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• Philippians 3:10-11
• 1 Peter 4:1
• Jesus endured unspeakably cruel treatment at the hands of his enemies.
• You will be treated unfairly.
• Big Idea: In becoming like Jesus in his sufferings, we also experience the power of his resurrection in our lives.

• Matthew 27:11-14
• When the leaders and elders ceased to be interested in the truth, Jesus took a stance of deliberate silence.
• When you get into an argument with a critic, you only become as side-tracked as they are.
• Illustration: To illustrate how arguing can sidetrack a church, May tells the story of a church involved in a zoning dispute, noting how much time and space was devoted to the dispute on the church’s website.
• It does no good to respond to gossip.
• Psalm 39:1

• Matthew 27:33-34
• Illustration: May quotes Frederick Farrar on the ghastliness of crucifixion.
• Jesus knew what he was about to endure, but he refused to do anything that would minimize his suffering.
• Matthew 26:39, 42
• Jesus committed himself to doing God’s will—no matter the cost.
• We never suffer without purpose, and we never suffer alone, but there are times when following Jesus involves suffering.
• Illustration: May tells the extraordinary story of To Dinh Trung, who preferred to stay in prison—where he could minister to those with him—than to be released from an unjust sentence.
• 1 Peter 4:1

• Matthew 27:45-46, 50
• Jesus sacrificed his life so that we could have life.
• Philippians 3:10-11.
• We share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, by living a life of sacrifice.
• Illustration: May briefly quotes books from Jim Warren and Max Lucado, pointing to the selflessness of purposeful Christian living.

• God wants us to experience the power of the resurrection of Christ in our lives.
• But there can be no resurrection without a death.
• Through sacrificial living we experience the power of his resurrection in our lives.