. Let’s pray that none of us would leave without a fresh commitment to the things required by our living in a time when the end of all things is at hand. And let’s pray that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

COMMANDS, REASONS, AND A ROCK-SOLID FOUNDATION

In light of the fact that the end of all things is at hand, Peter issued four direct commands, specific reasons for three of the four commands, and one rock-solid foundation undergirding all of this.

The first command and its specific reason are found in v.7, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded…”. Peter’s specific reason for this command is found in the last part of the same verse, “for the sake of your prayers.”

The second direct command resulting from the fact that the end of all things is at hand is in the first half of next verse, v.8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly”. And immediately following is the reason for the command, “since love covers a multitude of sins.”

The third command, found in v.9, does not have a specific reason attached. The command is to “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Imagine asking a friend for advice because you’d recently been wrongfully terminated for pointing out the embezzling of a coworker, because the following day you’d been evicted from your apartment because your landlord had lost your rent money at the casino and lied about it to the owner, and because the following week you’d been ticketed for speeding while driving an critically wounded neighbor to the hospital. Imagine asking for advice and help because you were in all kinds of trouble for doing good. How would you expect your friend to respond? What kind of help and advice would you expect to receive?

Well, that’s largely the background of this letter. Peter’s readers were being persecuted in significant ways solely because of their faith in Jesus. Peter was writing to offer help and advice. The help and advice he gave, however, isn’t what most of us would expect (or probably want) to hear.

Let’s pray that God would help us hear and heed Peter’s advice even more clearly and joyfully this morning.

PERSPECTIVE

If you remember (or in case you weren’t here), last week’s sermon ended at the beginning of this text. I don’t mean that it was a sermon on 1 Peter 4:6. I mean that it was a sermon given to provide the proper context for this text. It was a sermon on 4:7-11 in the sense that it communicated (what I believe to be) a foundational principle for truly understanding 1 Peter in general and 1 Peter 4:7-11 in particular.

The simple message of last week’s sermon—the foundational principle—was that because of the gospel, honoring God in this life (especially when it comes to honoring God in times of suffering) is far, far more about having the right perspective than it is the “right” circumstances.

The example that stands out most to me is the story (in 2 Kings 6:8-17) of Elisha’s servant. In this story we find a calm Elisha and a panicked servant. From the servant’s perspective Israel is entirely surrounded and outnumbered by the evil, blood-thirsty Syrian army. From his vantage point panic is, at the very least, understandable. His perspective, however, was limited. He couldn’t see everything around him. Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes and God answered. What had been invisible became visible.

With proper vision Elisha’s servant was able to see the Syrian army entirely outnumbered by a mountain full of heavenly chariots of fire. The text doesn’t tell us how the servant responded but it isn’t difficult to imagine that with proper vision his fear would have been driven out entirely and replaced with confidence, hope, and awe. Elisha’s servant thought he needed a change in circumstances (“alas, what shall we do?”). What he really needed, all he really needed however, was a change in perspective.

If we’re honest we’ll admit that when suffering comes our way, our perspective tends to drive us to try to escape the suffering as quickly as possible by whatever means possible—to focus on changing our circumstances. When we ask for advice and help we want advice on how best to get out of our suffering and we want help to do it.

1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

When we have a bad day, what do we tend to talk about? Usually we talk about all of the things that frustrated us (angry boss, messy kids, harsh weather, flakey friends, hard schoolwork). When our circumstances are continually hard, what do we tend to do? Usually we do whatever it takes to make our circumstances better (quit our job, discipline our kids, invest more in climate control, give our friends a piece of our mind, slack in school). When you and I encounter trials of various kinds, how do we pray? Usually our prayers focus on some sort of plea for God to take the trials away.

Have you noticed yet that Peter’s readers are in far worse circumstances than most of us have ever encountered (and probably will ever encounter)? And have you noticed yet—and make sure to wrap your mind around this—that not once in the letter has Peter so much as hinted that the main issue in their lives was their the circumstances? Peter did not instruct his readers on how to escape their difficult trials. We’ve not yet read a prayer from Peter asking God to deliver them from their circumstances. He did not tell his readers to expect that the false teachers would go away or even instruct his readers to try to get rid of them. He did not lead his followers to believe that the enemies of the gospel were likely to lighten up in their persecution. And he did not tell them to get away from their oppressive governments, masters, spouses, or fellow saints.

In short, and let this be a wakeup call for us this morning, Peter has not yet suggested anything that you and I would normally do and expect in similar circumstances.

In all of these things Peter’s main message was not that his readers ought to work hard to change their circumstances—as challenging as they were. His main message was that they needed to work hard to change their perspective—as glorious as the gospel is. That’s what we’re going to consider today: the power of perspective and the proper perspective to endure the trials of these last days.

PERSPECTIVE MATTERS

This text forces us to reconsider something that’s already come up in several 1 Peter sermons: in this life our perspective (far more than our circumstances) really matters. In fact, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that our ability to see and properly interpret reality (our perspective) is almost everything.

In 1 Peter 4:7-11 Peter introduces another aspect of the perspective that allows us to honor God in our suffering; namely, that “the end of all things is at hand” (v.11). However, this sermon is actually going to end at the beginning of this text. Throughout the week I became more and more convinced that we really need to slow down and consider the power of perspective if we’re really going to apply this letter in the way God intends; if we’re really going to engage our trials in a manner pleasing to God.

So let’s consider together what the bible says about the power of perspective.

Indeed, right at the heart of the message of the bible is the tragic reality that from birth all mankind is united with Adam in his sin and the spiritual (and eventually physical) death it produced.

We have no transcript from the sermon by Darren Carlson today, but please be sure to listen to the audio. Enjoy!

Adoniram Judson

I want to begin with a little story about someone you may have heard of before. His name is Adoniram Judson.

He was a pioneering American missionary, and he entered the land of Burma in July of 1813.

At that time, Burma was a hostile and an utterly, utterly unreached place. Almost completely Buddhist and animist, in today’s culture, by today’s standards, the Burma of 1813 would most definitely have been considered a closed country.

In fact, most people encouraged Judson not to go to Burma; “Go work with William Carey in India maybe, but not Burma.”

It had a despot of a monarch who ruled his kingdom with torture and mass executions; the country was filled with anarchy, there was civil war and threats from within, there were raids and attacks from without, and there was ZERO religious tolerance.

Previous missionaries to Burma had either died or they had left. It was a land of no Bibles, no preachers, and no common conveniences. This was the Burma that Judson set foot in, in 1813.

At 24 years old — at JUST 24 years old, with his wife Ann, (they had been married one year; she was 23) they set sail for that land. And for the next 38 years, Judson gave his LIFE to establish a Gospel beachhead in that dark land until his death at the age of 61.

And in all of that time, he only came back to New England once, and that only happened after 33 YEARS of service.

But he gave away his life in this way because as a young man he became convinced that, “Asia, with its idolatrous myriads, is the most important field in the world for missionary effort.”

Or as his wife Ann recorded it, young Adoniram was “deeply impressed with the importance of making SOME attempt to rescue the perishing millions of the East.”

If you know anything about his life, even just a little bit, you know that the price Judson paid to take take the Gospel to Burma, that sacrifice was immense.

Consider just a few agonies:

* aboard the ship that was taking them from India to Burma; his first child, was stillborn

* spent nearly 12 hours a day FOR THREE YEARS just to learn to speak the language;

* significant isolation from any Europeans or Americans, especially in the early years;

* their second child, Roger, died when he was only 8 months old;

* slow growth in the church with both Judson and his fledgling converts at risk of endangerment and death by the Burmese government;

* during the war between Britain and Burma, Adoniram spent nearly 20 months in brutal imprisonment at the notorious “death-prison” in Ava, all under false pretense (they thought he was a spy); iron shackles, left in his own filth, not allowed to wash, fraught with sickness and hunger, each night being hung by his feet from the ceiling with just his head and shoulders touching the ground. And he was kept alive during this time by his precious, Ann, who basically lived in a hut outside the prison, nursing their third child and sick with fever herself, she risked her own life and well-being to bring him food and what comfort and encouragement she could while constantly begging any government official who would listen to release him.

* And shortly after his release? Ann Hasseltine Judson–courageous, faithful, precious Ann—the joy and rejoicing of Judson’s heart—Ann died, finally succumbing to the fever that had ravaged her weak body for the months prior. (likely cerebral meningitis) She was just 37.

* And then, just six-months later, his third child, Maria, died;

* Four months later he got word that his beloved father had died back in New England;

* 10 years later Judson remarried, Sarah Boardman; they had 8 children together; but only five made it to adulthood; And just 10 years later, Sarah herself got sick and died.