The Joy of Salvation: Part 2

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The Joy of Salvation: Part 3

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A word from the Lord, because this word, if it's not for you, it's definitely for me.
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And I need it for my journey along to the Celestial City. As Brother Keith already mentioned, we come here to focus on our
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God, to focus on who He is and what
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He's accomplished. And I pray that we do lay aside all distractions now and focus in His Word as we speak, as we talk continually about the joy of salvation.
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The salvation joy that Peter is talking about here. I'd also like to mention to you that as we spoke about joy last week,
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I cannot help but think as I was rehearsing a lot and studying and meditating on God's Word about this, that joy is a fruit of the
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Spirit. So that tells us that it comes from the Spirit of God.
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It comes from above. And so is faith. Faith is a gift from God that we receive in salvation.
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Faith comes from above. Even though that there is a dead faith and a living faith, but the two are not the same.
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One is alive and one is active that produces obedience unto the Lord. It has action behind it.
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The dead faith is a professing faith. There is no obedience behind it.
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So the faith that's from God is a faith that justifies.
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I set this before you because in the message we're going to look at the proof of our faith.
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And what God has designed for us, for His children, and what
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He's planned. Scripture says a lot about faith, doesn't it?
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The Apostle Paul mentioned that there's the shield of faith. We're to take up the shield of faith. And as you well know, that well -known verse in Romans 1, 17, the just shall live by faith.
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And Paul the Apostle is actually quoting Old Testament. It's found also in Hebrews.
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The just shall live by faith. Scripture also says that we're not to live by sight or walk by sight,
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I should say, but live by faith.
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Faith. It's tremendously important. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
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Our faith is in Jesus and Jesus alone. So we're going to look at faith.
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It's the instrument in which we are to have to lay hold of God.
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God lays hold of us by grace, doesn't He? But it's by faith that we lay hold of God.
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We live by faith, we die by faith. The Apostle Paul, before he died, some of his last words says,
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I have fought the good fight. I've finished the course. I have kept the faith.
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He kept the faith. Beloved, it's a faith beyond. It's not within ourselves.
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It's about and above ourselves. It is from God.
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So in saying that, open your Bibles to 1 Peter. As we look at this wonderful text.
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1 Peter, chapter 1. We're looking at verse 6 through 9.
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Beginning with verse 6 to verse 9. Hear the word of the living
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God. Reading from the NASB. He says this,
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And this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by the various trials.
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That can also translate temptations. Verse 7,
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So that the proof or the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable even though tested by fire, may be found to the result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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And though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And you do not see Him now, but believe in Him.
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You greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
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Obtaining as the outcome of your faith, there it is again, the salvation of your souls.
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Amen and amen to the reading of God's word. May God bless
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His holy word from our ears to our hearts as only He can. Let us pray and seek the face of our
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God. Father, as we stand in Your presence now, and Lord, as we come to You, it's by faith.
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It is only by faith. It's not by our feelings, for sure. But it's faith in Your word.
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And it's by the help and the power of Your blessed Holy Spirit that brings us right into the throne of grace. Lord, we need
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Your help this morning. I pray that not a one of us will leave this little place today unchanged.
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Lord, change our hearts, oh God. Restore within us the joy of our salvation, as David cried out.
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Lord, I need Your help this morning by the Holy Spirit, Father, that I am weak.
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I confess I am weak. I am not able within myself. But Father, You are strong.
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You're able by the power of Your Spirit. And I pray, oh God, that each and every one of us has come to meet with You and hear
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Your Holy Word, but to be changed today. If someone is here,
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Father, that does not know You, Father, I pray today will be the day of salvation. Today is the day of salvation.
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May they not put it off, but repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him.
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And Father, only You can help us do this. But there's a great responsibility that we have to repent.
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Even though, Father, this is a gift that's granted unto You, Father, that we are to do the repenting before it's everlasting too late.
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So Father, You are the God of our salvation. And only
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You know how to route such a wonderful work, a miracle within the heart of hard hearts and do a heart operation.
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Oh God, grant that we grant this. We pray, Lord, we plead with You, and we plead with Your mercy, that You would still come among us.
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Lord, say what You need to say through Your Word. And Father, speak through this stammering tongue.
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Because Father, I stammer. But Father, may the focus not be upon how
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I preach a sermon or even the sermon itself, Father, but Your holy Word, a message from You.
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Father, that's what we need. We need a message from You. And Father, there's a famine in this land today.
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Lord, we need to hear from You. We need to hear from Heaven. So God, be merciful to us today and speak through Your Word.
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Speak through this vessel of clay, Lord. And we will be careful to give
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You all the glory and the praise and the honor. For it's in Your name, in the name of Jesus we pray.
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Amen and Amen. This is a wonderful text that's about us this morning.
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It's an exposition actually that uncovers the rich doctrinal truths of salvation.
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If there's a focus and a text and a name that's given from verse 6 to 7, it is actually the joy of salvation.
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He speaks of salvation joy. And Peter used the great truths here about salvation and who salvation is and who that salvation comes from to encourage.
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And may we keep the audience in mind, that the audience are suffering saints.
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Notice in verse 1, he begins by saying, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout
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Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. And he speaks to God's chosen.
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He speaks to the saints of God, to those that have been elected, according to the foreknowledge of God the
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Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.
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And he gives a wonderful blessing to them. May God, may grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
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And then he goes into this wonderful doxology. Blessed be the
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God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we're reminded that according to His great mercy,
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He has caused us to be born again to a living hope. God is the one that causes one to be born again to a living hope.
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You know, I noticed when I spoke to you at the foreset of this,
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I mentioned to you about joy comes from above and faith comes from above, but hope comes from above too. And if you notice that Paul says this in 1
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Corinthians 13, Now abides faith, hope, love, and the greatest of these three is love.
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The old King James translation is charity. It's the greatest. Faith is great.
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Hope is great. But the greatest is God's love. It's the agape love.
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That's another message in itself. Verse 4, when he talks about we're born again,
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God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
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What a wonderful truth. And this is why he reminds the believer they can rejoice greatly.
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Notice verse 6, in this you greatly rejoice. That's why I read those verses before.
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That's what he's talking about. You can rejoice that God is the Father of our
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Lord Jesus Christ, according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again. Rejoice in that, that you're born again.
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Rejoice that you're born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection, without the resurrection you would have nothing, none of this.
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To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
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It's reserved in heaven. He's saying that that inheritance is because of God's great mercy. And because you have been born again, you will have that inheritance.
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And then he says in verse 5, who are protected by the power of God. God protects.
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He is a protector. He keeps. And what does he say? Through faith.
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There's the faith. For a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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Notice the end, verse 9. Obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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That's the end of it. What would give suffering saints greater joy, and a greater reminder, that they've lost everything here on this earth, they're being persecuted for the faith, they're going through a fiery trial, they understood for real about that fire, in which
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Peter was talking about, because they lost everything by Nero burning down everything. Burned down their homes, burned everything.
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He had a lust for fire. But what Peter is basically saying, that God uses fire.
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It's the great trial, you see. And he speaks about a faith that is proven.
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And you know, that's what we're going to talk about today. Last Lord's Day we looked at, it's a salvation that is complete, it is secure.
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God secures that salvation. He is that security, and it's secure in heaven for you.
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But he speaks also of a faith that's proven, and Lord willing, we'll look at a condemnation, that is absolutely inevitable, a love that is unseen, and a deliverance that is in process.
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But as of right now, those are five reasons that a believer has, in Jesus Christ, to greatly rejoice.
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And those are good five reasons, aren't they? So as we looked at, from the scriptures last week, the purpose of greatly rejoicing of our salvation, which
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God has wrought, it's a salvation that God has paid for. Because He is that salvation.
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Salvation is of the Lord. Do you have this salvation today?
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Is it real to you? Is it daily to you? Do you rejoice in that salvation?
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It's the greatest gift that there is. It is secure, by the way.
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That's a great reason to rejoice, isn't it? And we rejoice in that because God has security.
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We are to be exceedingly glad. That means, in the Greek, exuberantly jubilant. Exceedingly glad,
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Jesus said. The kind of joy that's not based on changing temporal circumstances of this passing world, but a joy that is eternal, unspeakable, and full of glory from above and comes from the unchanging, eternal relationship that's only found in Jesus Christ alone.
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I want you to think about this, this morning. No matter what we lose on this earth, if you have
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Christ, you have everything. That's what He's basically telling these suffering saints.
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They've lost it all. And He's saying, rejoice in this. You have a salvation that is secure.
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Nothing can touch it. He's basically also saying, nothing can take away that joy.
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Nothing can take away that joy. Even to the point of death, you have the joy that is unexpressible.
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It's unspeakable and full of glory. So first of all, the
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Apostle Peter is relating, you have the assurance of salvation that is secure and a protected eternal inheritance.
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That is found in verse 4. To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away.
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It's not going to fade away. It's undefiled. It's even reserved in heaven for you. Wouldn't that cause great joy?
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If today every one of us knew that we didn't have a home to go back to, we didn't have nothing to eat, that would be painful, that would be difficult.
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But isn't it great to know that there's something in heaven waiting for you that's far greater?
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And let's just say you're to the point of death itself. There's nothing greater on this side of the earth until we get into heaven, knowing that we have a salvation that's ready to be revealed.
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It's eternal. Notice what he's speaking about. It's otherworldly.
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Actually, if someone is not born again today, and of the flesh, and of the natural man, of the fleshly man, of the carnal man, the scripture says, it's not going to understand and really appreciate these words.
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But if you're a child of God today, and you're going through some hardships and some sufferings and some trials, this message is for you.
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It's a faith that's real, it's genuine, it's authentic, it's a faith that's being tested.
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It's more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though being tested by fire may be found to the result in the praise and the glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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And by the way, as I was doing a little study, this is a little foretaste of what's to come, but when we get to that text right there, may be found to the result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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He's not necessarily think to the direction, and the direction is not necessarily to the praise and glory and honor of God.
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It's at the revelation of Jesus Christ, the apocalypse, when Jesus comes, God will actually give you praise, glory, and honor, because it comes from Him.
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Every good and perfect gift comes from God, from above, the Father of lights, which is no variable in the shadow of turning.
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And we'll look at why on that later on. But isn't that a glorious thing?
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To know that God... Scripture even says that God rejoices over you, His people, with singing.
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God takes great joy in heaven, knowing that one repentant sinner comes to Him, and all the angels of heaven and God Himself takes joy.
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That's true. The joy of God. God takes delight.
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You think, well, how can He do that? I'm such a sinful creature, and I'm a worm of this earth, and I'm made from the dirt, and I'm made with God's breath in me.
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But God is actually delighting and rejoicing of the redemption. It's like He looks at a piece of clay that has been so fallen and ruined from Adam's fall, and then
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God takes it, and He does something with it, and He's rejoicing in what He has made.
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So He gives you honor, the glory, and the praise. Isn't that amazing? Peter teaches several important principles to the believer in this text.
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This is not original, but I took this from John MacArthur. He preached on this text, and I took the notes on this.
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Notice, first of all, he says, First, that trouble... And we're all born into trouble, like Job says.
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As the sparks fly upward, so is man's day he's full of trouble. Can you say amen to that one?
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We can raise two hands and say we've had some trouble. It's inevitable.
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We're not going to escape it. But can I tell you there's something wonderful about trouble? Number one, it's not eternal.
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It's only temporary. It does not last. It's only for a season.
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It's only for a... What does Peter say? Though now for a little while.
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He's reminding these saints that are being persecuted for their faith. He says it's only for a little while, saints.
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So trouble's not eternal. It does not last. It's only for a little while. Second, trouble serves as a divine purpose.
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There's a purpose that God has for the trouble. Why? Because the Scripture says if necessary.
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And third, this is good. Trouble brings turmoil, heaviness, distress.
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Fourth, trouble comes in various forms, doesn't it?
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Multicolored. That's what the text actually says. It's multifaceted. It's multicolored.
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There's many trials. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.
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Fifth, here's another principle. Trouble should not diminish the
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Christian's joy. Why? Because Peter says in this you greatly rejoice.
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The trouble of trials is only temporary. It's temporal. It's just for a little while.
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And we looked at that last week, didn't we? Go with me again. Just as a quick reminder.
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But John 16. John 16. I don't want to spend a lot of time here because we looked at it, but how important is the words of Jesus Christ?
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Extremely important. All of the words of God are important. But we need to pay very, very close attention to the words of Jesus Christ.
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That was a powerful word that Brother Keith gave this morning about telling the Pharisees, when
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Jesus said you shall die in your sins, that's exactly what's going to happen. They died in their sins, beloved. That group of Pharisees, I couldn't help but think of when he was speaking about that text, that group of Pharisees that he was speaking of is in hell right now as we're talking.
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For eternity. It's a sobering reality, isn't it?
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But Jesus said there's joy. We can have this joy in chapter 16. Notice verse 16.
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A little while. Just the same words. It makes you think a little bit. Maybe Peter is remembering that word that Jesus said about a little while.
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A little while you will no longer see me. And again, a little while you will see me. Some of his disciples then said to one another, what is this thing he's telling us?
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A little while and then you will see me. And again, a little while you will see me. And because I go to the
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Father. So they were saying, What is he saying?
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He says a little while. I really believe the Apostle Peter was rethinking and remembering what
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Jesus was saying to the disciples. Right there. A little while. How can you forget this?
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We do not know what he's talking about. That's basically what they said. They came to the conclusion.
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We don't know what he's talking about. How fleshly they were.
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Jesus knew that they wished to question him. He knew. He knew their hearts. He knew their thoughts.
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He said to them, Are you deliberating? Deliberating together about this?
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That I said a little while you will see me. And again, a little while and you wouldn't see me.
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And then he says this, You will weep and lament and the world will rejoice. You will grieve and your grief will be turned into joy.
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And whenever a woman is in labor, she has pain. Because her hour has come and she gives birth to the child.
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And she no longer remembers the anguish, the pain. Because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
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Therefore, you too have grief now. But I will see you again.
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And your heart will rejoice. And no one will take your joy away from you. You hear Jesus said that.
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No one will take your joy away from you. You get down depressed sometimes.
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Read that text. And no one will take your joy away from you. And no one will take your joy away from you.
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Talking about the joy of salvation. Seeing him face to face. Verse 23, In that day you will not question me about anything.
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Truly, truly, I say to you, If you ask the Father for anything in my name,
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He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be full.
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Skip to verse 33. Notice what he says. These things have I spoken to you so that in me you may have peace.
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And in the world you will have tribulation. But take good courage. I have overcome the world.
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Back in John 15 verse 11. These things have I spoken to you so that my joy.
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Notice what he says. My joy may be in you. And that your joy may be full.
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So his joy becomes our joy. He is our salvation.
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He is our redeemer. He is our God. He is our Messiah. He is our Savior. He is our
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Lord. Outside of Jesus there is nothing. He is the joy of our salvation.
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He is all in all to us. You know, turn with me very quickly to Luke chapter 10.
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And you know I love this story here. Because it speaks about the 70 disciples that Jesus sent out in chapter 10.
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There was 70 he sent out. He gave them a mission.
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He told them what to do. The 70 returned in verse 17 with joy.
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Oh, now they got joy. But listen to what kind of joy they have here. And what they are rejoicing in. Saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
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Hallelujah. Even the devils know us. And we are rejoicing in this. You know
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Jesus lovingly gave them a rebuke here. This is what it is. It is a rebuke.
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Jesus tenderly, gently, he is the meekest. He is meek and lowly of heart. But he knew how to get a point across.
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And listen to what he says. And immediately he didn't say, Hey, disciples, I am rejoicing with you.
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No, he didn't. Verse 18, and he said to them, He said to them,
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I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Listen to this rebuke.
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He said, true, basically he said, Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions.
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Those things that bite and sting and hurt. And over all the power of the enemy.
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And nothing will injure you. But notice in verse 20,
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Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. You are rejoicing in the wrong thing.
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What he is doing, he is rebuking their spiritual pride. Because when he speaks about Satan falling from heaven like lightning,
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He is speaking that he came down from heaven, He was cast out of heaven because of his pride.
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This was spiritual pride. And he is basically telling them, Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this,
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That the spirits are subject to you. But rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.
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He gets it right across, doesn't he? We are to rejoice that our names are written in the
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Lamb's Book of Life, beloved. I'm telling you, when you are down at the very low ebb of your life,
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And you are going through a trial, You can rejoice in that. You can rejoice and say,
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Oh God, you have written my name in the Lamb's Book of Life Before the foundation of the world.
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Praise God. Nothing can take that away. R .C.
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Sproul said a saying before he died, And went home to be with the Lord, He said, When God writes down His people in the
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Lamb's Book of Life, He does not do it with an eraser handy. Good quote.
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You see, we can rejoice, But the purpose of trouble and trials for the believers is,
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Verse 7. Back to Peter. Verse 7.
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What is it? So that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, Which is perishable,
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Even though tested by fire. Just look at that. Tested by fire.
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It's more precious than gold. More precious than gold. You hear that? Which is perishable. That gold on this earth is perishable.
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It's going to fade away. Your faith is more precious than that.
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And it's going to be tested by fire. In other words, It's going to eventually be tested. If it hasn't already been tested,
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I'm sure it has. Isn't it interesting that the Apostle James Almost has a parallel verse, Almost very similar to this.
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Notice what James says in chapter 1, verse 2. And we looked at that when we studied through James. Consider it.
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Count it. Evaluate it. All joy. My brethren,
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When you encounter, When you encounter, Not if. When you encounter various trials,
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Verse 3. Knowing that the testing of your faith Produces endurance. Produces patience.
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Consider it. Count it. Evaluate it. All joy. And isn't it so true that the natural
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Inclination of the human response To each and every one of us. When we're going through time, We want someone to relate to us.
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To get. We want to feel. We're on a pity party basically. And.
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But the Bible actually says that you are to To rejoice in this. And how difficult is that?
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Let's admit it. It is difficult, isn't it? And it takes the help of God To get us our focus on things of heaven.
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You know, Peter and James are saying, Asserting here, He's basically saying, In horrible trials you must understand
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That they have a divine purpose behind them. It makes me think of the words of William Cooper.
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Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. You know the word proof.
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What does this mean? In the Greek text, In turn, You know what the proof means? In science, Metal earlygy.
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I haven't pronounced that right. Metal earlygy. Of assaying the metals.
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The testing of metals. This is where the hot heat Is used to refine a metal
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By burning away the impurities. Leaving only the most precious
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And the purest metal. What Peter is saying, Basically, By and through the
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Holy Spirit of God, Breathing upon him as he writes this, Is that the trials of life,
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The trials that you're going through, Is precious to your faith. In other words,
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It's the fire that God gives in this. And He burns it away.
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He burns away the impurities. He burns away the doubt. He burns away the unbelief. And it's through the trials
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In which God designed to do this. Old song goes,
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How can I know what my faith can do Unless it's tested.
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Unless I know that it's tested by fire. The most precious faith,
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Being more precious than gold, Which is perishable, Even though it be tested by fire. And it's got to be tested by fire.
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It doesn't say water here. Even though you will go through the waters. But there's a fire here.
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There's a purging. There's a purifying process. And all the dross comes up.
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All the impurities. And it's scraped away. So whatever you're going through today,
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That God has ordained, Keep in mind, The revelation that is given to us In the first chapter of Job.
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We have a great revelation there, That God is the one That granted
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Satan permission to get at Job. So every trial, Every joy is from God above.
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There's a divine purpose. And it may be, You may be going through a health issue.
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You may have health issues. Today you may have financial issues. You may have, It may be something that someone's accused you of wrongdoing.
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Or you are overlooked. You may be persecuted for your faith or righteousness sake.
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Keep in mind that God loves you. And He loves you so much.
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He's going to take you through fire. To make you more like Himself. His son Jesus. Precious gold to remove all the unpleasing dross in our lives.
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Self. Self -centeredness. Self -pity. All those self -sins that displeases
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God. God wants to refine it. And purge us as pure as gold.
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Job 23 .10 But He knows the way that I take. Don't you love that?
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God knows the way I take. He knows the way I take. And when He has tested me,
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I shall come forth as gold. That's on the words.
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That's the scripture on Teresa's mom's grave. In her last days.
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She literally went through it. Her husband just died. Very quickly.
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Rapidly. Right after. And I. Teresa knows what I'm talking about. We were living as this. What took place.
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It all came so unexpectedly. She had very little. And what little she had she lost.
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Her son tried to commit suicide. And catching himself on fire. And tried to. And threw a blaze.
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And poured gas on himself. And just lit himself up. And he survived. He don't even remember. He didn't even remember what happened.
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He heard voices telling him to do this. He burned himself. Almost burned himself alive. But he happened to make it through.
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She was in the hospital at this time. With cancer. In her bones. She just lost her husband to the grave.
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And she's in the hospital. Diagnosed with cancer. Then her son. That she loved so much.
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Tried to commit suicide. By catching himself ablaze on fire. And then her house was burned along with it.
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So she lost her house. And she had very little finances and stuff. In the last three years of her life.
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And I'm here to tell you. And I can witness this to you my brothers and sisters. She loved
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God. She never doubted God's love. She didn't know a lot about theology.
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And the doctrines of grace like us. But I tell you this. She loved God. At the very end of her life.
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She was praising God. Isn't that all that really matters? He knows the way that I take.
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And when He has tested me. I shall come forth as gold. Doesn't that remind you of the story told in Daniel?
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Go with me to Daniel. Chapter 3. Isn't this a wonderful story that we should be reminded of?
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Of the Hebrew children that refused to bow down. To bow to the king
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Nebuchadnezzar's golden image that he set up. He decreed this. That all will bow at the sound of all this music.
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And in verse 8 in chapter 3. For this reason at the time certain Chaldeans came forward.
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And brought charges against the Jews. You've got to remember this is captivity for the
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Jews by the way. They've lost their home. Here they are in Babylon in captivity.
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Under this wicked king Nebuchadnezzar. And they responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
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Oh king live forever. They gave respect to the king. In which the scriptures basically says to do so.
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You oh king have made a decree. That every man who hears the sound of the horn. The flute, the lyre, the trogon, the psaltery, the bagpipe.
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All kinds of music. Is to fall down and worship this golden image. But whosoever does not fall down and worship.
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Shall be cast into the midst of the furnace a blazing fire. There it is.
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There are certain Jews whom you have appointed. Over the administration of the province of Babylon. Namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
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And by the way that was their pagan names. And these men oh king have disregarded you.
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And they do not serve your gods. Or worship the golden image which you've set up. They're in rebellion.
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They're in rebellion against your government here. Don't we see this today? California is doing it right now.
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Nebuchadnezzar in rage. Anger. Gave orders to bring these three
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Hebrew children. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to them. These men were brought before the king. You can see this. Nebuchadnezzar responded to them.
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And this is basically him speaking to them. Is it true
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Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. That you do not serve my gods. And worship the golden image I have set up.
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That's the question. Now if you are ready at the moment. You hear the sound of the horn, the flute, lyre and trigon.
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The psaltery and the bagpipe. And all kinds of music fall down. To worship the image that I made. Very well.
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But if you do not worship. I will immediately. You will immediately be cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.
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And what god is there. Who can deliver you out of my hands. Listen to this.
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You know the story. We need to hear it don't we. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king.
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Oh Nebuchadnezzar. We do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
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Their mind was already made up. Verse 17. If it be so our
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God. Our God. He is talking about the true living God. Capital G -O -D.
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Whom we serve. Is able to deliver us from this furnace of blazing fire.
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He is able. But notice the answer they gave. And he will deliver us out of your hand
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O king. Listen to that faith. But he.
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But. But. There is a chance. If he does not. Let it be known to you
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O king. We are not going to serve your gods. Or worship the golden image that you have set up.
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You see when it comes to worship beloved. We are to worship the true living God. And no one else can take that away from us.
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What happened? You know what happened. Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath. His facial expression was altered.
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Towards Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You can almost see his countenance looking with hate. You are not going to worship.
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You are not going to do what I am telling you to do. And he answered by giving orders to heat the furnace.
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Seven times more than it was usually heated. Interesting. Not one, two or three.
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Seven times hotter. He commanded certain valiant warriors.
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Who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. In order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.
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And notice what happened. Then these men were tied up in their trousers. And their coats and their caps and their clothes.
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And were cast into the mist of the furnace of blazing fire. He cast them right in there.
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And for this reason, because the king's command was urgent. And the furnace had been extremely hot.
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The flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
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It was so hot. The guys that ordered to throw them in burned. And they were dead.
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They burned up. I mean, you can almost see the fire. They did not go into it either.
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It was so hot. That it singed them to bits. To ashes. Verse 23.
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But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell into the mist of the furnace of blazing fire, still tied up.
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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded. And stood up in haste and said to his high officials. Was it not three men we cast into the mist of the fire?
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They replied to the king. Certainly, oh king. He said, look. I see four men loosed.
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And walking about in the mist of the fire without harm. And the appearance of the fourth is like the son of the gods.
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He did not know who it was. We know who it was. The Lord Jesus Christ.
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He was walking in that fiery furnace with them. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door in the furnace of blazing fire.
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And he responded and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, come out, you servants of the Most High God. Now it changes.
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He calls them the servants of the Most High God. Come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the mist of the fire.
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And the straps and the perfects and the governors and the kings, the high officials gathered around and saw in the regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men.
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Nor was the hair of their head even singed. You see how great our
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God is? You know how hair is so easily singed from a match?
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But this furnace was so hot it killed Nebuchadnezzar's men to ashes.
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And yet these men, three Hebrew children, went in there and they were not, even the hair on their head, not one hair on their head was singed.
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Nor were their trousers damaged and nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. They didn't even smell like fire.
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I'm telling you, God made fire, beloved. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, notice how he said, now he's blessing
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God. Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who has sent his angel and delivered his servants.
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He witnessed it himself and put their trust in him. That's the key right there, beloved. Put their trust in him.
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Violating the king's command, yielded up their bodies as not to serve or worship any god except their own god.
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Therefore, notice what he says, I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the god of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb from their houses, reduced to a rubbish heap.
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Inasmuch as there is no god who is able to deliver in this way. Who got the glory out of that?
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God did. Now isn't that the same with us? When we are tried through the fiery furnace as the three
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Hebrew children, God is to receive that glory. But in the return, he will honor and glorify you too.
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God is in the business of refining, beloved. He is in the business of refining every believer.
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You know, it's the stuff that faith has proven. Psalm 30 verse 5,
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Weeping may last for a night, but shouts of joy comes in the morning. The Apostle Paul, let me remind you of the
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Apostle Paul, which I know everybody in this room definitely knows this wonderful verse.
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And I know our dear sister Ms. Lillian has been a mother of Candace, definitely can relate to this.
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He speaks of suffering saints about the fires of persecution, reminds them, do not lose heart.
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But though our outer man is decaying, yet the inner man is being renewed day by day.
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Momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond all comparison.
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J .C. Rowell said, he paraphrased, what is in comparison of taking a cross for a small momentary light affliction here on this earth than to endure the hells, the wrath of God's hell fire forever.
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There's no comparison. I'll take a cross any day, any time, any day, for an eternal burning hell fire.
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I want you to think about that, beloved. Our time here on this world is very short. Let me ask you a question here.
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Are you renewing your inner man day by day? What does that mean? Are you go before God in prayer before His holy courts, and before the king of kings, and bow before Him?
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Do you have the kind of faith in the sense that these Hebrew children had, that they trusted
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God, whether it would cost them their very lives? They believed in a God that was truly a
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God of deliverance. And He delivered them. But they had their mind made up, even if God does not deliver us, we're still not going to bow to this image.
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That's the kind of faith we're going to need in these days, beloved. Do you go and renew your inner man day by day?
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Notice what the scripture says. Day by day you renew, day by day, in the Holy Spirit, in prayer, in the
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Holy Spirit, in the Word of God. Are you spending time in the Word of God, listening to God speak to you, and do you speak to God in prayer?
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I tell you today, as your friend, and as your pastor, and your brother in the
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Lord, there's nothing more important than that time with God. It's knowing
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God. Think about the experience of a trial. It has a great purpose, by the way.
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What would be the purpose? And some people say, well, yeah, but it's painful. Yes, it is painful. Of course it's painful.
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But doesn't God use pain? C .S.
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Lewis, and I remember Robbie Zacharias quoting C .S. Lewis time and time again, and he always would say, you know, pain is
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God's megaphone. He whispers to us in our comforts, but he shouts to us in pain.
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He gets our attention. Us, we're like dumb sheep.
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We need attention getters. We're too much in our comforts. We're too pampered. We need attention, and pain gets our attention.
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You know, God has a purpose, and it's for our good. Never forget this. It may be painful, but it's for the good.
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Romans 8 .28. Go with me there very quickly. Everybody knows this wonderful verse, but we don't need to stop at Romans 8 .28.
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I want to take it to verse 30, because there's the golden chain of redemption. Verse 28, and we know.
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Do you know? Notice he didn't say, I know. He said, we know.
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God's elect. God's people. The people of God. We know that God causes.
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Who caused it? God causes all things to work together for good to those who love
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God. In other words, it's not for everybody. It's to those who love God. To those who are the called according to His purpose.
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What's His purpose? Verse 29. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined.
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And He marked you. Don't be scared of that word. It basically means God has marked out His own to be conformed to the image of His Son so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.
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Speaking of Christ. Verse 30. And these whom He predestined, He also called.
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And those whom He called, He also justified. And these whom
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He justified, He also glorified. In other words, God's people will make it. They will persevere.
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And that's the good. The good is the purpose behind all the things that happen. Even though it may be evil,
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God turns it around for the good. It may be things we don't understand.
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I'm here to tell you I'm still baffled and without understanding of things that's happened in the past with godly saints.
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But you know, you take for instance about Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and all those godly men that went there.
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They didn't know they were going to get martyred. They didn't know that those little savages out there that they were trying to reach for the gospel was going to turn on them and spear them all to death.
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Tertullian, the early church father said, the seed of the church is the blood of the martyrs. And you know what the end story came out of that.
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And they didn't know what happened at the time. And it was devastating to the wives. They had little children.
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Why would God allow something like this to happen? They were taking the gospel and their lives were just snuffed out, speared to death.
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Horrible. But in the end, godly saint
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Elizabeth Elliot goes back, takes the gospel. Aren't you glad for godly women like this?
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And she didn't think she was something. She just obeyed God. And eventually a whole tribe came to know
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Jesus Christ. Don't you think that God has purpose? A lot of people would say in the world today, those guys lost their lives for nothing.
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For nothing? Really? God knew how to reach them. God knew how to use their blood to bring the gospel.
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You know, this is foreign to people in the world. But to those who are called by God knows exactly what
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I'm talking about. You know, when you have faith, you can read it in your devotional time. I don't have time to go through all of it.
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Hebrews chapter 11 speaks about faith of Abraham, the faith of Abel.
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It speaks about Moses. It speaks about all these godly men and even women.
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We understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God itself, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
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In other words, it just didn't come in by an explosion, a big bang. God was there and He made it.
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Faith, by faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain. It goes on, by verse 5, by faith
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Enoch was taken up so he would not see death. I love what brother
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Keith said, that he skipped the dirt. He missed the dirt. He didn't go to the dirt,
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God took him up. And he was not found because God took him up.
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He obtained the witness that before he was taken up that he was pleasing to God. And the writer of the
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Hebrews is basically saying, and when he pleased God and he says, but without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek
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Him. That's the old King James, diligently seek Him, I like that. Noah lived by faith.
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Abel lived by faith. Abraham lived by faith.
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Sarah lived by faith. They all died in faith without receiving the promises.
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Having seen them, having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on earth.
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Same thing, Peter is talking to these people, going through persecution. Why? Indeed they had been thinking that it was a country which they had went out, would have been an opportunity to return.
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But as it is, they desired a better country. That's the heavenly one.
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Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, and He has prepared a city for them. There's preparation for all the pain.
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Oh, isn't it great? Because there's the faith of the patriarchs, there's the faith of Moses, and I love,
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I wish I had time to get into all that, but then by faith they overcame. And by the way, he speaks about the walls of Jericho came down by faith.
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And by faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient. And I cry out with the writer of Hebrews, for time will fail me if I tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Japheth and David and Samuel and the prophets.
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And by faith conquered kingdoms, listening as they performed acts of the righteous, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire that summoned the
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Hebrew children, escaped the edge of the sword from weakness, were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
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Women received their, backed their dead by the resurrection. Others were tortured.
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Listen to that. Others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection.
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Listen to this. Others experienced mocking, scourgings, and chains, imprisonments. They were stoned.
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They were sawn in two. Now sawn in two is unbelievable.
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You talk about pain? They were tempted. They were put to death with the sword.
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They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill -treated. Men of whom the world was not even worthy of, wandering in deserts, mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
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Listen to the way they lived. Did they pay a price? And all these, having gained approval through faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
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Now, after the writer of Hebrews goes through the whole chapter, and then finally he comes to the climax, verse 12, chapter 12.
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Therefore, therefore is all that what he just said. Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, all these examples lived and walked by faith.
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They died in faith. They lived by faith surrounding us. And then he says, let us lay aside every encumbrance, every encumbrance, every distraction and the sin which so easily entangles us.
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Doesn't sin so easily entangle us? And let us run with endurance the race that is before us.
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In other words, they ran the race. They won, they got the prize. And then he tells you how they did it.
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Fixing our eyes on Jesus. That word fix, you lock it in.
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Have a single eye for Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Have a single eye. The scripture says that Jesus Himself and Isaiah set
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His face like a flint. Beloved, He was unmoved to go to the cross. Shouldn't we? Fixing our eyes on Jesus.
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Fixing our eyes on Jesus. The author, the perfecter of our faith. He is the one that started us off.
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He is the one that is going to perfect us. He is the one that is going to take us through. Who? For what?
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The joy. The joy set before Him and endured the cross. Despising the shame as set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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For consider Him who has endured such hostility against sinners Himself.
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And that you will not grow weary and lose heart. If you don't want to grow weary and lose heart, look unto Jesus. Oh beloved,
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I can go on and on here. But God has a purpose. Let me close. There's a purpose for all this.
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Malachi chapter 3. I don't have time to get into all this, but I've got to make it quick. You know this is the last book of the
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Old Testament. There was a transition of... I want to say...
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600 years? 400 years? 400 years, I believe.
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400 years of silence after this. This is the last time that the word of God was spoken. Then John the
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Baptist rose up. By the way, the prophecy of John the Baptist is right here. Chapter 3, verse 1. Behold, I'm going to send my messenger.
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This is speaking of John the Baptist here. And he will clear the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to this temple.
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Now the Lord, we know who that is. Jesus. John the Baptist was that messenger to prepare the way.
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This was fulfilled when Christ came. But it has a two -fold prophecy, beloved. He will suddenly come to his temple.
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And the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming. Says the
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Lord of hosts. That means the Lord of the armies. This can apply not only to his first advent.
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It can also apply to his second advent. The first advent was fulfilled.
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He came as Savior. The next time Jesus Christ comes, he's coming as Judge. Beloved, the
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Judge is coming. Be ready. Verse 2. But who can endure the day of his coming?
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Who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire. Listen to that.
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Like a furler's soap. And he will sit as a smelter and a purifier of silver. And he will purify the sons of Levi.
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And refine them like gold and silver. So that they may present to the Lord offerings and righteousness.
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Very quickly. What is that talking about? It's talking about, instead of bringing rewards, he's coming like to two purifying agents.
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Fire to burn off the dross. And alkaline to whiten it. It's an indication of the true condition of their hearts.
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Isn't that the condition of our hearts? We need soap to cleanse us.
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And refiner's fire to burn away the dross. And can
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I tell you this? That furler's soap is like the blood of Jesus Christ. But God uses the fire that will burn off the dross of iniquity.
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And the soap will wash away the stains of the sin. He's coming. His coming will be one in which he removes all impurities.
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And Jesus came to do that when he died on the cross. He comes to purify.
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He comes to cleanse. But when he comes back the second time, beloved, he's coming with a rod of iron.
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He's coming as the wrath of the Lamb. And the question is this. Who can endure the day of his coming? When Jesus comes, will he find faith on earth?
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He's the divine purifier. God loves us too much to leave us as we are. Because...
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He's talking about his very own. Because of our impurities, our impure selves cannot reflect clearly all that he is and his holiness.
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But the refining process is very hot. And we need it. Why? To refine our faith.
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To purify us as gold. The heat must be applied to force the impurities and the dross to the surface.
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Larger qualities of gold, strong acids are used to dissolve the impurities. That's the process.
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What does God use it? How does he do this? Psalm 12, verse 6.
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The words of the Lord are pure words. God's words. God's word...
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It's the agent of God. God's word is the one that is like silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times.
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It's perfected. God uses his words to sanctify us. Are you washed in the blood of Jesus Christ this morning?
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Will you be ready when the bridegroom cometh? Are you washed in the blood? Have you had an experience like Moses at the burning bush?
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When he took off his sandals and he had to see that sight. And he didn't know what he was about to see.
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But what he was about to see, he was going to see God in the bush, in the fire. And God told him, take off your sandals.
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For the ground on which you stand is holy ground. Because of the presence of God. Beloved, we are in God's presence.
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What's important is, have you met God? Do you know him? Do you long to know him?
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Well, he is able to deliver and he's willing. May we cry out for mercy.
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Before it's everlasting too late. Because he is willing to bring those that do not know him, to know him.
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What matters today is, do you know Jesus Christ? Because I'm here to tell you there's going to come a day when we're going to all stand before him and all that's going to matter is one of two things you're going to hear.
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Those that will cry out, Lord, Lord, in deception. Thinking that they knew him.
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Honored them with their lips. And Jesus is going to reply to them.
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They had a profession and he would have a profession. He said, I never knew you. In other words, all through your life.
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You thought you knew me. You went to church. You read the Bible. You even prayed.
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See, just doing those things doesn't mean you know God. We can go through the forms. We can go through the externals.
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We can sing the hymns. We can hear the sermons. But beloved, we've got to have a heart that loves, delights in God.
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And all that's going to matter is, and the words you want to hear is, Well done, good and faithful servant.
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Enter into the joy of the Lord. That's the words you want to hear. But you don't want to hear,
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I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. It's going to be one of the two, beloved.
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Goats on the left, sheep on the right. I didn't say that. That comes from the truth. And I would not be loving you and loving your souls if I did not tell you the truth.
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But that's the truth, beloved. Make it right with God and you can make it right with God. It's not too late.
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Never listen to the devil and thinking, I've done too much sinning. It's too late for me.
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That's a lie from hell. Believe the gospel and repent.
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That's the message. Believe the gospel and repent. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord. What an awesome responsibility we have just to hear this word.