Profiting from Our Trials: Part 4

Redeeming Grace Church

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Start recording this for our wonderful Klein Dean's family here, so It'd be an encouragement to them, and I want to encourage you in the word.

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We're talking about the testing of our faith, right? endurance patience perseverance, right

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Let it let it have let it have its perfect work. That's what I like to this is a part four and there'll be more parts, and I think it's going to work out just perfect because Next week.

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I like to hit a part five and look at the the believing heart today we're going to look at the submissive will the surrendered will and Then right and then the

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Lord's Day right not right before Christmas, but the the Lord's Day before The coming of the

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Christmas and the following Tuesday I'll preach one more from James, and it ends perfectly really and then

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I'm going to Like for all of us to focus on the wonderful birth the virgin birth of Jesus Christ I believe that would encourage us.

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There's so many scriptures about that, but that's part of our faith is Believing he's virgin -born

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He came was born in a feeding trough a stable and the lowest of the low and All the way to the cross he lived a perfect a perfect life no one else no one else

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Did this as a man? full of the Holy Spirit and There's so many wonderful things we can talk of about our wonderful Lord But he was virgin -born and that means he came and entered into this world and what's so important about the virgin birth as you well know is

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He Entered into this world without the Adamic nature of Sinning he did not have the bent towards sinning even though he was fully human

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He was not born with the nature of sinning like we are He was one of a kind one of a kind and always will be we worship him for that right and he did all this as a man and there's a lot of Debates that's gone on down through the centuries could he had sinned well

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We believe he was impeccable that he could not have sinned because he did not have that bent towards sinning

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Even though he was tempted in all Points as we are yet without sin.

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He was the perfect son of God. He was he was tempting in every way to to sin but he

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Is that read from the scripture and correct me if I'm wrong he was not capable of sinning

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Because there was nothing in him that could give him that desire to sin even though he was flesh.

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He grew weary tired He was a man of sorrows. He wept he cried

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But when it comes to sin, that was that's that's a huge debate down through the years and well

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You know, we could look into that about his virgin birth, but that's that's the great Part that's the great argument of it.

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Well, let's go to the book of James. That's it. That's another sermon, right? I'm talking about the virgin birth

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Book of James Wonderful wonderful epistle, isn't it? We're looking in chapter 1 and I'm gonna read to you verses 2 2 through 8

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But we're just gonna look specifically verse 4 this morning verse 4

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Hear the word of the Living God Verse 2 my brethren count it all joy

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When you fall into various trials Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

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That's another word for endurance Perseverance produces patience endurance verse 4 and here's the transitional word but But let that's a word of submission.

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That's what we're gonna look at today. Let Patience have its perfect work

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That you may be perfect and complete. I love that perfect and complete lacking nothing

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He doesn't want us to like nothing right verse 5 if any of you lacks wisdom down as you're talking about lacking

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He doesn't want us to lack wisdom Then he says that word again. Let Him ask of God that word let is a word of submission.

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That's an important word Let him ask of God Who gives

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God's a giving God right who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him here's that transitional word again, but Let word of submission him ask in faith

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We submissively ask in faith With no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind

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Here it is again for let Not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the

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Lord Why he tells us why he is a double -minded man

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Unstable in all his ways That's the word of the

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Lord May God's Word richly bless our hearts and and encourage us and Do its work this morning.

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Let's pray our Father in heaven we Our prayer is this morning as we study and look into your word together as your people

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It's always Always for the benefit and for the purpose of you to be glorified.

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I Don't believe there's any other End to your word then you to be glorified and you are most glorified in your son the

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Lord Jesus Christ and through your Holy Spirit and so father by your

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Holy Spirit, we must come and and And we need this holy anointing as I've prayed this morning and we do seek you for this again

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For this is a precious thing Our most precious thing and we were your conscience

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Lord that we have remaining sin within our hearts and we must have a vessel that's clean a mind, that's pure a heart that is

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Cleansed By the blood of Jesus in order for that holy anointing to flow through for us.

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So father I plead with you this morning I need cleansing. We all need cleansing. We need the sanctifying work and the effect of your words

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So father we plead with you with mercy from your mercy and grace Be merciful we pray help us we pray

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We plead with you help us to have a focus upon your son the Lord Jesus and none other we must be single -eyed and And we pray that he would be glorified you will be glorified

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The Trinity would be glorified and father we pray Lord to that we would by your spirit

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But by by discipline within ourselves by your help to set our minds on things in heaven to see the eternal perspective

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Things from a holy viewpoint not a worldly viewpoint. So father your word gives us this

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This right viewpoint the things that you are pleased with the things that you hate the things that you love so father, we're not here by any sense of The matter to please men we want to please you

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That's our prayer father challenges and transform us more into the likeness of your dear son.

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So that we As the scripture says this morning that we will be perfect mature

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Sons and daughters of the Living God that our lives will make a difference For your name's sake and for your glory

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So we ask this this morning in the name of your son the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and amen

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Well, we're looking at a wonderful verse here I mean Passages of verse and I don't know about you if you studying through the book of James it's rewarding.

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It's convicting because it's it's not only so practical, but it's

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It really digs in to the heart of who we are in Jesus and and how we're

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Working out our faith working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, right? So we're talking about trembling.

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That's what scripture says This is a sanctifying way and James really is talking about sanctification in many respects because it's how we prove our faith how we show our faith and So we've been looking at how how that would be the word we as believers in Jesus Christ profit

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From our trials trials will come does no shortcuts around them by the testing of our faith, and that's how it we profit our from From our faith is is

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I'm sorry, but profit from trials our faith must be tested So it must be tested in order to profit

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From the trials recognizing also that trials are essential means that God uses to perfect Christian character to mature us

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So we're ever going toward Christian maturity, right and that doesn't come easily doesn't it's it's a process

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I don't know about you. It's There's no shortcuts. I've told myself and I've as I've read

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Good godly books, but mainly the book and mainly the book The Biblos the

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Bible I find out there are no shortcuts to the Christian life There is it is a hard road

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But we should not be discouraged because it's hard. There's plenty of sufficient grace for us to make it through So he wants to perfect us and build

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Christian character, right? It's all about how God wants to chisel away and and perfect us and make us mature

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So that's how we are made mature is is through the perfecting and that's what we're going to look at this morning

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So James gives us really five keys for persevering through them and through the trials

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First to our joyful attitude as we looked at and understanding mind. We must first have a joyful attitude

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Our attitude must be filled with joy, that's not easy isn't that takes a supernatural work

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That is a supernatural grace and we looked at that that joy must be Supernatural joy is part of the attitude a joyful attitude

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Jesus said that and to be attitudes that word blessed is a wonderful word You see this all through Scripture all through the

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Psalms blessed blessed blessed Jesus said that he just Uses it actually has a role of a prophet

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His role is in many many facets prophet priest and King But there when he taught on the

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Sermon on the Mount He said blessed blessed blessed and you know as a prophet a prophet would give a curse or a blessing here he was giving a blessing and His blessings was blessed are

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The poor in spirit blessed are those who mourn blessed are the pure in heart blessed and that word blessed is important word

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Because it means extremely joyful Extremely happy just not happy From happenstance.

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It is a deep -seated joy in Jesus so when he's talking about joy

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And we are to be joyful. That's what he's talking about it is a deep -seated joy, and that's the kind of attitude so we looked at that and we also looked at an

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Understanding mind we must be have an understanding mind So the next three would be a submissive will and we're going to look at this one today a submissive will and then next a

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Believing heart and last in this section all the way through verse 8 a humble spirit a humble spirit.

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I'm looking forward to Breaking these up and looking at the submissive will believing heart a humble spirit

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So today we'll be focusing just on the submissive will Lord willing next Lord's Day we'll look at a believing heart then the following Lord's Day as I said before we will look at a humble a humble spirit

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So the third means to perseverance. This is the third means in Trials is a submissive will a submissive will that means a surrendered will now

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This is a big one and I'm breaking it up like this because there are so many illustrations I'm not gonna be able to hit them all today because there are so many illustrations from Scripture And I just don't like to just take illustrations and stories which you can through the without the ages of Saints But I think the best illustrations we can find is in Scripture and that's where I like to go and I got this from expository preachers and like MacArthur and and other

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Ministers and Martin Lloyd -Jones and they would always go to the scriptures and I said that feeds my soul more than anything else

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So that's what I want to do today. We're gonna look at father Abraham as an example as a father of our faith

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He was called the father of faith and how he was tested to the ultimate Okay.

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Well God cannot build our character right unless we're willing Now a lot of people say well, hold on.

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He causes us doesn't he? Yes, he does causes us But there is an will he will not violate he will not violate our will you can read this more and study it

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I used to think you know, a lot of people have a problem problems with let me just say this

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This is not in my notes or anything. I'm just bringing this out if you're interested in studying about the will

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There's a lot of good books out there. There's Martin Luther wrote a classic called the bondage of the will Which is very helpful

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About you know, really the controversy about Calvinism Armenian ism is really the will

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That was the controversy And the way that people took the

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Calvinist they took the Calvinist wrong was because They felt that God somehow

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Interrupts and been and bends the will in a sense now there is a causing

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God does that's Irresistibly, okay, but it's

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God will not violate our will You see what I'm saying? We're not robots

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He gives us a will to choose right and wrong So that was the argument is

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Really the will that would go back and forth and they think it's a happy okay And in each argument would have their side and state their case about whosoever will that God Will not violate the human will they and then tell by God's will okay?

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But the reason I'm saying this is because we got to understand from what the text what

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James is talking about the word let and I believe this to be biblical because There is submission on our part

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God's not going to come down and believe for us even though he causes us to believe

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But you see I'm saying we must take a hold. We must be submissive We must we must yield that's why

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Paul says it let you see this word let constantly in Scripture and Underscore that's important word, but it's it's very helpful.

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I remember years ago at a Christian missionary alliance When I was when I was a associate pastor with He's with the

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Lord now. We're the Rollins. He died home. They'd be with the Lord's own September 11th

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Interesting he was up in age. He was this he was a sweet man God led us elsewhere, but anyway

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As I was teaching Sunday school, I remember dear Rhonda Pats, that was her name. It was a good friend.

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She was a good friend of Teresa's and By the way, she's with the Lord now. She was blind totally blind

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She'd come with her cane and she'd sit and listen to God's Word. Oh Did she have questions?

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My goodness, she hit me with questions all the time brother Rollins with questions and I you know, we love questions

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And we didn't have all the answers But we did what we could to help her and I remember one time and this is my point

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I was talking about yielding and submissive submission to the Lordship of Jesus and and submission and to the to And that involves our

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Christian life Yielding and I remember that word yield. She had a hard time with that word.

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She said she said pastor What does that word yield mean? I Said well, it can mean that several thing.

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It means to submit to give in To fall on your face and say

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Lord. This is not mine. I'm yielding this to you I give it to you. I cast my care to you and and she would go back to that word

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She says but she says how do you yield? She said I said boy, you know how to get the good question sister

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How do I yield I said to sit there and thank the Lord help me And I said well

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I said Rhonda I said it's by God's grace, of course And she says okay

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How do I how do I? Receive God's grace and I said well, I said there's believing she said how do

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I believe? you know and I said boy, you're really challenging me sister and She was just going on and on I mean every time

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I would try to go to the answer She said well, how do I do this? And how do I yield and how does

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I said look sister? It's God's grace She finally just dropped and she said, okay,

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I'll take it but She was very challenging, but I love those kind of questions You know, you want to you want to probe it and get and she she struggled with this

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She struggled and we all struggle. Don't we we struggle with Lord?

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How do we do this and but it is by God's grace God's grace is beyond us

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There's overpowering this and Tozer used that word a lot. There's an overpowering of God's Presence and his grace that comes but yes

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We must believe and there must be a willingness on our part to believe but that that's where God's and that's what in a sense

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We do call ourselves reformed in the fact in the sense of biblical sense that word reform can take many different definitions

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But and go in different many areas, but I'm talking a historical viewpoint in Scripture But what

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I mean by that is there is an irresistibility that God intervenes

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But we must submit and as and and here's the thing you if you study like the golden chain of redemption

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There's it goes way back doesn't it before we believe before we justified and eventually glorified is the end of it

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But and when you're justified you will sanctification will follow There's no question about it.

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Matter of fact, if sanctification is not following and if we're not loving holiness and hating sin

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There's every right to believe that a person's not a Christian that he's not been justified

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See what I'm saying So people need to bring these things up and and then a lot of people try to squirm out of these things and say well

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There's a car. I'm I could be a carnal Christian. I can live like the world live the way I want to oh

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That's not what the Bible teaches my beloved It teaches love not the world

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See, and by the way, if you are loving the world There's every question to think the belief that the love of the

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Father is not in us So that whole thing of desire brother Keith and I we was talking about this this past that's a huge word desire

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So God changes the desire the heart And that's by believing but even the those that believe or those who are appointed unto eternal life

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You see you could take this and read it and study it and I'm telling you can go to so many different areas

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So we're talking about submission. We're talking about submission if we resist if we resist God then then he chastens us

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Jonah is a perfect example of this. So he resisted God He was called the prejudiced prophet just read it

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That's what I call him. Anyway, he was a very prejudiced prophet. He only thought that salvation was for the

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Jews He thought the Jews had a monopoly on God and here are these wicked Ninevites out there and God says you go to them

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God gave him a command You go and you preach to them what I tell you and he refused he resisted

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He did not submit but God knew how to make him submit God had a chastening rod for him and it was in the belly of a whale for three days

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God even provided the means of transportation and God wonderful God even transported him.

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He was going in the opposite direction. God says I even take you there the first submarine

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Raven Hill Yeah Yeah, that's so true. Isn't it the first submarine and boy what a trip that that that that had to been dark

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Could you imagine being swallowed up I'm sure he's having a hard time with air and oxygen and suffocation

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But it's a mate. Yeah and smell all of it He had to be aside after that whale vomited him up on the land

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But you know you think of it we have the record of his prayer Read his prayer. He ends it with salvations of the

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Lord But if you notice in his prayer Deliverance is

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God's and He's humbled So when we are arrogant and resisting

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God God knows how to humble us He humbled Jonah but it's interested that book ends very interesting because It's a short book.

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There's a lot of lessons taught to us there, but he still is pouting and self full of self -pity

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He's angry at God. He's angry about this the gourd He's angry about everything and because God brings salvation to those wicked

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Ninevites But the point I'm making here is he resisted God And but God knew how to take him out to the woodshed and chasing him

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So with that in mind turn with turn with me, and we already read the text, but we're gonna go back and forth Let's go look to Hebrews chapter 12.

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You know Hebrews chapter 12 has a lot to say about this What about the discipline of God what about it was scripture say about God's discipline well look at verse 3

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I'm gonna read a few verses here because scripture and let scripture speak And go to all the way to verse 11, but notice what it says here

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Now we looked at some verses about the end of chapter 11 about those in faith that were not always delivered

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But they suffered they were afflicted They would torture did and not accepting deliverance that they may obtain a better resurrection

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And then the writer of Hebrews takes us right to Jesus and the race of faith Who to look to the perfect example, and that's the

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Lord Jesus Christ? but Then it speaks about verse 3 for consider him who's him

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Jesus who endured such hostility from sinners against himself Why least you become weary and discouraged in your own souls verse 4 and then he says this you have not

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I'm sorry you have not yet resisted to bloodshed now. What does that mean that basically means?

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that none of the Hebrews had experienced such an intense as Exhaustion of persecution that it brought them to death or martyrdom so That word bloodshed is very interested it would appear to To be there's there's a striving there a striving against sin a striving against sin verse 5 and and it says and you have forgotten and You have forgotten the exhortation here's an exhortation which speaks to you

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As to sons now, this is really encouraging, but and that's the purpose of it. It's an exhortation

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But notice the exhortation he quotes Several verses actually in verse 5 and 6 from the

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Old Testament. I believe he quotes from Job He quotes from Proverbs And I think it's what

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Job 5 chapter 5 17 and Proverbs That's what my reference says here 3 and 11 and 12

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So this this writer of Hebrews is going back into the Old Testament And bringing these scriptures up my son do not despise the chastening of the

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Lord don't despise it Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him for whom the

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Lord loves he chastens now That's really supposed to be encouraging to us when we're having the chastening rod of God on us

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We know that we're part of the family of God What children of God now that's something to rejoice about be encouraged about that Because it is a painful thing that may come the chastening may be very painful, but he talks about that Listen, he scourges every son whom he received now.

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It's an interesting word scourging My notes MacArthur says this refers to flogging with a whip

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Something severe and painful From a form of beating that was common to the

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Jewish practice in that day. That's what MacArthur says It is a discipline that that you endure

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From God and then he goes in verse 7. Listen, which says if you endure chastening and there is a if There's always that chance that someone may not endure it and that will prove that they're not children of God That they do not persevere they defect you some saying that's what scripture teaches

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But if you persevere if you endure it if you continue you don't give up There's a purpose

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For that trial and we can profit from so if you endure chastening God deals with you as with sons and Then he says is what illustration that he gives and and what a son what son is there whom a father does not chase him

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You got to correct them You got to chase in them. You got to discipline them in other words

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But if you are without chastening and if you're without discipline of Which all have become partakers

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Then you are illegitimate and not sons Furthermore We I love he puts we we have had human fathers.

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In other words. He got the chastening rod from his father, too Who is earthly father who corrected us and we paid them?

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respect Or you respect those who chase in you don't you I Sure did for my father my goodness but anyway

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Shall we not much more readily? readily, and here's the word be in Subjection There's a way that that chastening

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Submits us submit doesn't it? It brings us to a place of submission

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And that's what God's doing because there's love behind there's a loving hand behind it because he cares for us

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He loves us and he wants us to be like him in subjection to the

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Father of Spirits and live and verse 10 for they Indeed for a few days how about the fathers for a few days chastened us discipline us as seen best to them but he for our

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Prophet there's the word prophet that we May be partakers of his holiness.

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What a wonderful thing and in verse 11 now No, chastening or discipline seems to be joyful.

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It sure is it pleasant isn't For the present but painful he's right straightforward isn't he's truthful.

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That's the Word of God. He tells us the truth it Chastening is painful Nevertheless, there's a reward to it.

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Listen to this Afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it

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That's what God wants to do He wants us to yield the wonderful peaceable

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Fruit of righteousness and be trained by it, but it comes painful doesn't it? It comes hard So there's much more we can say about that About Everything about the training there the fruit of righteousness our prophet, but the main thing

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I want you to see is subjection is a Respect for God. There's a great respect for God.

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That's all of God It is a fear of God that's there and it equals submission to his will

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So so we're looking at the submission to his will right and his law and Those who willingly receive the

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Lord's chastening will have a richer more abundant life You know when we push this away, we were pushing away blessing

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You know if we somehow want to avoid a trial Somehow man and try to there are ways some people can try to get out of it

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But I'm telling you it's a blessing when God brings it right to you and there's a great rich reward

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For us in that trial so I thought that would be good for us to read those verses of 3 through 11 in the

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Hebrews because it gives us a wonderful Idea from scripture from a spiritual viewpoint of what

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James is talking about about cement, right? So if we do submit to God then he can accomplish his work through us, right?

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God is never satisfied with a halfway job. I I believe that he will does a full job

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He does a thorough job and when God does a work in us and through us is always to perfect And to complete us for a work

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And that's what we're looking at he desires a Finished product

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God looks at the end of it. We don't see that But he's

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God sees the beginning to the end He's already lived our tomorrows So he wants to see us mature and Christ -like complete

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So God's goal for maturity is Christ likeness. That is God's goal pastor

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John MacArthur says in his commentary He says is the only way out of our trials is through it

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And that true the only way out of our trials is through it He goes on to say the

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Lord promises no bypasses Only that he always will see his people through the trials without their suffering spiritual harm

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We think we've gone. I'm not going to make it at times But God is going to give us grace to help us through it

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But God cannot do this as he says His his perfect and complete work in and through us without our willing submissiveness so we must yield and then he goes on to say this when we learn to rejoice in our trials and come to under and to understand that our

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Gracious Heavenly Father uses them not to harm us but to strengthen and perfect us

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We are not I'm sorry. We are motivated to embrace them as Beneficial and that's so true

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They are beneficial to us. They help us I was thinking of an example from Job That's a wonderful book in it.

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It's it's it's a lengthy book, but it has great insights to it a lot of wisdom a

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Lot of wisdom they said president Abraham Lincoln during the time when this nation was divided

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During a very hard time and we were killing each other And you know, it was a terrible time but Abraham Lincoln.

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I read this Abe Lincoln went to the book of Job more than any other book Because it was great wisdom there

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You see the sovereignty of God through suffering there and there was a lot of suffering going on in that time period a lot of bloodshed

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Right and not unnecessary bloodshed. It was terrible. This nation was just ripping itself apart but Abe Lincoln was the leader at that time and I'm sure he felt like a failure in many respects, but he always would go

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To the book of Job and I see why Yeah, it does example ill fans ill fans one of Job's friends who knows about Job's friends.

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We do don't wait, but they Wait, we can always talk about Job's friends But you know

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It's interesting that there are times when the Holy Spirit gave them wise words and the Spirit of God was breathing upon them

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And I'm going to give you a verse here. I think you'll like you can go there if you like look go to Job chapter 5

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Job chapter chapter 5 Let's do what the book of Job says. Let's look at verse 6 through 11 now

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Ilfaz Ilfaz I think I'm pronouncing that right Declared wisely to Job and it was an argument the art, you know, really what was the argument did

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Job sin? That's that's the argument Job. Did you sin? There's something that's you had to sin because all this to come upon you

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But there were times that Job's friends had some great wisdom from God and they would try to encourage him.

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I Think the greatest encouragement they did was the first week They said nothing They Just embraced he comforted him and when they started opening their mouth and he all kinds of things started happening, you know, so anyway

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But look look at verse 6 for affliction does not come from the dust and that the truth

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Just doesn't come from the dust or nowhere. That's a purposeful this affliction He says affliction does not come from the dust nor does trouble

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Spring from the ground Verse 7 yet man is born to trouble. Amen everybody man is born to trouble as The sparks fly upward now that word sparks fly upward

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I looked at the commentaries on this and it means this was an expression which describes all sorts of fire like movements you ever see a bonfire and You know, you see the sparks and I think about this too

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It's kind of encouraging because you see the the sparks come up from the coals and the wood and it goes into the air

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And this thing, you know, it's just evaporates It's just you see them and then they disappear

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So they're momentary moment momentary. I said right there for just a short period of time, but they're there

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That's the way trouble is It's the flying sparks then in verse 8, let's always says but I love don't you love the butts the transitional word

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But for me, I would seek God. I think that's a good wise word seek

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God and To God I would commit my calls Verse 9 who does great things an unsearchable and marvelous things without number

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So what's ill fast doing here? What's he saying? Well from verses 9 to 16, he is really given you can go and read the rest of it

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But his argument is based on a moral on the moral perfection of God What is he doing?

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He's looking at God's perfections So what he's at stolen God's greatness and God's goodness and and then notice in verse 10

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He goes and he said he gives Tom at God God gives rain on the earth

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He sends waters on the fields. That's because of God's goodness God doesn't have to do that He doesn't owe it to us, but he does it he sets on high those who are lowly and those who mourn

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Are afflicted I'm sorry are lifted to safety Those who mourn are lifted to safety where else did we hear this?

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Matthew 5 to blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted

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How wonderful scripture is scripture interprets scripture You see

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David testified this in his prayer Psalm 131 verses 1 & 2.

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What do you say? He said Lord, my heart is not haughty He knew is he did a lot of heart -searching and then he's praying this he said

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Lord My heart's not proud nor my eyes lofty. No, my my eyes are not arrogant

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God, you know my heart I've been bent down. I've been afflicted God knocked it out of them and they said this neither

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Do I concern myself with great matters nor with things too profound? I love that Well, he's not bothering with these profound things or the difficult things for me

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I'm not searching that but he says surely I have calmed and quieted my soul.

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In other words, he's resting in God He is completely resting in God and Miss Lillian knows where I'm going with this.

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It's like a weaned child with his mother Isn't that wonderful? Now, what is that word weaned?

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We're going towards something right? What is James talking about maturity? Got to be weaned

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And wait, yeah, you ever seen a weaned child I know your mother's have I've seen it from five there was a time when

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Teresa she breastfed all of them and she had a wean them and sometimes that child looking at her like you care about me

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You know, are you gonna take care of my needs? And it was kind of hard for the child, you know to to be weaned but scripture says it's a good thing

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It comes a point that child has to be weaned Like a weaned child is my soul within me

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David so within me my soul So God is teaching us something

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David had grown into maturity. He learned He matured through the troubles and the afflictions.

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He said it's good for the Lord to afflict me He already endured it. And so he's given an illustration like a nursing infant as it were to a newly weaned child

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And he continued to stay intimate with his Lord and notice David was constantly

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Throwing himself on God cause he didn't go to people for his heartaches and trouble

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And even though I think there is a place that is nothing wrong bearing each other's burdens, right to fulfill the law of Christ But but first he went to God.

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Amen. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous He went to God first. He went to God.

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Oh wonderful him We have it sung too often this is I must tell Jesus I must tell

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Jesus All of my heartaches all of my troubles. I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus It's actually good for the child

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It's good for us to be weaned so sometimes God has to wean us away from our Childish toys and I am mature attitudes doesn't in how and how does

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God do that? Well, he uses trials He uses those trials to wean us from all these selfish things and he tests us

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So our attitude should be one of joy as we go through it one of surrender as we're looking at here, but let patience

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Endurance endurance perseverance have its perfect work So in order to have its perfect work those trials has to come and we there has to be a maturity

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That's what God wants to build in us. He wants to build character That comes hard, doesn't it?

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I'm telling you it comes hard Knocks knocks the like the wind out of us and knocks the self out of us knocks and it helps us to see not just Me it does help you see me for who he is and then later on you start saying, you know, it's not about me

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This is by God That's about others. Then you start thinking less of me

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You see what I'm saying that God has a purpose for all these wonderful trials and then This there's there's great reward now first what we see in this word lit this is a wonderful word lit

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It's a word of submission, right? Submit to God so that endurance will have its perfect work a perfect result

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The word perfect is there for better rendered mature but mature

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Which refers to spiritual maturity fulfilled in Christ's likeness, which is the goal and of endurance

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Paul said this in Philippians 3 15 Therefore let us there's that word let let us as many as are mature have this mind and if any if in Anything you think it's thinking think otherwise

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God will reveal even this to you Now what's Paul saying Paul is referring actually to verse 14

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That because I was verse 15. What's he referring to verse 14? I pressed toward the goal

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For the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus So that was what he was talking about.

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That was his goal Jesus Christ God This is Paul's goal as a

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Christian. It should be our goal as a Christian Apostle Paul was a great example of being Christ like this was his ultimate passion for himself

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This to know Jesus Christ in his fullness So he come to know Jesus through many afflictions and and he even talked about the fellowship of sufferings

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Why did this man has such so much power of God upon him because he knew Christ in the fellowship of his sufferings

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For people pray so often. Oh, I want the power of God. I want the power of God Well, we do desire but it get ready if you really didn't mean that prayer.

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God's gonna pour on you some sufferings It's gonna come yes, ma 'am and But in the end

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Hey, man, it's worth it all and in the end was the result You like a

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Martha you have to feed of Jesus and you get to know the Lord Jesus Christ You find out

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You know all these other things don't matter as much and it was his passion

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Paul's passion and goal that other Believers other believers be like -minded as he talked about Paul it's

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He he it's he experienced this it was his passion in Galatians 4 19

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Listen to this he even prays for the church now notice This is this is a apostolic father the that planted churches and he had this constant desire

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Not only he had the sufferings from from the outward. He had sufferings inward He says it's my children with whom

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I am again in labor Until Christ is formed in you

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Now those guys have a hard time to relate to this but you women that's had babies understand this

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There's something called labor pains Paul had this for the church.

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This was a passion for Paul that he agonized I think that'd be to write the word he agonized.

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I think this was in a sense Jesus Experienced this to the maximum Nobody ever reached this folks

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But when he was in the garden of Gethsemane he fell on his face Scripture says he went a little further and he fell on his face and he prayed and he was he was battling that point of submission to the father's will and He was fighting it and he said it and basically he was praying.

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He said father if there's any other way That's what he's praying But it's not my will Thy will be done

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Well, doesn't that move all the way through you When you hear the master himself praying and he fought this and he battled this three times three times

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And he kept going but he submitted to the father's will regardless of the pain and the suffering that was going to come his way and he knew what was coming his way and His prayer and his praying and his intercession became like drops of blood

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You talking about agonizing That's where the battle was won right there his willingness to go to the cross and do the father's will

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That's why he was born was the cross That was the purpose. So but then you see

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Paul now when we see Jesus, we said we can't touch that. Can we? but Paul's Paul's an apostle we still can't get close to him in a sense because he experienced things

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We'll never experience but Paul's a little closer Than Jesus and is in the sense of the sufferings that we can look at but there's a perfection

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That's made now James is not preferring to a sinless perfection, right? but to spiritual maturity

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Not perfection like MacArthur says but direction That's the key in its direction that helps us doesn't it?

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Amen that encourages us if my directions there I'm doing good and the testing of our faith drives that believer to a deeper communion with in a greater trust in Jesus Christ and And it helps us

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Christ Christ qualities that in turn Produce a stable a godly a righteous character.

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That's what God is after Apostle Peter says it clearly in the first Peter chapter 5

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Verses 10 and 11. He says but made the God of all grace Who called us to eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while notice?

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It's not for a long time, but it's just for a season Perfect or will perfect Then he says is

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Established now don't miss these words establish strengthen and Settle you

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That's good in it to him be glory and dominion forever and ever and then he gives God the glory and praise for it

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So what do you say? I love those four words. I wrote them right down right here This is an encouragement to each one of us.

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First of all He's to perfect us secondly to establish us third to strengthen us fourth to settle us

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You you take those four words. You could preach a whole sermon on each one of them Perfect us establish us

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Strengthen us settle us study those words and it take you all the way through scripture These four words all speaks of strength and resoluteness

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I'm resolved in other words. I am totally resolved God is working through The Christian struggles to produce strength and to build character

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There's no shortcuts to it So we as believers are to let Endurance have its perfect Result, it's perfect work so that we may be perfect and complete and lacking nothing now our

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Lord Jesus now You might be thinking to this verse from the Sermon on the Mount. I thought of it Taught this great truth in a sense on the

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Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5 48 Therefore you shall be perfect Just as your father in heaven is perfect Now I think there's a maturity there he's talking of and if you notice and The next chapter that's the last verse in chapter 5 verse 48

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Then the next verse in chapter 6 verse 1. He says take heed

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Now in that interesting On the Sermon on the Mount his order is absolutely perfect Because he starts from ground up from blessed are those who are poor in spirit

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Works his way up and and I remember I've seen a diagram about this years ago. It's almost like a pyramid

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It's a pyramid and then the pinnacle of that pyramid is be you therefore perfect as your father in heaven is perfect It's like a ladder.

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Yes, and it climbs all the way up in the Christian life of like maturity and Then you perfect then and then and then he reaches this standard

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And you think Wow Hold -on, but in chapter 6 he says take heed don't do your righteousness before men.

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In other words, there's a precipice here It's a long way down And that's the truth, but that that pinnacle

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That pinnacles there and you know So what's what's Christ doing in this great text and I wrote this down because I thought this would bless you

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What is he saying? So Jesus is setting the standard before us.

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That's unattainable It can't be attained totally It is a perfection that we cannot completely reach and it's meant to be like that There's a purpose for it.

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Why what this sums up with the law is Demanding see if you notice

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Jesus refers you have heard of old but I say to you be you have heard of old But I say to you actually it gets right down to the heart

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And that's one minister put it this way It's almost like he's taking crosshairs and he says you have heard of old and he quotes the law

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He says but I say to you he gets to the motive Jesus gets digs right to the heart.

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He gets to why you're doing this. Why do you kill? Why do you commit adultery and then he says

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BAM and then he tells us what to do Cut it off If you're committing having a problem committing adultery, it's a heart problem

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Jesus say it's not an external problem It's you it's your sin. Jesus knew how to preach folks and then he'd take live

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Illustrations and and BAM he'd point point him to that and then he'd bring in a spiritual application.

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It was powerful but James chapter 2 verse 10 says for whoever Whoever shall keep the whole law listen to this and yet stumble in one point

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He's guilty of all of it We all guilty there folks But what's

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Jesus doing on that verse 48 in chapter 5? He is setting that standard and through this standard that it's impossible to meet

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God could not lower it without compromising He Could not compromise his perfection.

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Amen. He could not compromise his holiness. There is no compromise in God So what is he doing?

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How would God deal with this? How can he deal with this? So he does it He did it with his son

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He's the answer. Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the focus of all Scripture and Then he says he who is perfect could not set an imperfect standard and then here comes

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Paul 2nd Corinthians 521 And he says for he made him the father made him who knew no sin

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To be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him double imputation

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He takes our sin. We take his righteousness. What a great exchange But what is he saying the glory and the marvel of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been met in Christ through his works

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Through all that he did in his person and his worked to fulfill righteousness

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I'll tell you what sisters and brothers if we get a hold of this it will change your life

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Because when Christ I'm sorry when God looks at us now the father and his holiness.

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He's not seeing us He sees his son Because when we believe in faith alone in the sacrifice that Jesus made for and not only the

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Sacrifices his his works that he did on the cross his passive works But his active works of what he did because Jesus said

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I come to fulfill all righteousness in other words Everything he's doing

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He did for us And our place and all that he did pleases the father

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Isn't that wonderful? You see what I'm saying? We don't have to work It doesn't mean that we throw away works our works is evidence that we are saved

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But what I'm saying we do not have to come before God and and and and grind our teeth and and try to work it

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Up, and how can I please God? No, it's about simple faith. That's why I said watch the Hebrew writer says without faith

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It's impossible to please God because our faith is in Christ And when your faith is in Christ the father looks down says that's who

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I'm well pleased in in that wonderful So Jesus fulfills to stand he he fulfilled the bar is set be there for perfect As my father's in heaven is perfect.

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The standard of the law of righteousness is on our behalf So so what does this have to do with my perfection as a lot?

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My maturity because everything because everything we do in Jesus Christ And all in him is pleasing to God now

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If it's in Christ, that's why verse 30 of 1st Corinthians Chapter 1 says but of him you are in Christ who became for us wisdom from God and Righteousness and sanctification and redemption and then it says as it is written he your glories let him glory in the

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Lord So we were perfected in Christ and James says be complete You're complete in Christ You're perfected in Christ and you're complete in Christ so the whole idea is

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To be made whole Actually the Greek word. I'm gonna try to I'm not butchered up a little bit

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Don't we tell you the Greek word here for the word complete? It's the word green in the Greek hola

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K Larios, I can't Pronounce that clearly, but it's broken.

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That's broken up hola K Larios, which it carries the idea of the prefix hola is

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The term from which we get holograph It's a 360 -degree a three -dimensional depiction of an object and to allow no possibility for Misunderstanding James adds the words lacking nothing you get that So this reinforces the comprehensiveness of the point that is always saying so in other words

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This is the end result of the trials Maturity completeness not lacking nothing and then if you are lacking something ask

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God wisdom We'll look at that another time Let me give an example here real quickly and a couple examples

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I went in with the father Abraham is a is a good example, but Jeremiah chapter 48 11 you could turn there if you like, but this is a very interesting verse

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Jeremiah 48 11 We're almost finished here, right?

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but I got to give some application to this and we're going to close with father Abraham, but had a Test to take his only son

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Isaac Which is he his faith was tested But here

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Jeremiah the prophet in chapter 48 in verse 11 says Moab has been at ease Since his youth

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He has also been undisturbed Notice this on his leaves

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He's been at ease number one and he's been undisturbed. That's not good folks Neither has he been emptied

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From vessel to vessel nor has he gone into exile. In other words. He hasn't had any tribulation or hardships therefore he retains his

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Flavor and his aroma has not changed. Now. What is that? How what is he talking about?

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Well, first of all, let's talk about Moab. Who's Moab? if you go back to Genesis 1937

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Moab was this is a pagan nation at the time But this nation was southeast of Israel and the origins of this pagan nation comes from Genesis 1937 who was the firstborn son born out of incest

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You know the story lot Lot was Made drunk and his two daughters had incest with him terrible

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And out from those seeds came two wicked nations two wicked

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Two wicked Moab is the father of the Moabites He was the firstborn.

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That's why I was talking about Moab Second born was Ammon the Ammonites been

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Ammon Basically, but it's Ammon the Ammonites. So the Prophet Jeremiah, what's he saying? He's writing to Moab this wicked pagan pagan nation and In those days good when he speaks of wine wine always has a great illustration for us

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People like to get into these arguments about was it alcohol and all this stuff and then believe me There's a lot of controversy about it

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But really in a scriptural viewpoint wine has a meaning to it

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Good wine in those days repeatedly emptied from vessel to vessel in order for it to become sweet and drinkable and Then it had to have it in that process of leaves it speaks of leaves and dregs

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Would remain in the bottom of the vessel Now picture this in your mind.

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Okay, you got this wine and those leaves and dregs would all go down to the bottom until after several pourings and Unsettlings the wine was pure and it was clear.

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So what's he saying? The Prophet Jeremiah's point was this that Moab's undisturbed He's untested

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He hasn't been brought to the test and that had been left in its People unpurified in other words, they're not purified.

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How does God purify he takes you through something? He takes you through something God and if you read you see a lot of scriptures on his

01:00:04

God will purify the sons of Levi And that wonderful Levi was of another

01:00:14

Seed there and out of Levi and I'm sorry and leave I was in a sense like God's remnant, okay

01:00:23

But here you have God will purify the sons of Levi so period let's talk about purification.

01:00:29

Yeah, how's God purifying? Doesn't he use trials? Doesn't he use the fire?

01:00:36

Doesn't he use the testings? So purification comes through being put to the test.

01:00:41

So Moab was not put to the test. They were undisturbed and ease and Zion Undisturbed to put it through fiery trials and then

01:00:52

Wow, he put you through the fiery trials that the fire purifies us Fire has a purifying element in it doesn't have you ever noticed about that about fire?

01:01:02

It purifies Before you put a needle to an infected wound

01:01:08

You put a needle to the fire. I used to do this to To a blister on me or something.

01:01:15

I'd always get a needle that I had to pop that blister I would take that needle and put it through the fire to purify it so that an infection wouldn't take place

01:01:23

Well a firing your mother would do the same thing wise woman But in it wonderful you see this in Scripture There's a purifying element about fire and Moab has not been through that fire.

01:01:39

They had not been tested So, you know Esau is another example. Let's look at Esau. I just threw this is very short here, but Yeah, that's another sermon in itself

01:01:48

Esau is very much like Moab as well Esau cared nothing for the things of God he carried he was very content

01:01:55

Was satisfying only his physical appetite and we were even told in Scripture that he gave away his birthright as the firstborn

01:02:04

Now he was deceived into it. But look at the story. He was more concerned about filling his stomach and Satisfying his fleshly appetite for a bowl of lentils to give away his birthright

01:02:17

He gave away that blessing for the flesh for something self -satisfying and boy, he paid a lesson for for a single meal of lentils

01:02:31

Well, I'm gonna have to skip a lot of my notes here. But let's look at Abraham. Let's look at Abraham This is a man of faith and you and I thought about Abraham because Abraham is a man that was in submission to God Now, let me say this apart from the unique ordeal that the

01:02:52

Lord Jesus endured the cross I got to say that because Jesus ultimately Was the greatest example, right?

01:03:00

That's the writer of Hebrews. He is the perfect example, but let's look at Abraham We can be encouraged by Abraham because by the way

01:03:09

Abraham Set a good example and it wasn't the perfect example, but it was a good example matter of fact

01:03:15

I wonder how we would hold up if God told us to offer up our if we only had a Only child and get this and Abraham knew from God that all the blessings of the nations was in this child

01:03:30

Genesis is this incredible This is more to say about that Genesis 22 2 says the

01:03:36

Lord commanded Abraham and what did he tell him? take now your son your only son whom you love

01:03:42

Isaac and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there is a burnt offering as one of The mountains of which

01:03:51

I will tell you what a command here was Abraham's ultimate test Abraham had several reasons of being completely

01:04:00

Astounded by God's demand. I want you to think about this Not only was Isaac had greatly his only beloved son and all

01:04:07

And was the only son by Sarah and therefore the son of God's promise Through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed

01:04:14

But from the human perspective the death of Isaac would clearly prevent the promise of being fulfilled and with their nullify the covenant you think about what is at stake here and God says now you offer him him up to me it was also a

01:04:32

The offering sacrifice was utterly pagan. This would be contrary to everything Abraham knew of a holy and a just God think of that as If to add orderly cruelty in a sense father

01:04:46

Abraham was to kill Isaac by his own hand Though God's law forbade it every aspect of God's demand was absolutely inconceivable

01:04:58

From a human perspective and if we was in his shoes, what will we do? MacArthur says this if ever the

01:05:06

Lord Commanded one of his saints to do something that justified an argument or at least the very least

01:05:12

I'm sorry at the very least a careful explanation This was the command

01:05:19

But Abraham made no argument and asked for no explanation He went in faith

01:05:27

Think of this again There was no there was there was

01:05:34

No instance of willing submission to the Lord except that of Jesus to his father

01:05:39

Could it see Abraham on that occasion, but on this occasion on this occasion? Abraham passed the test and it was done by strong living faith.

01:05:50

I don't know if you notice this but James and Paul Gives looks to father

01:05:57

Abraham many times as an example of faith both of without hesitation resentment or question

01:06:07

Abraham made the necessary preparations. He began the journey at the first light of the next day he continued carrying out the

01:06:14

Lord's orders all the way until the Lord intervened and Until that point he raised his knife

01:06:21

And then God says do not stretch out your hand against the land do nothing to him for now, I know that you fear

01:06:27

God Since you have not withheld your son your only son from me

01:06:32

He knew he passed the test well, although he had Earlier to his son

01:06:40

Isaac God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering But think of it there was a ram

01:06:49

God did that on purpose the lamb was to come later the Lord Jesus Christ Abraham was to plunge that knife in Isaac's heart when no animal was in sight

01:07:03

Writer Hebrews tells us doesn't Abraham considered that God was able to raise him even from the dead from which he also

01:07:11

Received him back as a type Well, but whatever Abraham's human understanding may have been we have

01:07:17

God's own testimony Hebrews 11 17 by faith Abraham By faith

01:07:23

Abraham when he was tested Offered up Isaac and he and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son

01:07:31

So Abraham did not count on There being a way out that he he knew

01:07:38

He counted only of God's righteousness Faithfulness and his power to even raise him from the dead even if he did kill

01:07:47

Incredible incredible faith, that's God's and he passed the test now Can I say this about Abraham or quit this and encourage you there were other times in Scripture?

01:07:57

that Abraham Did not necessarily pass the test That's right the first time

01:08:06

I think is when he was in Egypt when he was in Egypt he lied Sarah I this is when he was

01:08:12

Abraham this before he met God, but And before the Abrahamic Covenant was established, but he was in Egypt on his journey there

01:08:21

And there was there was a plague that was sent and Pharaoh knew something's wrong here

01:08:28

And it was because Abram lied He didn't trust God. He was fearful

01:08:34

So what's the opposite of faith? It's fear he feared He did not have faith in God.

01:08:41

So as he lied then finally he was driven out favor as a get out of here And he said go go and there was another time and I think this is a big one

01:08:50

Remember the time when it was actually Sarah's idea to take a

01:08:56

Hagar Took a Hagar and Abraham Abram went along with it. He's oh sure, you know, they were not trusting

01:09:03

God So this should encourage you see Abraham we see at this pinnacle this ultimate test that God said take your only son

01:09:12

He passed the test But it there was a process through time

01:09:18

For him him to get to the place where he's strong in faith Now does that encourage you

01:09:24

I said Lord that helps me because I'm not there where I need to be But he grew strong in faith and ultimately

01:09:34

He got to the place where he knew God could do anything Absolutely anything didn't know how but he knew he would

01:09:44

He knew that he didn't know that behind him. God would Necessarily put that that ram in the thicket, but but he did know if he killed his son

01:09:54

Isaac God was able to raise him from the dead But God provided the ram right and then later on God provided the land

01:10:02

That's what it's all about. Well, you can read that in your devotional time by everything I brought out there, but I got to bring this to an end

01:10:10

RC Sproul said this if the faith we profess is a naked faith with no evidence of works

01:10:17

It is not saving faith That's so true And I think if a

01:10:23

Sproul was here in this living room today. He's with the Lord. I Won't quote

01:10:29

Luther. He loved Luther Luther said this God doesn't need my good works, but my neighbor does

01:10:37

Amen to that, that's well put Well, here's an application for us.

01:10:42

How do we per how do we persevere? How do we persevere? Thank you for your patience This is carried over a little bit longer than I suspected.

01:10:50

But how do we persevere? I got to bring this to you and for myself as well We continue

01:10:58

We continue to press forward we continue by faith We testify and by the way when the testing comes to us we don't defect

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No matter what We press forward we press on looking unto

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Jesus the author and finisher of our faith So this is how we do it. We continue first Peter 1 6 and 7

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These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire

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May be proved genuine That's what scripture says so the believers experience as A testing is in a sense of a refining process

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That is his faith is being refined Much the same as gold is subjected to refiners fire

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Proverbs 27 To the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold

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And a man is valued by what others say of him as the goldsmith removes and here's my last illustration

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We're gonna pray as a goldsmith removes impurities that are foreign to the metal

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So God purifies the believers faith from sin gold however

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Is an intimate quality that is and remains passive Through the refining process

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So a man's faith can never be passive. It is always active That's living faith.

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It is always active faith True faith as James points out and his epistle must be accompanied by action always by action

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Amen, and I tell you I don't think there's any problems with our group on this I've I have seen by evidence your faith by its evidence about what how you show it in your love and I just Rejoice so much with the people that we have

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God has put us together Otherwise, it's dead faith, right? It's got to be living faith.

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So perseverance is the key word here We persevere it never resonates it never gives up and it never stops

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This was exemplified by Job and has nothing in common with resonation

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So it stands to test it never gives up as Jesus says he that endures to the end shall be saved

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He that endures to the end shall be saved he who perseveres He who continues in my word is my disciple that's what

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Jesus said he that abides in me and I in him Is his disciple?

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It's the one that loves him. See you can't connect the love and the obedience

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You you can't connect it. I'm sorry. You can't disconnect it my bad

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But you know I'm saying we cannot hasten it and this is

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Maybe I can pick up on this next for its day. It needs time. It needs cultivation. It needs growth.

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Amen Aren't you glad for the examples we have in Scripture that encourages us to continue to press forward?

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Let's pray Father we thank you for this hour that we've had to study your scriptures Lord this hour has gone by so quickly because there's so much here.

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There's so much more we can say about it But Lord we do know that there's plenty of grace for us to stand the test and how we need grace

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That is sufficient to help us through these times When we are purified and we're going through the fire when we're going through the fire and then we are purified.

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That's the right order Lord we need help from you. So Lord Your presence goes before us your presence is with us

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Emmanuel God with us And that's all that really matters Because when we look in Scripture, especially from the prophet

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Isaiah says And when you said O Lord through him

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When you go through the waters, the waters will not overflow you when you go through the fire you you shall not be burned

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It will not overcome us The most important thing that matters is that you're with us through it

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You have purchased us you have called us by name you have redeemed us We are yours and you are ours and we praise you for that Help us to hold fast

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Because you we are in the palm of your hands Even when things sometimes we don't understand all we can do is submit

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To what you bring us and know that you have everything under control So help us live this out in our faith

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Lord help each and every one of us in this room today To just throw ourselves as David did and on you

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Casting all of our care upon you for you care for us That was to a suffering people that did not understand what was going on But Lord, they knew there was good that was being worked out in their lives