I. Today's Topic: The More Persecuted, the More Resilient!

1:1 Therefore, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering, subject his sinews and bones to toil, expose his body to hunger, subject him to poverty, place obstacles in the paths of his endeavors, so as to stimulate his mind, harden his nature, and improve wherever he is incompetent. – Mencius, Gaozi II

1:2 The harsher the environment, the more resilient we become.

II. Scripture: Exodus 1:12

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians were filled with alarm because of the Israelites.

III. Prayer

IV. Background of this Passage

4:1 Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. After Joseph's time, the Israelites became slaves of the Egyptians. The Egyptians thought that by persecuting the Israelites, they would not prosper. But the opposite happened: the Israelites thrived under the Egyptians' oppression.

4:2 How the Israelites, under persecution, multiplied like the sand on the seashore.

V. Review of God's Promise to Abraham

God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, but Abraham had faith in God.

VI. Man's View of Persecution vs. God's View of Persecution

6:1 God sees persecution as good.

6:2 Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph all saw it as good.

7. Faith, Most Needed in Persecution

7:1 When faced with pressure, be transformed into strength.

7:2 God has prepared victory for us.

7:3 Break the flesh.

7:4 Always believe that God will not alter His plan for us.

7:5 In persecution, our faith is refined.

8. Bearing in the Body the Death of Jesus Christ

8:1 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

8:2 Bearing in the body the death of Jesus Christ reveals God's glory.

9. Conclusion: Living in Strength

9:1 A person's strength or weakness lies in their choices.

9:2 When we encounter the darkness of the deep, it is an opportunity!

9:3 Opportunities lie within pressure, crisis, and the darkness of the deep.

9:4 The world's crisis is the turning point and opportunity for our church.

9:5 God's will is for us to live in strength.