But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Now, they’re to rejoice in what? The fiery trial which is to test you. And it’s going to be normal Christian experience, by the way. Someone has put it this way: God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God hath promised strength from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. And that is a very lovely way of expressing it.

My friend, I don’t think you can go on in sin if you’re a child of God. You’ve got the nature of Christ. You’re joined to Him. He’s suffering no more. He suffered down here once. But He can help youHe sent the Holy Spirit down to indwell, and we’ve been baptized in the body of believers as Peter has pointed out to us. And now, by being filled with the Holy Spirit, we can live for God, and we can’t do it in our own strength. And he says here, Who shall give an account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead. Now the Lord Jesus is going to judge someday, and the believer knows that he’s to come up before the judgment seat of Christ.

A child of God with a new nature longs to please Christ in all things. And if you don’t, friends, something is radically wrong. And that’s the reason that I believe the study of the Word of God is essential today. It takes the total Word of God today. Not just a few little verses and draw out some little legalistic system by which you attempt to live and if you’ll follow that, why you’ll be able to live the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life by following rules. You can only live the Christian life by having the mind of Christ and by having the Spirit of God moving in you.

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Oh, do you have a little sanctuarya little chapel in your own heart today? Where, when you’re riding along in the car or you’re walking down the street or you’re in the shop or the office or in the schoolroom, the classroom, there is a little chapel there. There is a little sanctuary there where you can withdraw and where you can sanctify the Lord God in your heart so that those outside will know, my friend, that you belong to Him? Because we as individuals need to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Now the child of God here is to publish His praises. In what way? You show forth His praises by not manifesting the works of the flesh. Then he says: Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. May our lives reflect something of this glorious, wonderful gospel.

We are the people and the sheep of Thy pasture, who in time past were not a peoplewe didn’t belong to God; we were far from Himbut are now the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. And, friends, there’s one gift that you don’t want to miss. And the title of that gift, the name written on the box, is mercy. And it’s a big box. God, He’s rich in mercy; an abundant mercy. And if you need any today, you can go to Him and He’s merciful. He wants to save you. He wants to help you. He wants to lift you up. How wonderful it is.

God calls His own. And He calls you today, my friend. He calls every race today. It doesn’t make any difference what race you belong to. You’ve been called to become a very special, a very wonderful, a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. You belong to that great company of believers out of every nation, a people. Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. And we are the people and the sheep of Thy pasture. How wonderfulhow wonderful it is to have a wonderful High Priest that today is for us.

You are a holy nation. Now Israel never was a holy nation in conduct. And the same can be said of the church; never been holy in conduct. Israel’s failure is glaring. The church’s failure is appalling. But we’re holy in our relationship with Him. He’s been made unto us righteousness. And Christ is our righteousness. And if you have any standing before God, it’s not in you, it’s in Christ. And I can’t think of anything more wonderful than thatthat today I stand complete in Him. And how wonderful it is to be a member of a holy nation.

Friends, isn’t it wonderful that the love of Christ draws our hearts together? It draws believers together. It’ll help you in your home. It’ll help you in your church. It’ll help you everywhere if you love Him. That’s the thing that’s important. And it will bring rejoicing to your heart. Are you a rejoicing Christian today? Just think, I’ve got an inheritance that’s coming up someday. I don’t have much down here, but I’ve sure got one over there. Oh, I tell you, I’m a child of the King. I’m a child of the King. How wonderful it is to be a child of the King. I’ve got an inheritance that’s coming someday.

The trial that you’re going through is for a purpose. It has a very present purpose. God today is doing for you what they do with gold. Now when they go and mine gold, what do they do with it? They bring it to the smelter, and they put it in a red-hot furnace. To destroy the gold? No, purify. You see, when they melt it, the dross is drawn off and you get pure gold. He’s using a very apt illustration, because he’s going to say here we’ve been redeemed not with silver and gold, but something more preciousthe blood of Christ.