playnext.fm

CrossLife at Grace

Walking Through Adversity

·42 min·4 clips
A pastor explains how Jesus flipped worldly values upside down, starting with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
The episode is a sermon from the CrossLife ministry, part of a summer series on marks of a mature believer. The host, a pastor, introduces the topic of walking through adversity, framing it within Jesus' upside-down kingdom values from the Beatitudes. He turns to 1 Peter 1:3-9, reading the text and presenting the big idea that mature believers are marked by joy in adversity. The sermon is structured around three reasons for this joy: focusing on a living hope through being born again in Christ's resurrection, a protected faith guarded by God's power, and a tested genuineness revealed through trials. The host explains being born again using Paul's words from Galatians about union with Christ. He illustrates the future inheritance with an analogy of a man inheriting Glacier National Park while in the Indian Ocean, emphasizing its imperishable nature. He discusses God's power guarding faith, warning against spiritual laziness and using a swimming analogy to show how divine support makes human efforts valuable. The host references John MacArthur's quote about losing salvation and J.C. Ryle on adversity's role in growth. He connects trials to purifying and proving faith, using Jesus' parable of the soils to distinguish genuine saving faith. The application focuses on renewing the mind with biblical truths rather than just actions, citing Romans 12:2. The sermon concludes with a prayer emphasizing God's mercy and grace.

As heard by us

A patient sermon frames adversity as a test of faith and a reminder that promised hope can already be held securely.

Walking Through Adversity treats hardship not as an interruption to Christian faith, but as part of its maturing work. The sermon grounds that case in Peter's language of new birth, living hope, and an inheritance kept beyond present sight.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a Bible study that treats adversity as a long walk with real sorrow, real joy, and a living hope already signed over to you.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from CrossLife at Grace