Remember Your Suffering – (Hebrews 10:32)

Peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell.

For I know on every fall, He, Jesus, doeth all things well.

For I know on every fall, He, Jesus, doeth all things well.

Yeah, I've known that all my life. Yeah. My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him who bore my pain.

Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace and gave me life again.

Who crushed my curse of sinfulness and clothed me with His light.

And owed His law of righteousness with power of God.

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear.

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear.

Oh, because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

My worth is not in what I own. Not in the strength of flesh and bone.

But in the costly wounds of love. My worth is not in skill or name.

And with all of pride and shame. But in the blood of Christ that flowed at the cross.

Yours and my Redeemer, greatest treasure.

Wellspring of my soul. And I will trust in Him no other.

My soul is satisfied in Him alone. As solid flowers we fade and die.

Faint youth and beauty hurry. The future calls to us.

At the coast in wealth all mine.

I rejoice in my Redeemer. Wellspring of my soul.

And I will trust in Him no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone.

And I will trust in Him alone.

My soul is satisfied in Him alone. It is here that I confess.

My worth in my heart. My value fixed.

My ransom paid. Oh, I rejoice in my

Redeemer. Greatest treasure. Wellspring of my soul.

And I will trust in Him no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone.

My soul is satisfied in Him alone.

Nice to look. My hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song.

This cornerstone, this solid ground.

We'll find through the faces. OK, we're going to go ahead and get started. So if you would please have a seat.

I'd like to welcome you all to Kootenai Community Church Adult Sunday School.

And once again, we will be back in 1 Samuel chapter 13.

And we're going to begin again with verse 12.

And we're going to finish out the chapter, Lord willing. So if you would read with me from 1312 through the remainder of this chapter.

Therefore, I said, now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal. And I have not asked the favor of the

Lord. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering. Samuel said to Saul, you have acted foolishly.

You have not kept the commandment of the Lord, your God, which he commanded you.

For now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure.

The Lord has sought out for himself a man after his own heart.

And the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people. Because you have not kept what the

Lord commanded you. Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about 600 men.

Now Saul and his son Jonathan and the people who were present with him were staying in Gibeah of Benjamin while the

Philistines camped at Michmash. And the raiders came from the camp of the

Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah to the land of Shul.

And another company turned toward Beth Horon. And another company toward the border which overlooks the valley of Zebulun toward the wilderness.

Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel. For the

Philistines said, otherwise the Hebrews will make swords and spears.

So all Israel went down to the Philistines each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.

The charge was two -thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes.

And to fix the hoes. So it came about on the day of the battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan.

But they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. And the garrison of the

Philistines went out to the pass at Michmash. Let's go to the

Lord in prayer. Father, we just thank you this morning for the privilege of uniting together collectively as your people, your children.

We ask this morning, Father, that you and you alone would be lifted up and glorified as we examine and teach your word and preach your word.

And Father, we recognize our weaknesses. We recognize that we are totally and utterly dependent upon you to do anything.

And Father, we thank you that you have given us your word and you have also empowered us through the work of your

Holy Spirit. We ask this morning that your spirit would guide us, illuminate to us what this text is meaningful and how we might apply these truths to our lives.

So we just thank you now and ask that you would guide us in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Okay, for review,

Saul had remained in Gilgal and he waited there for Samuel for a period of seven days.

And we're talking he should have waited a full seven days. He was waiting for Samuel to offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice for the

Lord to gain his assistance, his help in this battle.

They were outnumbered. They had only garden and farm implements to fight with.

But yet they're going against the Philistine army who was equipped with swords, spears, knives, javelins.

And also they had armor. They had horses. They had chariots.

Thousands and thousands outnumbered by these Philistine enemies.

That's what they faced. So Saul grew impatient when Samuel had not arrived in Gilgal.

He took upon himself to offer the burnt offering. We look in verses 10 and 11.

As soon as he has finished the offering, the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.

And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. But Samuel said, What have you done?

And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering from me and that you did not come within the appointed days and that the

Philistines were assembling at Michmash. Therefore, I said, Now the

Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the

Lord. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering. You've got to remember there's seven 24 -hour days.

Obviously, he didn't remain faithful to God's word or to Samuel's command to him to wait.

Seems like a simple thing. And yet he reacted because of what he was seeing.

His men were scattering. They were deserters in the time of war.

So what's he do? Takes it upon himself. Perhaps his motive was good.

He wanted to seek the Lord's help. But he did so in a manner that violated

God's commands. He, as a king, should know those commands.

He should live out those commands and obey the God that he serves. So rather than showing contrition and repentance, he offers three excuses.

The first, my men were scattering from me. The second, you were tardy. You were late.

Yet the seventh day was not over. Immediately after he had offered that sacrifice,

Samuel showed up. So obviously, that was an excuse.

But there's no excuse for sinning against our holy God. The third was the

Philistines were assembling at Michmash. He was fearful that they would come down and attack him there.

So none of Saul's excuses were acceptable. There's no excuse for sin.

We cannot justify sin against our God. So what do we learn from Saul's sin?

Even though he'd taken upon himself to offer burnt offering, he desired to seek the

Lord. He desired the Lord's favor in this battle against Israel's enemy.

Good motive. Perhaps his motive was good since he was king over Israel, and he was to protect them, and he was seeking to overcome these enemies, the

Philistines. We must remember the law of God required that if Israel was to have a king, there were specific guidelines given by which an appointed king was to follow.

They were given in Deuteronomy 17 verses 18 through 20, and I'll just read these because Saul should have not only been aware of this, but he should have followed this command.

Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on the scroll in the presence of the

Levitical priests. It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the

Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of the law and the statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

That was it. That was the command. Did he follow it?

No. Samuel said to Saul in verse 13, You have acted foolishly.

You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you.

For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Saul reminded him, as we need to be reminded, that God is interested in the motives, but more so he's interested in our heart.

Do we have a heart towards God? That's the key question that we need to ask with this text.

According to Samuel, had Saul obeyed this simple test, when his kingdom would have been embraced by the

Lord and established forever, since Saul failed to obey God's word, his kingdom would not continue nor his family lineage would not be passed down to his generations to follow.

This was the beginning of the Lord's rejection of Saul, after which

Saul should have realized the depth of his disobedience to Yahweh.

This was a stinging rebuke. Can you imagine? This is Samuel. He's God's prophet, judge, and priest.

And he gives him this rebuke. It would have been convicting and stinging.

It should have caused Saul to be on his knees in repentance. But no, he left right after that.

The consequences of sin always has lasting effect. Not only would

Saul's kingdom not be established to his descendants, but Saul, had he not been disobedient to God's commandments, he would have had a lasting legacy.

God's people, we can see through the Old as well as the New Testament, often try to make excuses and justify their sin against our holy

God. Samuel had directed Saul to wait seven days in Gilgal.

He wanted to be there for him. He would offer the sacrifices to our Lord. Then Saul would know what to do.

He was also going to give him instruction in the way to go. So he was going to guide him, direct him, but first offer sacrifices to Jehovah.

There was a similar sin and failure on the part of Uzziah.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 26, we read in verses 16 through 18.

But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the

Lord his God. For he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Then Azariah the priest entered after him, and with him 80 priests of the

Lord, valiant men. They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him,

It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense.

Get out of the sanctuary. You have been unfaithful, and you will have no honor from the

Lord God. This man was lifted up in pride, like many that we find in the

Old and New Testament. He sinned. He violated God's commandments in the same way

Saul did. Saul had determined to engage the Philistines without Samuel's directions, though he had promised to show him what he should do.

Saul was not a man who had a heart towards God, and he was not one that obeyed his commandments and covenants.

Saul had become self -sufficient. What a difference when Samuel first approached him and said that you will have all you need over Israel, and he approached him and in a veiled way told him that he would become the chosen king.

Saul was humbled, and even the day of his anointing, where was he?

He was not standing up there proud. He was hiding behind the baggage. He must have realized how much responsibility this would be.

He was going to be protecting and guiding and governing over God's people,

Israel. What an awesome responsibility, and yet he failed.

Verse 14, but now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for himself a man after his own heart.

And the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the

Lord commanded you. In MacArthur's commentary, he makes this observation.

This clearly demonstrates the Lord was testing Saul's heart in this situation.

If he had remained steadfast in obeying his commandments, he would have demonstrated a heart that was committed to the

Lord, and the Lord would have established Saul's lineage on the throne of Israel for all time.

Instead, Saul proved his heart was not committed to following God as his sovereign, and the

Lord would find another man whose heart was right. That man would be

David. As we continue in verse 16, or as we look at chapter 16, verse 7, we read this.

But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or his height or stature, because I have rejected him.

For God sees not as a man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the

Lord looks at the heart. How many times have we seen in churches or heard or read of men who were articulate, great communicators, handsome, young, vibrant, who took over a church as a pastor, one of the pastors, and then became puffed up and violated

God's way so the public would see and disgraced the body of Christ.

The unregenerate world looks at these people. They look at every Christian. They don't know scripture, but they know when a

Christian is sinning. It isn't just before the world, though.

God is omnipresent. God indwells us. There's no place that we can go that God is not with us.

In Acts 13, verses 20 through 22, we read, After these things, he gave them a judge until Samuel, the prophet.

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

After he had been removed, he raised up David to be their king, concerning whom he also testified and said,

I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.

That's the man that God chose. Why? Because David had a heart towards God.

As we continue in Samuel, verses 15 and 16,

Then Samuel rose and went up to Gilgal, to Gibeah, of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about 600 men.

Now Saul and his son, Jonathan, and the people who were present with them, were staying in Gibeah, of Benjamin, while the

Philistines camped at Michmash. So I had the map last week, if I can get this.

So we are, here they are in Gibeah, and then they're going to Gibeah.

And then, here we have the Philistines camped at Michmash, with their entire army.

They've also posted men along the way, passageway, along there, and along both sides of the gorge.

So they had staked out men. The Philistines were tactical. They had battle -worthy soldiers.

They were trusted warriors for their leader, their king. Yet, they hated the

Israelites. They disdained them. So after Saul departs from Samuel, the situation seems one of despair.

Everything is going wrong for Saul. And because of his foolish act of relying upon his own fleshly understanding, he has now disobeyed

God's law, as well as God's faithful servant, Samuel. Remember, Samuel was dedicated to God from birth.

We read in Psalm 99, this quote,

And Samuel was among those who called on his name. They called upon the

Lord, and he answered them. Samuel was faithful to God.

He loved God. Oh, he made mistakes, yes. But he was a man after God's heart.

He was a great prophet and a fair judge and a biblical man.

He followed God's law, and he was there for the Israelites. After Saul departs from Samuel, the situation is worse.

He had disobeyed God's word. He had disobeyed his faithful servant, Samuel. When Saul had numbered those who remained with him, he had little more than a single regiment, about 600 men.

That's how many had deserted him. Remember, he had 2 ,000 men when they first started.

He sent 1 ,000 to Jonathan and Geba. Even after Saul had summoned the whole nation, there remained with him only about a third of his selected soldiers.

Saul is going to join forces with his son, Jonathan, and the soldiers under his command.

This all may have been under Samuel's leading and direction. Samuel still directed

Saul. He was still judge. He was still God's prophet, so he did direct

Saul. These small forces of Saul's foot soldiers were now facing their enemy, the

Philistines, who had far superior forces and superb weapons, and they were well -equipped.

That would be something. And yet Saul, to his credit, he was a man of valor.

He was a tactical man of war as well. Brian, amen.

What Brian was saying is that we as Christians have not only

God's Holy Spirit within us, but we have his word. His word is our final authority.

And yet, how many times when our circumstances are pressing do we try to go forth in our own strength?

I don't think any of us have not failed in that area. Good comment.

The Philistines had sent out raiders in verse 17 and 18, and the raiders came from the camp of the

Philistines in three companies. One company turned to Ophrah, to the land of Shaul, and another company turned toward Beth -Aaron, and another company turned toward the border, which overlooks the valley of Zebulun, towards the wilderness.

This was strategic, sending these raiders out. Now, who are these raiders?

The Philistines sent out their raiding parties to control three roads that provided access to Mekmesh.

That's tactical. He sent out his raiders. These raiders were highly trained.

They would probably, from what I've gotten from historical background, they were similar to the

Roman centurions, faithful warriors committed to the king.

They would've jumped off a roof if they were commanded to do so by Saul.

These men were faithful. They were similar. We might make a parallel, although not with the weaponry.

These raiders would've been a special force unit, similar to our military special forces.

So they were well -trained. They weren't afraid to go to battle, no matter what the odds.

They were good with their weapons, and they were fierce warriors. So they sent out these raiders to secure the roads that they could have access to Mekmesh, so they could bring more troops up through that road.

The Philistines had fought many years and many wars. Leaders were also skilled in warfare.

This strategy of the Philistine military leaders would not only secure the position at Mekmesh, but also sealed off Saul's camp from receiving more reinforcements.

So can you imagine? They had that corridor open. They could bring more of their troops or divert some of their troops through that road.

And yet, if the Israelites sent troops there, they would be attacked by these raiders.

Very strategic. In chapter 14, 15, we read, and all there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among the people, even the garrison of the raiders, so that it became a great trembling.

In other words, they're showing that the raiders were used even by the Israelites. So Israelites had warriors such as the ones that Philistines had.

So we have to realize that they were both well -trained, the Israelite raiders as well as the

Philistine raiders. Difference in this situation? Weaponry. Ophrah is about 2 1⁄2 miles east of Bethel, Beth Horn, and approximately 10 miles west of Bethel.

These raiders, which were also referred to as the destroyers, would plunder the

Israelites as they traveled. If they needed food, they'd take it from the

Israelites. The Israelites feared these men. So the

Israelites were poor and without any types of weapons to protect themselves.

Along with this poverty of the Israelites, the Philistines had control over all the commerce that came into the

Israel's cities. So they also took away all the metals in order to fashion weapons for themselves.

So we read in verse 19 and 20. Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel for the

Philistines said, otherwise the Hebrews will make swords and spears. So all

Israel went down to the Philistine, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his hoe.

We read in the book of Judges in the song of Deborah and Barak.

This song was written by Deborah, who was giving tribute for God's great victory.

We read this in Judges 4, verses 13. New gods were chosen.

Then the war was in the gates and not a shield or a spear was seen among 40 ,000 in Israel.

The Philistines despised Saul and took all measures that they could to keep the

Israelites from having any means or ability to even have a blacksmith. They had to go to the

Philistines for a blacksmith to have their garden implements sharpened.

What a pathetic situation the

Israelites were in. But you have to think what had happened.

Samuel was their judge. They demanded a king like all the other nations. Then what?

He warned them. He said, they're going to take your fields. They'll take your crops.

They'll take your sons and daughters, all for the king's use. So the

Israelites who could farm no longer could do so for themselves or for their own profit.

Their profit went to the king. So we see how desperate the

Israelites were at this point. Apparently this had been carried out by the

Philistines for a long period of time. It's not clear exactly in the records or any of the historical writings what happened between Samuel's victory at Mizpah in 1

Samuel 7 and Saul's appointment as king. In order to bring more clarity and help better understand this evident weakness of Israel at this time, some commentators suggest that the

Israelites in this area of Benjamin were close to the

Philistines. So the Benjamites were the closest to the Philistines because we saw the victory they had over the

Ammonites in chapter 11. They conquered them.

They won. They overcame. But now this area where the

Philistines have taken control of, they have depleted them, all the

Israelites, of their resources. No weapons. Only one had a weapon was Saul and Jonathan.

The Israelites were dependent upon sharpening their farm implements.

Since the Philistines controlled the metal trade and charged high fees just to sharpen the farming implements, just think about it.

They had a plowshare, mattocks, axes, and hoes. So not only did the

Philistine control the metals and other commerce coming into the Israelite cities, but they couldn't even sharpen their own farming implements.

Verse 21, the charge was two -thirds of a shekel for plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes.

Now, anyone that has farmed knows what these tools are, and yet we recognize that these tools have to be maintained.

They have to be sharpened to be effective working tools. So their charge was two -thirds of a shekel, which most likely was paid in the form of coinage, fashioned in silver, and for more expensive items it would be gold for buying property or large investments.

They controlled the trade and commerce coming into them. The shekel in silver coinage was usually weighed out in measures.

The value, and I don't know what period this was made for, but the value of a shekel was $128 per shekel.

Broken down into smaller measurements called bekas and giras, they had smaller denominations.

The beka was $6 and something change. So what's the plowshare?

The plowshare was the iron blade mounted on a frame which was attached to the yoke of the oxen.

So they would plow their fields and the plowshare was the key blade that went through it.

So they used that as a weapon. They sharpened it. I can't see how they would wield that as a weapon even.

Those were heavy, bulky, and not really designed for war. The mattocks, similar to the mattocks that we have today, had a broad end on one end and then a pick on the other end, similar to what we have.

But they didn't even have files or tools to sharpen.

They did have some sharpening stones which are similar to what we have seen today in some of the antiques probably.

Big stones with a wooden shaft and then a pedal -driven stone so that would turn and they could sharpen their axes, their swords, all those things.

So it was crude and yet they would have had the ability to take care of their own farm implements, but they didn't have that.

They had to go down and pay for that to the Philistines. So the farmers, they all farmed.

They would grow their own food for their families and they had the other farmers who had wheat fields and other crops, they needed those tools.

Of course, that's what the Philistines wanted to do. They wanted to punish them on every level. Don't let the commerce come in that they could use.

Don't let them have something to make weapons with. Don't let them have something to sharpen their farm implements with.

It was a wicked nation. Verse 22, so it came about on the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and Jonathan.

Saul and Jonathan both had a sword and a spear. Now the swords that the Hebrews had were more fashioned after the oriental nations.

They were shorter and broader, whereas the Philistines or later on the

Roman soldiers had a longer sword that was sharp on both sides.

So it was a superior weapon. The foot soldiers of both

Saul and Jonathan were armed only with clubs and farming instruments. Their clubs would have been a piece of wood fashioned in a tapered form where they could hold on to the smaller end and wield it.

And it was a weapon, but they didn't have any spear that would keep off a soldier.

They didn't have arrows that they could shoot at them from a distance. All of that the

Philistine had. No wonder the Israelites were fearful.

There was neither sword nor spear in the land of any of the soldiers who were under Saul's command.

The Philistines had various forms of armor for their soldiers. Now, when we look in chapter 17, we can see what type of armor that the

Philistines had in verses five through seven, which is a vivid description of Goliath's armor.

We read this. He had a bronze helmet on his head and he was clothed with scale armor.

Now scale armor was thin metal, like metal plates that they would make and fashion armor for their soldiers.

It wasn't impenetrable because they could pierce between the armor, but it was a good safeguard.

In normal combat, that would be fierce to try to overcome. He also had a bronze greaves on his legs.

That was another armor form on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.

The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam and the head of his spear weighed 600 shekels of iron.

His shield carrier also walked before him. So not only did they have armor, but they had shield carriers going before the soldiers.

They would carry the metal shields. Yes, Mythel. I should have that information.

I will get back. The question is this. What is the weaver's beam? So if anyone is aware of that, let me know.

I'll find out. Sorry. No, it's okay. Verse 23.

And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash. So when the

Philistines heard that Saul had 600 men and had joined forces with Jonathan at Geba, the placement of the

Philistine soldiers above the passage at Michmash that we looked at would allow a larger body of Philistine troops through the gorge in order to attack

Saul. And by placing these soldiers in the passage, it would not only give the

Philistines high ground, but also strategically it allowed them to bring many troops through there for their own defense.

They did not know that God had chosen Israel. Philistines hated them, but they didn't know that that was

God's chosen people. They could win with many or few with God's help.

Philistines were proud, they were arrogant, and now they were overconfident.

These Philistines, the 600 and a few that Jonathan may have as they gather in Geba, they could have overtaken them had they not been so arrogant, because when they were going through this passage, they could have ordered a regiment to come in and annihilate them.

They didn't. That's under God's sovereignty. Though Saul did not have a heart for God, Samuel, who was

God's priest, prophet, and judge, he was their intercessor. Remember, in the closing of that address that he gave in chapter 12,

Samuel said this. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the

Lord by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

This promise given by Samuel was followed with a command and an admonition.

I will pray for you. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart.

For consider the great things he has done for you, but if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.

That exhortation clearly must have gave them encouragement, but the admonition should have caused them to tremble.

They should have desired to obey God. They remembered when

Moses had his back to the sea, Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army was coming after him.

God delivered him. Part of the sea they went across in dry land. As soon as Pharaoh's army came, the sea devoured them, all of them.

God did mighty miracles, and that's what Samuel was pointing to. Remember what God has done.

Do we remember what God has done? Sent his only son, our

Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross for all those who would turn to him in faith.

They would be saved. God would save them. He would sanctify them, and ultimately glorify them.

So this is the promises that we need to look at as Christians. We're not just here because we're waiting to go to heaven.

We're here to fulfill God's purposes, each in whatever manner

God directs and gives you, but we are to be faithful to God as we do so.

We can't be casual with sin. God's Word is pure.

It's perfect. It is inspired, plenary, inerrant

Word of God. We have everything we need for life and godliness through God's Word, but more so, we have

God's Holy Spirit within us. He indwells us. Yes, we're tempted daily.

So were the Philistines. So were the Israelites. Philistines didn't care. They were serving their god,

Satan. The question we might ask ourselves as Christians is

God's Word, the Scriptures, our absolute authority? If you can't say yes to that, you really need to go to the

Lord. It is our final authority for everything. Everything that we do, we base on biblical truth.

So as we close this section, the next time we come together, we'll be looking at this battle and we'll see

God's hand on his people. God loved

Israel. More so, we consider what God did for us as Christians.

We have the privilege of the entire Old Testament and New Testament. And it was pointed out earlier by Brian, how often do we pass by and not even consider going to the

Lord in prayer when we're faced with a trial or difficulty? He is there for us.

He wants us to honor him, obey him, and to serve him. Let's go to the

Lord. Father, we just thank you and praise you this morning. We thank you, Father, for this wonderful privilege that we still have to gather collectively as your people.

We recognize, Father, in different parts of the world, people are being persecuted and even killed for your sake.

We don't know where we are headed in this country, but we know that we have a

God that loves us, a God that died for us, a God who sits at the right hand of the

Father, who will always take care. We may not be able to avoid persecution or suffering, but we know, ultimately, that we will be with you.

And we give you praise this day. In Jesus' precious name, amen. Do you feel the world is broken?

Do you feel the shadows deepening?

But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through?

Do you wish that you could see it all? Is all creation growing?

Is a new creation coming? Is the glory of the

Lord's light within our midst? Is it good that we remind ourselves of Him?

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The Lion of Judah, the conqueror and the slave.

Is He worthy? Is He worthy? All blessing and honor and glory.

Is He worthy? Healer of the truly liable.

Does the spirit move among us? And does

Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves?

Does our God intend to dwell among us? Healer.

Is anyone, is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The Lion of Judah. He is dangerous to ransom the slave.

And in time, He has made us the kingdom and priest of God to reign with the

Son. Is He worthy?

Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Healer. Jesus, Jesus.

How I trust Him. How I prove

Him whole. Jesus, Jesus.

Gracious Jesus. Oh, how

I trust Him.

How I trust

Him. Jesus. How I trust

Him. How I trust

Him. He has promised me just to be my

Savior. It is so sweet to trust in Jesus.

Just from sin, next up to sin.

Just from Jesus, soon

He'll be taking revenge on me.

Jesus, Jesus. How I trust

Him. How I prove

Him whole. Jesus, Jesus.

Gracious Jesus. Oh, to trust

Him. To trust in Jesus.

Just to trust His care.

How I faith to trust

Him. Jesus, Jesus.

To trust Him. To trust

Him. How sweet to trust

Him. Gracious Jesus.

Savior of man and human being.

So wonder, consider all. I see the stars.

I hear the universe.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.

How great, then sings my soul, my

Savior God, to Thee. But His Son not sparing, sent

Him to die. I scarce can take it in.

To take away my sins. Then sings my soul, my

Savior God, to Thee. I shall come with shouts of adoration.

And take me home where Georgia fill my heart.

And I shall bow in humble adoration.

And then proclaim, my God, how

He saves my soul.

Every blessing to my heart to sing

Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing.

Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious song.

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Raise the mount of Thy big star. Mount of Thy redeemer.

Safely to arrive. Jesus saw me when a stranger

Wanted to rescue me from danger.

Interposed His precious cross. Daily I'm constrained to be

Led by like a feather.

Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Oh soul, don't you leave me.

Here's my heart, take and seal. Seal it for Thy courts above.

I adore. Blessings to my heart to sing

Your praise. Oh, to my heart to sing

Your praise. Oh, to sing

Your praise. I long to wander,

Lord. I long to leave the garden.

Take and seal. Seal it for Thy courts above.

Praise the Lord. His mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness. New every morn.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Good remember. No wrong omniscient.

Oh no, He counts not their sum. Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Praise the Lord. His mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness. New every morn.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Patience would wait as we constantly run. What Father so tender is calling us home.

He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Mercy is more. Stronger than darkness.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

Riches of kindness He lavished on us.

His blood was the payment. His life was the cost.

We stood beneath the debt we could never afford.

His mercy is more.

Our sins they are many. His mercy is more.

His mercy is more. Our sins they are many.

His mercy is more. Our sins they are many.

His mercy is more. Our sins they are many.

His mercy is more. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

That saved a wretch like I once was lost.

Good morning and welcome to Kootenai Church. We're glad that you're here this morning. If you would please stand as we sing

Alvast the Love. Come gaze upon your

Savior. Behold your great High Priest.

Drawn near in awe and wonder. His cross has spoken peace.

Come rest from sin and striving. Find endless stores of grace.

The heart that turns to Jesus. Is cleansed from every stain.

Oh, how deep, how wide, how long. Oh, how vast the love of Jesus.

Oh, how sure, how sweet, how strong. Oh, how vast is love for us.

So lift your eyes to Jesus. Arise from doubt and shame.

His blood cries, it is finished. Our life is in His name.

Oh, how deep, how wide, how long. Oh, how vast the love of Jesus.

Oh, how sure, how sweet, how strong. Oh, how vast is love for us.

What now can separate us?

Can death or pain or fear? We have the strong to assure us.

In Christ we've been brought near. And in His strength will labor.

His promise is our hope. Thus far

His love has led us. His love will lead us home.

Oh, how deep, how wide, how long. Oh, how vast the love of Jesus.

Oh, how sure, how sweet, how strong. Oh, how vast is love for us.

Oh, how deep, how wide, how long. Oh, how vast the love of Jesus.

Oh, how sure, how sweet, how strong. Oh, how vast is love for us.

No other name but the name of Jesus.

No other name but the name of the Lord. No other name but the name of Jesus.

He is worthy of glory and worthy of honor.

And worthy of power and all praise.

No other name but the name of Jesus. No other name but the name of the

Lord. But the name of Jesus.

He is worthy of glory and worthy. His name is exalted far above the earth.

His name is high above the heavens. His name is exalted far above the earth.

Give glory and honor and praise unto His name.

No other name but the name of Jesus. No other name but the name of the

Lord. No other name but the name of Jesus.

He is worthy of glory and worthy of honor.

And all praise. When the morning falls on the farthest hill,

I will sing His name. I will praise Him still.

When dark trials come and my heart is filled With the weight of doubt,

I will praise Him still. For the Lord our

God, He is strong to save From the arms of death, from the deepest grave.

And He gave us life in His perfect will And by His good grace,

I will praise Him still. When the morning falls on the farthest hill,

I will sing His name. I will praise Him still.

When dark trials come and my heart is filled With the weight of doubt,

I will praise Him still. For the Lord our

God, He is strong to save From the arms of death, from the deepest grave.

And He gave us life in His perfect will And by His good grace,

I will praise Him still. For the Lord our

God, He is strong to save From the arms of death, from the deepest grave.

And He gave us life in His perfect will And by His good grace,

I will praise Him still. We're going to introduce a new song this morning that Bob Coughlin wrote called

Oh Great God. Oh great

God of highest heaven, Occupy my lonely heart.

Own it all and reign supreme. Conquer every rebel power.

Let no vice or sin remain That resists

Your holy war. You have loved and purchased me.

Make me Yours forevermore. I was blinded by my sin,

Had no ears to hear Your voice. Did not know

Your love within, Had no taste for heaven's joys.

Then Your spirit gave me life, Opened up Your word to me.

Through the gospel of Your Son, Gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life That's dependent on Your grace.

Keep my heart and guard my soul From the evils that I face.

You are worthy to be praised With my every thought and deed.

Oh great God of highest heaven, Glorify Your name through me.

You are worthy to be praised With my every thought and deed.

Oh great God of highest heaven, Glorify Your name through me.

You may be seated.

Well good morning everyone. Just one announcement and a little bit of detail about the upcoming church barbecue and campout that is next weekend.

Starts this Wednesday, Wednesday through Saturday. On Saturday at 2 p .m. We have a baptism service there at the river and we try and start that as precisely on time as we can.

So you are planning, if you're planning to be out there just for the baptism service, you might wanna show up a little bit early to make sure that you can get in and get unloaded and find a parking space.

And that brings me to the next announcement and that is that we have 190 people signed up for the barbecue on Saturday.

So that's a lot of burgers for Jesse to cook. I don't have to worry about it because I'm not standing over that hot grill the whole time.

But that does mean that we are going to be a little cramped for space with parking. So if you have somebody close to you that you can carpool with, that would be a good idea.

And when you arrive at the campground, just keep in mind that you cannot park outside of the gate or on the road that goes alongside the campground.

So when you show up there, you'll have to pull through the gate and we'll have somebody there to show you where to park and you might have to park down at the other end of the campground.

It's not a long ways away. It's a little bit of a walk. But we will have to pack the cars in pretty tight in order to make room for everybody.

And if you were thinking, 190 people, I can't handle that. Maybe I won't show up. It's just more fun with a lot of people there.

So show up. It's a great beach. You're gonna have a great time. And please feel free, if you're not coming for the camping, to come out on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and hang out for a campfire, a controlled gas campfire, no wood burning, and use the beach for the day.

Bring your family out and use the beach for the day. It's open for all of us for that entire weekend. Please turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 13 for our scripture reading.

Matthew chapter 13. This is one of the parables of the

Lord Jesus, the parable of the sower and the seed. It has an explanation as to why he spoke in parables and then an explanation of the parables as well.

So we're gonna read Matthew chapter 13 down through the end of verse 23.

Matthew 13. That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea, and large crowds gathered to him.

So he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying,

Behold, the sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

Others fell on the rocky places where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of soil.

But when the sun had risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

He who has ears, let him hear. And the disciples came to him and said to him,

Why do you speak to them in parables? Jesus answered them, To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has, shall be taken away from him.

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because while seeing, they do not see, and while hearing, they do not hear, nor do they understand.

In their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, You will keep on hearing, but will not understand.

You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull. With their ears, they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise, they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and I would heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For truly, I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.

This is the one on whom the seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is a man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy.

And yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word, and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Will you stand with me as we pray? Bow our heads.

Our most gracious God, we are thankful to you that in the hearts of those whom you have chosen, and loved, and drawn, and granted repentance and faith, that your word has taken root.

We thank you that you first prepared those hearts, and then you regenerated and changed those hearts so that we may receive the word of the kingdom.

We thank you that your word produces in us righteousness and faith, that your word produces fruit for eternity and in this life.

We thank you that your word produces in us an enduring and abiding faith, and an enduring and abiding joy.

We thank you that the enemy of our souls cannot snatch these things from us, nor can he thwart your purposes for us.

But we rejoice in your goodness and your kindness, and we rejoice in your sovereign purposes and your love for us, and we rejoice in your word.

Thank you for using your word to accomplish all of these things. We pray that you would strengthen us to be faithful in these trying times.

We pray that you would steal our hearts and our minds by and with and in your truth, that you would sanctify us and make us holy, give us a hatred for sin and a love for righteousness so that we may yield lives of obedience and love and affection toward you.

And we pray that you would work in us and accomplish your every good purpose and every good grace in the hearts of those who are yours, drawing your sheep to yourself, sanctifying them by your word and accomplishing your purposes in us.

That is what we pray for, and that is what we rejoice in. We thank you in the name of our great

God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And all God's people said, Amen. Yet I doubt

His tender mercy Who through life has been my guide

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort Here by faith in Him to dwell

For I know what e 'er befall me Jesus doeth all things well

For I know what e 'er befall me Jesus doeth all things well

All the way my Savior leads me Cheers each winding path

I tread Gives me grace for every trial

Feeds me with the living bread Though my weary steps may falter

And my soul of thirst may be Gushing from the rock before me

Blow a spring of joy I see Gushing from the rock before me

Blow a spring of joy I see All the way my

Savior leads me Oh the fullness of His love

Perfect rest to me is promised In my

Father's house above When my spirit loathed mortal

Winged to fly to realms of day This my song through endless ages

Jesus led me all the way This my song through endless ages

Jesus led me all the way In Galatians chapter 3 verses 13 -14 it says

Christ redeems us from the curse of the law Having become a curse for us

For it is written Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree In order that in Christ Jesus The blessing of Abraham Might come to the

Gentiles So that we would receive the promise Of the Spirit through faith My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who bore my pain Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace

And gave me life again Who crushed my curse of sinfulness

And clothed me with His light

And loathed His law of righteousness

With power upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who walks beside Who floods my weaknesses with strength

And causes fears to fly Whose every promise is enough

For every step I take Sustaining me with arms of love

And crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who reigns above Whose wisdom is my perfect peace

Whose every thought is love For every day

I have on earth Is given by the

King So I will give my life, my all

To love and follow Him For every day

I have on earth Is given by the

King So I will give my life, my all

To love and follow Him To love and follow

Him You may be seated. And now if you will please turn to Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews chapter 10. We're going to read together verses 32 through 39.

Hebrews chapter 10. Verse 32. But remember the former days when after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward, for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while he who is coming will come and will not delay, but my righteous one shall live by faith.

And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

Let's pray together. Our Lord, we ask that you would grant us understanding in your word, that you would illuminate our hearts and minds to the truth of scripture, and that your spirit would be our teacher and our guide this morning.

Help us to see the meaning of this passage, the significance of it, the encouragement that is here for us, and we pray that it may have its intended effect in our lives, to strengthen us for the fight ahead, to strengthen us for difficult times, to strengthen us in our faith, so that we may receive the reward of faith.

May we, as a matter and course of studying these passages in the weeks ahead, may we be ready and willing to embrace the reproach of faith so that we may receive its reward.

And may you be glorified in your people as we stand strong for the truth in the face of a hostile world.

Encourage us to that end, we pray, and sanctify us accordingly, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. Last week,

I gave you a rather thorough overview of this entire passage, verses 32 -39, and into chapter 11, to show that the author here is really trying to encourage his people, his readers, to stand strong in the face of a hostile world, the intention being that they may see a list of heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11, and see men and women who gladly embrace the reproach of a life of faith, and face the hostility and animosity and adversity that this world will bring to those who proclaim the truth and love the truth, and that they, having finished their race and having endured that hostility in faith, they would receive the reward of faith.

And one thing that Hebrews chapter 11 shows us is that those who endure the reproach of faith, they receive the reward of faith.

And Hebrews 11 is a long list of those people, and the author here is just encouraging us to draw encouragement from them, and last week

I just ended with the outline of the passage as if we were going to get into verse 32. As I showed you the outline, the outline is a really simple one.

In verses 32 -34, we see them encouraged to look back to enduring the reproach of faith, and then in verses 35 -39, they are encouraged to look forward to receiving the reward of faith.

There is a reproach that comes with having faith in Christ, and there is a reward that comes for those who will endure that reproach, and to do so faithfully.

And then Hebrews chapter 11 is that long list of heroes of the faith who did just that, endured the reproach and received the reward.

And endured the reproach and will receive yet even greater reward. Because our reward is not here and the totality of what we receive for enduring the reproach of faith is not to be realized in this life, in fact not even in the slightest in this life.

We get a little bit of it in this life, but really it is the life to come. We have a better possession and a lasting one.

So now let's jump in at verse 32 with that rather short introduction or rather long introduction if you're including last week.

Verse 32 let's look at this, enduring the encouragement to endure the reproach of faith, and to look back to that.

Look again at verse 32, let's just read 32 -34 again. Verse 32, but remember the former days when after being enlightened you endured a great conflict of suffering.

Partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

He begins this encouragement with the word remember, and that word means not just in English, but the word that the author chooses to use here does not mean simply to call to your mind, but the word has to do with calling to your mind and recalling to your mind, and calling it into your mind so that you may go over it, and over it, and over it again.

It is remembering in the sense of putting together the list in your mind of these things that you endured.

Of pulling them out one by one, like we might sing, count your blessings, name them one by one. This author would suggest to us, count your tribulations and your sufferings, and name them one by one.

Recall them to your mind, and mull them over in your mind. Call it into your mind one after another, and meditate upon it, think upon it.

The word has the idea of an intentional act and a deliberate act. Something that you do that is considered.

He's not just telling them to remember something, he is commanding them to remember and reminisce on something.

That's the idea. It's not like, we can use the term remember in two different ways. We can use the term remember like this.

Hey, do you all remember when we met over at the school and I preached next to a poster of Justin Bieber? Those were good times, weren't they?

Right? Just call to your mind something that happened way back then, and you're like, oh yeah, I remember that. I remember behind the stage was

Lewis and Clark, and Batman and Robin, and Sacagawea, and what they had to do with each other, we don't know, but I remember that was on the wall behind the stage.

Do you remember that? That was funny. That's just calling to your mind a memory that we all share, or many of us share.

Not everybody here. If you didn't have to endure that, count yourself blessed. Count your blessings, name them one by one.

That would be the first one you can name. Or we could use the idea of remembering like this.

If you think it's difficult dealing with space issues here and needing the upstairs finished, and the limitations this space and this facility might bring to our ministry, remember back when we were in the school.

Do you remember setting up each week and grabbing onto the trailer and hauling that over the school and shoveling the snow and wheeling it all in the day before and doing that sometimes in the dark and in the worst of winter?

And do you remember doing that then on Sunday afternoons? We had no time to fellowship, and we all just sort of stood up and stacked chairs and busted out of there, and then a few people showed up to sweep and keep it cleaned up, and then

I was the last one there to close it up, and we had to haul the trailer back to the old church building. Do you remember that? Do you remember how we couldn't do anything or enjoy anything?

Do you remember how the kids in the nursery used to sit on the little square pieces of carpet out in the hallway, and that people, whether they were friendly or dangerous, walked right through the nursery on the way to the worship service?

Do you remember that? Right? Now, what does that do? That way of remembering calls to your mind a list of grievances and sufferings and trials and tribulations.

This sort of puts the current difficulties in perspective, doesn't it? Because you're not just asked to remember something, like, oh yeah, it was a cool memory, but to remember something in terms of list these off one by one and let your mind meditate upon that, and suddenly when you remember in that way, the present's not all that bad, is it?

When you think back on what you might have endured, that's what the author is saying here. What were they to remember? Well, they were to remember, in verse 32, the great conflict of sufferings, the reproaches, the tribulations, the being made a public spectacle.

Verse 34, they showed sympathy to the prisoners and shared it with those who were so treated.

They accepted joyfully the seizure of their property. Those were the things that they were to remember. Not just the good times, and you'll notice that the author doesn't tell them, hey, remember the good times.

I know that you're facing affliction. I know that the world is hostile. I know that you have suffered the seizure of your property.

I know that you have endured trials and tribulations. You've been made a public spectacle. The world hates you.

Your faith in Christ has cost you friends. It has cost you family. It has cost you your reputation.

For some of them, it had cost them their job being faithful to the truth. And the author doesn't say, now, listen, all those bad things, put them out of your mind.

Don't dwell on the sufferings or the afflictions. Don't dwell on any of those bad things. Notice the author does not say that they are to call to their mind all the good times.

Hey, remember the good times, though. Don't forget, don't remember the bad times. Don't dwell on that. Go to a happy place.

Some place in the past where things were better than they are today. And don't remember any of the difficulties and none of the trials and the tribulations, but instead, fix your mind on that happy place, those good times, and just make your mind to dwell on that.

And just keep in mind that eventually, eventually, all those happy times are going to come back. The sun is just over the horizon.

It's right there for us. Good times are ahead. This is the message of Joel Osteen. Just remember those good times.

They're right ahead of you. That sounded more like Bill Clinton, actually. I should work on my

Joel Osteen a little bit. I should do it with a big grin. Just remember, the good times, they're all ahead of you.

The sun is just over the horizon. Good times are ahead. Don't think of anything bad. Just focus on the good that's to come to you.

That's Joel Osteen. That is unbiblical nonsense. Because the author doesn't say that. He says, if you want to prepare yourself for suffering ahead, you better remember and reflect and go over your mind the suffering that you have already endured.

Now, you might be tempted to think that this is unbiblical counsel. Unbiblical in the sense that Paul tells us that whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, if anything is excellent, if anything is worthy of praise, you're to dwell on these things.

How am I to remember and dwell on my suffering and affliction and dwell and remember on the things which are excellent and of good repute?

How do I do both of those? Would we suggest that our sufferings are excellent and worthy of praise and good and holy and lovely and pure?

Do we think that about our suffering? If I'm going to remember and call to my mind and turn over in my mind all the afflictions that I have endured in the past, would

I then be violating Paul's command to only focus on what is lovely and pure and right? The answer to that is no, because the key is in our verse 32 where he says that we are to remember the former days when after being enlightened, you endured.

Listen, this is the key. This is what you are to remember, that you endured it. It's not just the suffering and the pain itself that you have gone through in the past.

It is the enduring of it. The fact that you endured it, that you were faithful in the midst of it. That is what we are called to remember.

Remember the early times of your zeal and your love for the Lord when your passions were inflamed and you were willing to pay any cost and bear any burden and sacrifice any price if it meant following Christ and being faithful to Him.

Those were the former times. Remember the days early in your conversion and early in your faith in Christ when your passions were alive and your love for the

Lord was so strong that you were willing to endure all of that and to count the cost and to gladly take up your cross and follow

Him even if it meant going to your own death. You were to recall that and that even in the midst of those sufferings and afflictions, you willfully and joyfully and joyously bore that cost and bore that shame.

You gladly embraced the reproach of the cross for your Christ because you loved Him that much.

And remember back when you suffered how the proving and the testing of your faith showed the genuineness of it.

This is what Peter means in 1 Peter chapter 1 when he says in this you rejoice even though now for a little while if necessary you have been distressed by various trials so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And Peter says you have as a result of that the outcome which is the salvation of your souls. Peter says the purpose of your trials was to demonstrate the genuineness of your faith.

How do you know if your faith is the genuine article or if it is a false belief a mere profession, a mere outward assent to externalities in a confession of faith?

How do you know if your faith is the genuine article? Well listen if you can endure trial and affliction and hostility and the hatred of the world and bear every cost and bear every burden and go through the fiery trials that come with Christianity you get on the other side of that and you say

I have not abandoned my faith in Christ in the midst of all of that therefore my faith must be a genuine article.

My faith must be the divine gift. My faith must be a faith that results in the salvation of my soul. Otherwise I would have abandoned my faith a long time ago in order to make things go easier for me.

It is the trials and the tribulations that show the genuineness of your faith. Why would you reflect upon your faith so that you can recall to your mind the fact that you endured this and you came out the other side with a faith which is imperishable, a faith that is incorruptible, a faith that is the genuine article being more precious than gold and you have as the result of that faith the salvation of your soul.

You are to recall your suffering so that you can remember the price that you already paid. So you've already given up your family, you've already given up your friends, you've already given up your formal way of life, you've already given up the desires and lusts of your flesh, you've already paid that price, you've already borne that burden, you've already burned those bridges, you've already formed new alliances, you've come this far, remember how far you have come since the former days and now you're here, you've endured all of that, that you still have your faith, don't turn away from it now.

Don't back away from it now. If you do, then everything you have already paid is then genuine loss.

Then you actually lose what it is that you have invested. But if you look back upon your sufferings and realize that I have provided testimony in the midst of this,

I have been faithful to Christ through all of this, and if I have endured all of this and come out the other side with my faith, then

I have the genuine article. And if I turn back now, then I'm gonna suffer the loss of all that I have sacrificed at this point.

And we are to remember in the midst of our suffering God's faithfulness. We know that having come out the other side of afflictions and suffering and persecution and hostility, we can look back upon those things and see the faithfulness of God that sustained us through that.

This is why we focus on enduring. We have endured that. And part of looking back on that is to recognize how faithful God has been to us as he has brought us faithfully, held onto us by his grace so that our faith would not fail and our faithfulness would not waver.

And if God, we would reflect upon that and realize that in the midst of all of that, we have cherished his promises, we have relied upon his grace, we have drawn near to him, we have sacrificed for him and held out the hope of a future and eternal and lasting reward.

That's why we reflect upon our sufferings. That's why we list the things that we have endured one by one so that in remembering them and calling them to mind and going through them one right after another, we may see the hand of God's faithfulness through all of that.

And then we reflect upon all of the opportunities that we have been afforded in the midst of our suffering, opportunities to bear witness to Christ, to witness to those who caused our suffering, to experience joy in the midst of that, to look upon something that we have sacrificed or lost because of our profession of faith in Christ and to count it all joy when we face those various trials.

When we reflect upon our tribulations, then we realize that we have had a multitude of opportunities in that to glorify and honor

God. And why would we abandon all of that by falling away? So this is what we are to remember, our endurance.

So you remember the former days after being enlightened, you endured this, that's the key, you endured it. You have been brought this far and now you can go further.

And the purpose of reflecting upon these things, and this is important to understand in our current context, in our current world, the purpose of reflecting upon this is not to wallow in our victimhood status.

It's not to wallow in our victimhood status. This generation needs to be reminded of that.

People today invent grievances, they invent offenses, they invent oppressions, because victimhood confers on people some sort of a saintly status.

And so people will grovel in offenses that happened hundreds of years ago to people that they have never met, afflicted on them by people they can't even name, and they will identify with those afflictions of the past so that they too can be a victim.

And then they tweet out on a $1 ,200 phone, I'm a victim, while they sit in an air -conditioned room sipping on their $7 a cup, soy -infused, fair trade coffee, eating their avocado toast.

And we all say, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, you're a victim. Yeah, my heart goes out to you, you're a victim of systemic this and systematic that and systemic systems and systematic systemics and all the other stuff that goes with it.

Yeah, you're a victim. And so in today, when the Catholic Church, when it wants to confer sainthood upon somebody, it looks at their life and invents out a whole cloth to a couple of miracles so that they can justify conferring sainthood upon them.

In today's woke, progressive religion, which is the spirit of the age, they do the same thing. They invent a couple of victimizations so that they can confer victimhood upon them.

And then once they're conferred a victim and deemed a victim, they can say whatever they want, do whatever they want, get away with whatever they want, because they have reached sainthood status in the modern progressive religion.

The purpose of remembering our trials is not so we can wallow in our victimhood. That's not the author's point.

The purpose is not so that we can bemoan our misfortune and garner people's sympathy and play the victim and cry foul and reflect upon all the ways that we have been hard done by.

The author, the readers of this epistle did not do this. They accepted joyfully the seizure of their property.

Joyfully. This is not wallowing in your victimhood. And the author is not encouraging us to wallow in our victimhood or to play the victim or to confer that upon other people.

What he wants us to do is to remember the reproaches that we have endured so that we might testify to the faithfulness of God and his grace and the opportunities he has given to us and the joy that we had in the midst of the afflictions.

That's not victimhood. That's Christianity. And when we wallow in our victimhood, and by the way, when

I'm suggesting that we remember the endurance and the trials that we have been afflicted with and all the sufferings,

I'm not suggesting that we wallow in that victimhood because that mentality, listen, it is a self -centered, selfish, narcissistic,

God dishonoring, self -glorifying mentality. And it is rankly sinful.

That is not what we are called to do. In that sense, we are to put away those things that happened behind us so that we don't wallow in that, but we are to remember those things and our enduring of those things so that we may give glory to God.

That is the author's point. There are two ways of remembering your afflictions. Two ways. If you remember in your sufferings and afflictions all of the bad things and only the bad things, so you go in your mind, you think, oh yeah,

I remember the pain. Call that pain quickly to mind. Get it there. Remember feeling that, okay? Remember the loss.

I'm gonna count those things so that I can only remember the bad, only the experience of pain, the agony, the doubt, the hatred, the hostility, the difficulties.

If that's all that you're focusing on, that's all that you're thinking of, then you'll be discouraged to the prospect that there's more to come, won't you?

If that's all you're thinking of, you'll be discouraged to the prospect that there might be more suffering or affliction ahead, and your hands will be weakened and not strengthened, and you'll be filled with anxiety, fear, and doubt.

That's one way of remembering your afflictions and the former days and enduring all of these things. There's a second way of remembering them, and this is what the author has in mind.

The second way of remembering them is to remember all the good things that you enjoyed in the midst of your sufferings.

You accepted joyfully the seizure of your possessions. You remember the good things, the benefits, the blessings, the nearness to God that you enjoyed back then that you don't have now, the understanding of the cost and the reward, the drawing near, the fact that other people came and bore your suffering with you and helped you suffer in those things, and shared with those sufferings with you, the fact that you had opportunity to share other people's sufferings and to join with them and cast your lot in with them and to bear reproach as a servant of Christ with them.

Those are all blessings and graces that come in the midst of that kind of suffering, and if that is the way you remember your afflictions, then you'll be encouraged at that memory, and you might actually look forward to the suffering to come.

That's a different mindset, isn't it? You might actually think to yourself, you know what? I'm kind of looking forward to the way the world is going right now.

Think of the opportunity that the church is going to have to testify to the grace of God. Think of the opportunity that Christians are going to have to share with one another, bear one another's burdens, and accept joyfully the seizure of our property, knowing that we have a better possession and a lasting one.

You can remember your trials and afflictions in two different ways. It's not just what they suffered that he wants them to remember, it's how they suffered.

It's how they suffered, how they did it, how they endured it, reflecting on God's faithfulness and their endurance, and they would realize then suddenly, you know, if I did this once back then,

I can do this again. I've gone through this once already. I've seen God's faithfulness. I saw the opportunity.

I received those blessings. I can go through this again. If the Lord should will that and call me to do it, I can endure it again.

That's the purpose of remembering what he says the former days. This would have been the days right after their conversion, the past experience of salvation.

You remember back when you first got saved and you endured all of that hostility, when salvation was new to you, and people afflicted you and opposed you and laughed at you and scorned you and mocked you?

Do you remember those days? Reflect upon that, the former days, the days early in their salvation. Now, keep in mind that he is writing here to a

Jewish audience. He's writing to Hebrews, Jews who had become believers in Christ, probably very close or in and around the city of Jerusalem, probably not writing to a largely

Gentile congregation in some far -flung city of the Roman Empire, but probably writing to Jews in the land of Israel, somewhere close to Jerusalem.

Well, do you remember what the history of Jews coming to faith in Christ was like in the early days of the church in the city of Jerusalem?

You remember what it was like? I'm gonna read you a few verses. It's gonna sound a lot like the tribulations that we read of here in verses 32 through 34.

Listen to Acts chapter four. As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. Acts chapter five, but the high priest rose up along with his associates, that is the sect of the

Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in public jail. Acts chapter six, but some men from what was called the synagogue of the freedmen, including both

Cyrenians and Alexandrians and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen, but they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.

Then they secretly induced men to say, we heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the council.

They put forward false witnesses who said, this man incessantly speaks against the holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this

Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us. Acts chapter 17, but the

Jews becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace formed a mob and set the city in an uproar and attacking the house of Jason, and they were seeking to bring them out to the people.

Acts chapter 18, while Galileo was pro -council of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11, 24, five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. All of that was suffered at the hands of Jews, the synagogue leaders, the

Pharisees and the Sadducees. Imprisonment, affliction, reproaches, tribulations, going to prison, showing sympathy with those who were in prison.

It sounds like the record of the book of Acts. It is a description of what has endured right here in our very own passage.

The hostility of the Jews toward their own countrymen once they came to faith in Christ, they viewed them as traitors, and they wanted to treat them like we would want to treat traitors.

But these people, these Christians, to whom the author is writing here, they had enjoyed an early enthusiasm in their faith.

That's why he says to them, remember the former days. Right after your enlightenment, right after being enlightened, remember those early days?

Most of us, when we come to faith in Christ, have an initial burst of enthusiasm, don't we? We understand what this is like.

We gotta tell everybody about our newfound faith in Christ. And so we go on a witnessing campaign, we're fervent, we're on fire, we love the

Lord, we're willing to suffer anything, we're willing to pay any cost, we're willing to endure anything that's set before us. We want everybody to know, and that's a good thing.

We wouldn't want to ever quench that at all. But sometimes, just over the course of time and through the events of life, that passion sort of wears off.

It cools down a little bit, and we sort of go into normal life and realize that once we've offended everyone we can offend and turned away everybody we can turn away and burned every bridge and ruined every relationship and nearly cost ourselves our job, that we've got to find some way of balancing this enthusiasm with more of a long -term approach to sharing our faith in Jesus Christ.

Well, they had an initial enthusiasm as well in those early times, and that is what the author wants them to remember.

He also wants them to make sure that their short -term enthusiasm will develop into a long -term endurance, because short -term enthusiasm is not the mark of genuine saving faith.

Hear this well, short -term enthusiasm is not the mark of saving faith. Long -term endurance is the mark of saving faith.

The apostate has short -term enthusiasm. He hears a message that appeals to him on some level, he enjoys something that he has never experienced on some level, and superficially he partakes in all of the blessings that are poured out upon the people of God.

There is an initial enthusiasm, but soon it falls away, it wears away, and so the apostate walks away.

This is what Jesus was describing in the parable that I read at the beginning in Matthew chapter 13. The one on whom the seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no firm foundation or root in himself, but only temporary.

And when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, that is the word of God, he immediately falls away.

Sometimes it takes time for enthusiasm to blossom into endurance.

And to find out, when somebody faces trials and tribulations, is their short -term enthusiasm really going to mature into long -term endurance?

Will they face the fire, will they endure the hostility? Remember, he says, the former days when after being enlightened, you endured this great conflict of suffering.

That word enlightened is a word that means illumined or having something shown to them, they had come to an understanding of something.

It is a word that is used to describe in the book of Hebrews, I believe, two different kinds of people, both the genuine believer, that is these people right here, they had been enlightened, as well as the apostate,

Hebrews chapter six. Remember, the apostate has been enlightened as well. Because though while every

Christian has been enlightened, not everyone who has been enlightened is a Christian. Something more is necessary for true saving faith than merely enlightenment.

Enlightenment means you have come to an understanding of something. You have realized something, light has shone in, and you understand truth, you see truth, but the apostate responds to the truth, even maybe after a burst of initial enthusiasm, the apostate responds to it by slowly or even quickly drifting and walking away from the faith.

Because the apostate does not have the root of truth that goes down deep into him, into good soil, that produces all of the fruit that's described in Matthew chapter 13.

Whereas the Christian will respond to that enlightenment, it will be accompanied in the life of a

Christian with repentance and faith and regeneration, because more is necessary for salvation than simply understanding intellectually the truth.

What is required for salvation is a regenerating work of the spirit of God and the grace of God to grant repentance and faith and to bring that person not just to an intellectual knowledge of the truth, but a wholehearted soul spirit level embrace of the truth and trust in the truth.

And regeneration and repentance and faith, the gifts of God, are all necessary for that to happen. So even though they had been enlightened, the apostate, they had not endured.

These who after being enlightened, they endured with great conflict. See, this is what marks the difference between an apostate and a genuine believer.

An apostate has received enlightenment, and because there is no root of faith in him, there is no soil to produce good fruit.

After trials and tribulations, the apostate walks away. But the Christian having once been enlightened, that enlightenment is accompanied with repentance and faith and a regenerating work of the

Holy Spirit of God. And therefore, the Christian has a capacity, he has an endurance that the apostate can never have.

So that suffering and hostility and afflictions actually produce endurance in the Christian as he willingly, joyfully faces affliction and suffering in the face of a hostile world and does not fall away.

And then having gone through the fire of that affliction, he walks out the other side and holds to his faith as being more precious than gold, saying this is saving my soul, and this is the proof of the genuineness of my faith.

The apostate falls away in the midst of trials and tribulations. The believer endures through the trials and tribulations, which means that the benefit of trials and tribulations is what?

That it makes the apostates walk away. I think we're facing a time in our country, and this is not to be down on you.

We're facing a time in our country when we're gonna see who the sheep are and who the goats are, who the weed are and who the terrors are, who the true believers are and who the make -believers are.

That's coming. One of the benefits of facing a hostile world is that the apostates can't hide.

They're not willing to bear that cost. They're not willing to endure afflictions to be made a public spectacle. They're not willing to be reproached and to face tribulations.

They're not willing to share with those who do face those things. They're not willing to have their property seized and to accept it with joy.

Apostates are not willing to do that. Apostates walk away. They go on sinning willfully, having rejected the truth rather than gladly embracing the reproach of Christ.

And this phrase, they endure, sorry, after being enlightened, that describes also, I think, the cause of their suffering.

It describes the cause of their suffering or explains it. What was the cause of these Hebrew Christians' suffering?

It was the fact that they had been enlightened. That's it. They had been enlightened, and that enlightenment had resulted in true and genuine salvation.

This is salvation enlightenment, not superficial outward faith enlightenment.

This is true and genuine salvation enlightenment, and so something in them has changed. When did they endure the conflict?

When did they endure the great conflict of suffering? Was it before their enlightenment or after? It was after their enlightenment.

What changed for these Hebrew Christians? Had the world changed? Had all of their friends and family changed?

Had their employers changed and their community changed and their religious affiliations changed? Had any of those people changed?

No. What had changed? They had changed, because they went from darkness to light. They had been enlightened, and listen, this is why the world hates you.

It's the fact that you have been enlightened, and you will endure hostility because you have been enlightened.

When you become a child of the light, the world which lives in and loves darkness will hate you and want you out of its world.

That is the fact. Salvation in Scripture is characterized as a deliverance from darkness. I'm gonna read to you a few passages.

These all have to do with the light, so you can see the change that has taken place and understand why it is that you may be asked to endure a great conflict of suffering.

Acts chapter 26, Paul describing his salvation and what Jesus said to him. He said that the Lord told him to go, that the

Lord was gonna rescue him from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God and that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.

In Colossians 1 .13, Paul says we have been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son.

You have been taken out of one domain and put into another domain. So the world which dwells in and loves and lives in darkness and embraces that darkness, you've been taken out of that sphere and you have been put into an entirely different sphere so that now you are characterized by the same light that characterized

Jesus Christ. Jesus, John said in John 1 .4, in him that is Christ was life and the life was the light of men.

Jesus said in John 8 verse 12, I am the light of the world and he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

John 9 verse five, while I'm in the world, I am the light of the world. So now you having been taken out of the domain of darkness and placed into the kingdom of his dear son, you now bear witness to the same light that was in Christ which was the light of the world.

So Christians are now called partakers of the light and children of the light. Ephesians chapter five, do not be partakers with them for you formerly were darkness.

You were over in this kingdom. You formerly were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. First Thessalonians five, four and five.

You brethren are not in darkness that the day would overtake you like a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day.

We are not of night nor of darkness. First John 1, seven, we are to walk in the light as he himself is in the light if we have fellowship with one another and when we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

John 3, 19, this is the judgment that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light for their deeds were evil.

So you once were darkness, now you are light. The one who is the light of the world has transferred you out of that kingdom into his kingdom and now you walk in darkness, sorry, now you walk in light where once you walked in darkness.

Now you love the light where you once loved darkness and the world which loves darkness now hates the light and it hates the one who represents the light and it hates those who bear witness to the light and it hates those who shine forth his light.

And so Jesus says, let your light shine before men. Wait a second. This is the very thing that causes the world to hate us and this is what we're commanded to do.

Isn't that ironic? Did the Lord not know that? Did he not know that in a world of darkness, if we let our light so shine before men that the world, that's not gonna go over well with unbelievers?

Or did the Lord know that this was gonna cause us hostility and suffering? And he says to us anyway, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your

Father who is in heaven. The cause of our suffering is the fact that we have been enlightened.

We have been made light in him and thus the world hates us. And it's not personal.

It's just the salvation has changed your entire relationship to the world now. If you're in Christ, you have an entirely different relationship with the world and every unbeliever that is around you.

And it is not only different, it is eternally different. And it is as different as different can be. It is as different as utter and complete pitch blackness and the brightest of shining lights.

That is how different your relationship with the world is. And so their hatred of you is not personal. It's just that you're no longer one of theirs and the world loves its own.

And if you belong to the world, the world would love you, but you don't belong to the world. Therefore, the world hates you.

In fact, I think Jesus said that. Oh yeah, he did here, John 15. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world because of this, the world hates you.

Listen to what Jesus said. Because I chose you out of the world for this reason, the world hates you.

You know why you're hated? Because you're elect. That's why you're hated. Christ chose you.

The Father gave you to his son, and the world hates you for that reason. It's not a personal thing.

It's not the color of your hair. It's not what you do on a Sunday morning from nine to noon. The world could care less about what you do with your schedule.

The world hates you, not because you have a Christian bumper sticker and you run a red light or you are slow to take off from a red light.

The world hates you not because you have a Bible on your coffee table at home. You know why the world hates you?

Because Christ chose you out of the world, and because you belong to him, and they hated him, they hate you. They hate you not because you are you, but they hate you because you bear witness to him whom they also hate.

And as long as you belong to him, and that is forever, they will hate you. So get used to the animosity of the world.

You should expect this by now. We should all expect this by now. And the direction that everything is going should not take us by surprise.

Instead, we should look at it and say, this is what we should expect. The world is gonna hate us, and we ought to embrace it.

I know this is, here's, I don't know how many unpopular opinions I give every week, but here's another one for the list of them today.

We ought to embrace it. The hatred of the world, yes, I understand that I am hated. I understand that.

And we ought to be, we ought to be swayed not one bit to try and do anything to alleviate that hatred that would involve compromising the truth or silencing our witness or conforming ourselves to the world.

You and I should not be interested in that at all. But instead, like Moses, grab hold of the reproach of faith and say,

I will own this because in enduring the reproach of faith, I get to look forward to the reward of faith.

And I will gladly endure all of that because I have a better possession and a lasting one.

So when you go from darkness to light, the darkness hates you. When you go from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, the world hates you.

When you go from spiritually dead to spiritually alive, the world hates you. And when you go from belonging to this world to belonging to the next, the world hates you.

If you are a Christian, you cannot avoid the hatred of the world. And if you are a

Christian, you should not try to avoid the hatred of the world because they will hate you not because of, listen, if you compromise your faith and abandon your faith and deny your faith, they'll still hate you.

So you're gonna lose either way in this world. I mean, ultimately, you win. I don't mean this to be a downer.

I don't wanna end on that note. Ultimately, you win, but you're gonna lose either way in terms of how the world treats you and how the world views you.

So we suffer these things because we are not of this world. So take heart,

Christian. If you suffer in these things in this world, then guess what? You know for certain that the next world belongs to you.

And that is a lasting possession and a better one than anything this world can afford or provide.

Let's pray. Father, your word is encouraging to us for we see in it our duty, our battle cry.

We see in it the encouragement that we need to face difficulties and trials ahead. And we do not know what this age is going to present to us.

We do not know how long you will tarry before returning here and judging a sinful world, a rebellious world.

But Lord, we pray that you would give us grace to endure that hostility and to endure the hatred of the world and the scorn of those who hate you.

May we gladly embrace the reproach of faith and gladly embrace the reproach of being in the kingdom of light.

We thank you for your calling and election of us and for drawing us near to your son and giving us to him that we may have faith in him.

We thank you for that work of salvation. And we know that in the hearts of all those who are yours that you will do a work of grace and do a work of endurance so that we may come out of the other side of whatever it is that you have appointed for us with a faith that is precious to us, knowing it is genuine and rejoicing in that great gift of you, our

God and savior. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for keeping us. And thank you for the inheritance, which is ours to come.

We praise you in the name of Christ, our Lord. Please stand.

Please stand. ♪

What a friend we have in Jesus ♪ ♪

All our sins and griefs to bear ♪ ♪

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer ♪ ♪

Oh, what peace we often forfeit ♪ ♪

Oh, what needless thing we bear ♪ ♪

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer ♪ ♪

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

♪ ♪ We should never be discouraged, take it to the

Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

♪ ♪ Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the

Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ Are we weak and heavy laden?

Has your Savior still our refuge? ♪ ♪ Take it to the

Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ To thy friends the spies we're saving, take it to the

Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ In His arms you'll take and shield thee, now we'll find the solace there ♪

Thank you and have a great week. ♪

Every blessing to my heart to sing thy praise ♪ ♪

Streams of mercy never cease, call for songs of loudest praise ♪ ♪

Teach me some melodious song, sung by flaming tongues above ♪ ♪

Raise the mount fixed upon the mount of thy glory ♪ ♪

Give me safety to a brother,

Jesus saw me when a stranger ♪ ♪

Wandering from the fold, lead to rescue me from danger ♪ ♪

Interpose His precious cross, how great a deal

He is to me ♪ ♪ I'm constrained to be, let thy words, like a feather ♪ ♪

Bind my wandering heart to Thee ♪ ♪

Close to wonder, Lord, I'm prone to leave

Thee ♪ ♪ Use my heart, take and seal, seal it for Thy glory ♪ ♪