Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000035
|
00:19 Hello, friends,
00:20 and welcome to another Wednesday night bible study 00:22 here in Thompsonville, that's Thompsonville, Illinois, 00:26 the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:28 And thank you for tuning in in our continual study. 00:31 The overall theme 00:33 is how to live a spiritual life in a natural body. 00:38 But tonight, we're going to continue in a lesson, 00:39 lesson number 11 on Face the Challenges. 00:42 Now each of us has challenges on a daily basis. 00:45 But what are the most important challenges 00:47 is really the question. 00:48 And tonight, we're going to answer that 00:50 and continue to the completion of our study 00:53 that we began a couple of weeks ago. 00:55 So if you'd like to get a copy of that 00:56 go to this following website, 00:58 don't put www, type ASF.3abn.org, 01:04 and download lesson number 11 and 12 01:08 because chances are we'll get an opportunity 01:11 to go to the new lesson tonight, 01:13 which is How to Carry My Cross. 01:16 We always talk about the cross, 01:17 and sometimes, when things in life don't go well 01:20 we say, "Well, that's my cross." 01:22 Really what is the cross 01:23 that God has called us to carry? 01:25 We're going to talk about that tonight also. 01:27 But get your Bibles, tune in, 01:29 invite your friends and family members 01:31 to join us for the study. 01:32 But before we do anything, before we even sing, 01:35 we invite the Lord's presence. 01:36 So bow your heads as we pray. 01:39 Our gracious Father in heaven, 01:40 we thank You, Lord, for the opportunity tonight 01:42 to open Your Word. 01:44 We also pray that You'll open our hearts. 01:46 We don't want to just gain Bible knowledge, 01:50 we want to gain the strength and the desire 01:53 to serve You, Lord, to not only understand more, 01:57 but to walk in the footsteps that you place before us 02:01 to reflect Your goodness and Your glory 02:03 and to strengthen our relationship 02:05 with You and with each other. 02:07 So Lord, as we continue in our discussion tonight 02:10 about facing the challenges, 02:12 may our hearts be calm, 02:14 and may we listen to the voice of your Holy Spirit. 02:16 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 02:21 Well, here at A Sharper Focus, 02:22 we always sing our theme song which is "Victory in Jesus." 02:25 And those of you that know it, 02:27 you'll hear the song and just listening along. 02:29 And if you know the song, 02:30 you can join us from where you are 02:31 whether here in the US or overseas. 02:34 Let's sing the song, "Victory in Jesus." 02:44 I heard an old, old story 02:48 How the Savior came from glory 02:52 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:56 To save a wretch like me 02:59 I heard about His groaning 03:03 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:07 Then I repented of my sins 03:11 And won the victory 03:15 Oh victory in Jesus 03:18 My Savior forever 03:22 He sought me and He bought me 03:26 With His redeeming blood 03:30 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 03:33 And all my love is due Him 03:37 He plunged me to victory 03:41 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:45 I heard about a mansion 03:49 He has built for me in glory 03:52 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:56 Beyond the crystal sea 04:00 About the angels singing 04:04 And the old redemption story 04:07 And some sweet day 04:09 I'll sing up there 04:12 The song of victory 04:13 Key change. 04:15 Oh victory in Jesus 04:19 My Savior forever 04:23 He sought me and bought me 04:26 With His redeeming blood 04:30 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 04:34 And all my love is due Him 04:38 He plunged me to victory 04:41 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:44 What did He do? 04:46 He plunged me to victory 04:49 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:56 Can we say amen to that? Amen. 04:58 Plunged us to victory beneath that cleansing flood. 05:02 That song is about baptism. 05:04 What it really means to not only join Christ 05:08 in our walk with Him through baptism, 05:11 but join Him in His walk with us 05:13 on a day-by-day basis. 05:16 Now we're continuing lesson number 11 05:18 entitled Face the Challenges. 05:21 And last week, we talked about all of the scriptures 05:25 that had to do with daily dying. 05:28 Had to do with what? 05:30 Daily dying. 05:32 If we don't die daily, we cannot live in Christ daily. 05:36 One of the greatest challenges we face on a day-by-day basis 05:40 is putting ourselves to death 05:41 so that Christ could be the one reigning 05:44 and living through us. 05:45 Isn't that right? 05:47 And so this entire topic that we've been talking about 05:49 how to live a spiritual life in a natural body is, in fact, 05:52 what each one of us is called to do 05:55 until the Lord replaces this vile body 05:58 and fashions it like unto His glorious body. 06:01 But now there's another aspect 06:03 to the living of the Christian life 06:06 other than just dying daily. 06:08 And this is the part that oftentimes is not talked about 06:12 when you hear sermons about motivational Christianity, 06:16 how to strengthen your portfolio, 06:18 seven highly effective habits of Christians, 06:21 what I call, icing Christianity. 06:24 It doesn't have any substance, doesn't have any meat to it. 06:28 It's just milk 06:29 and it never translates to solid food. 06:33 And there is a lot of that kind of preaching nowadays. 06:36 And so whenever a Christian 06:37 is walking in his or her life 06:40 and challenges or trials come along, 06:42 for those, as my good friend, Dr. Ranko Stefanowicz said, 06:47 "For those who only have a cliche, 06:49 'Oh, God is good all the time, all the time.'" 06:53 For those of us who only have that, 06:55 we have nothing when trials come. 06:58 And they are a lot of people that, 07:00 you know, as long as prosperity is fine, 07:02 and the bank account is well, 07:04 and the car hasn't stopped, and the kids are behaving, 07:07 and our future looks good, 07:08 and our stocks are performing the way we expect them to, 07:11 and the dog hasn't bitten anybody, 07:13 and my husband and our children 07:15 and wife and our children are doing fine. 07:17 As long as all those things are going well, 07:19 a lot of people say, "God is good." 07:22 But when the rain clouds come, and the storms come, 07:26 and the diagnosis is not good, and the doctor said, 07:30 "He has nothing more that he can do." 07:33 When it seems like no matter what you do, 07:35 your marriage is just not going to work, 07:38 and your children are following the wrong path, 07:40 and you pray for them, and you work with them, 07:42 and they just don't seem to make any kind of progress. 07:45 When your money is not in the bank 07:47 and your lights get turned off. 07:49 And your car breaks down in the middle of highway 07:51 when it's pouring rain. 07:53 You got to have a whole lot more 07:54 than God is good all the time 07:57 because even though God is good all the time, 07:59 all the time life is not good. 08:02 And so this is the part of Christianity 08:04 that's often the second half of the book of Hebrews 11. 08:07 We talk about faith, the substance of things hoped 08:09 for the evidence of things not seen. 08:11 People are fine, 08:13 you know, the first half of Hebrews is great. 08:15 But when you get to the second half 08:18 and they talk about being sawn asunder, 08:21 tortured in prison, thrown to the lions, 08:24 torn apart in the dens, those who suffered, 08:27 and walked around in goat skins and sheep skins, 08:30 and were destitute. 08:32 I like the Bible when it says 08:33 "Of whom the world was not worthy." 08:37 This is the kind of Christianity 08:38 we're talking about tonight, 08:39 the kind of Christianity 08:41 that is not the kind that leaves out suffering 08:46 because if you don't have more than 08:48 just 28 fundamental doctrines and a really good song, 08:53 you've got to have some substance, 08:55 you've got to have some promises. 08:57 And once again, I would say... 09:00 I had the privilege of doing a program 09:02 with Dr. Ranko Stefanowicz, 09:03 and he says, "A lot of times, 09:04 one of our greatest problems could be 09:08 just our little book of promises," 09:12 because oftentimes we read the promises 09:14 but we fail to read was before it 09:15 and what's after it. 09:17 See, 'cause God never promised us... 09:20 Well, the song says, "I beg your pardon. 09:24 I never promised you a rose garden 09:26 along with the sunshine. 09:29 There's got to be a little rain sometime." 09:32 And oftentimes, Christians don't know about the rain. 09:35 They sit in their mega churches in their giga organs, 09:38 in their lavish lifestyles, 09:40 and everything is going just well. 09:41 But all of a sudden they fade when difficulty comes. 09:45 And so we want to talk about how to stay 09:48 because whether you know it or not 09:49 the road ahead of us for the Christian church 09:52 is a lot more difficult than it is right now. 09:55 And we're living in a time 09:56 where we have to test the fabric of our connection. 09:58 I said this in... 10:00 My wife reminded me today, before the Lord comes, 10:02 the devil is going to test the reason 10:05 why we are Christians. 10:06 Why are you a Christian? 10:08 And is that reason strong enough to carry you 10:10 through the difficulties that are going to come? 10:12 So we're going to begin with a text. 10:14 First our question is question number 24. 10:17 We're going to begin tonight talking about the suffering 10:20 and then the most beautiful part of the suffering. 10:24 Question number 24. 10:26 So if you have that lesson, 10:27 we're continuing on lesson number 11. 10:29 Hopefully, we'll transition to number 12. 10:31 But here's question number 24 tonight to begin our study. 10:35 "When it seems difficult to live the Christian life, 10:39 why should we persevere?" 10:43 I mean, what is there for us to go on. 10:47 What is there for us to keep pushing? 10:49 Why should we continue to go beyond the difficulty? 10:52 And the sad reality is more people give up 10:56 for lesser things in Christianity 10:59 than they do for things in the world. 11:01 I mean I want you to think about that. 11:04 And we just are living during the holiday season, 11:07 people will camp out for three days 11:09 to buy a television 11:11 and won't come to church on the warmest night. 11:17 But the day is coming 11:19 when people are going to be camping out 11:20 to get in the church 11:22 but the church is going to be closed. 11:24 People are going to be camping out one day 11:25 to hear the Word of God, 11:26 but Amos says, "They will seek it 11:28 and they won't find it." 11:29 So this is the time to be camping out 11:31 for things that endure. 11:33 People will stand in the rain 11:35 and stand and hold on to their partners 11:37 in their umbrellas 11:38 in a freezing stadium of 25,000 people 11:41 just to see a little oval pigskin ball 11:45 carried back and forth on a field 11:47 with men wearing tight shorts, 11:50 kicking this ball to a metal pole, 11:53 yelling for something that has nothing to do with them. 11:56 And they're yelling that they won 11:57 and they get not a single dime when the game is over. 12:02 But they won't come to study God's Word. 12:04 And the greatest challenge 12:06 is we are looking at life the wrong side, 12:10 the inside out, the upside down. 12:13 So let's look at what this text says, 12:15 "Why should we persevere when difficulty comes?" 12:19 Romans 8:18. 12:20 And I'm sure you've turned there already. 12:23 Okay, here it is on the screen. 12:26 "For I consider that the," what's the next word, 12:30 "sufferings of this present time 12:32 are not worthy to be compared with the glory 12:36 which shall be revealed in us." 12:39 So whatever you're going through right now, 12:41 when you compare that... 12:42 And this is the strange thing about this, 12:44 and I want you to catch this. 12:47 We are not going to be able to compare the sufferings 12:50 of the present time until the glory is revealed. 12:55 Now I want you get that. 12:57 This is really powerful. 12:58 You're not going to be able to understand 13:00 how broke you were until you get wealthy, right? 13:06 You will never know how much money you didn't have 13:09 until you get a lot of money. 13:12 You'll never know how terrible it was to be poor 13:16 until you get rich. 13:18 And in the very same way, 13:20 this glory that is going to be revealed in us, 13:24 this glory that is going to never fade 13:25 the glory of Christ, that is going to be complete, 13:29 that is going to be at its best place 13:32 when we are made completely in the image of Jesus. 13:35 Isn't that right? 13:36 So until that glory is revealed completely in us, 13:40 we would not be able to look back at the suffering and say, 13:42 "That was nothing compared to what I have now," right? 13:47 But so often, we let the suffering prevent us 13:49 from continuing in this journey as God polishes us, 13:54 and chisels us, and gets us ready, 13:57 ironing out the rough spots, 13:58 taking out the things that shouldn't be there. 14:00 You know, when a person is putting the sculptor together, 14:03 there's a lot of chiseling that goes on. 14:05 But by the time that thing makes it to the floor 14:08 and you stand there at this beautiful sculpture. 14:11 And many of us do it, 14:12 you know what we do when we see a marble sculpt, 14:13 you know what we do, we just can't hesitate, 14:15 we just touch it and run our fingers 14:16 along the finely smooth edges. 14:19 We have no idea how long it took to get that way. 14:23 So in life, we face things that are filing us down 14:26 until one day the smoother edges 14:29 will be so smooth so much like Jesus 14:32 that we will touch it trying to see 14:33 the residue of our former condition 14:35 and we won't even be able to find it. 14:39 But while we're going through that process, 14:41 some of us are so put off 14:42 by the chiseling that God allows us 14:44 to go through that we're not going to endure 14:46 to see the glory revealed in us. 14:49 That's why this is so vitally important. 14:51 You've got to have an eye of faith 14:52 to look beyond the prisons, 14:54 like the Christians during the Dark Ages. 14:56 And right now, you know, there are those 14:59 who are willing to stand up 15:00 in the midst of a burning fiery furnace 15:03 and give his or her life for Jesus. 15:07 But nowadays, all the temperature has to drop 15:09 a few degrees, and it's enough for us. 15:12 It's amazing, the suffering of this present time. 15:16 And what we're going through now 15:17 as a people is really nothing 15:19 in comparison to what many of the Christians 15:21 of the Dark Ages went through. 15:22 We have basic things that in the course of time, 15:24 you know, money will be solved when our check comes, 15:27 whatever the situation is, going to get fixed. 15:30 But the only real thing that we must concern ourselves 15:33 with is continuing to persevere 15:35 so that the glory that God intends to be revealed in us 15:38 comes through to completion. 15:41 So here's the answer. 15:42 "When it seems difficult to live the Christian life, 15:45 why should we persevere?" 15:47 Why should we persevere? 15:51 Ah! 15:52 The revelation of God's glory in us. 15:55 That's right. 15:57 I'm holding on for glory days. 15:59 And a lot of times, 16:01 people think of the glory days are at the back. 16:02 No, the glory days are ahead of us. 16:05 But I also want to tell you that, 16:06 while we're on the journey, 16:07 there are a lot of glory days even now. 16:09 The Lord gives us a lot to rejoice about now. 16:11 He is not waiting all of it. 16:13 He's not waiting for all of it to be in the future. 16:15 In other words, we are not always suffering, 16:17 we are not always going through hardship. 16:19 Every now and then, 16:20 God allows the light of all the blessings 16:22 that are to come in its fullness 16:24 to just shine through momentarily. 16:27 You know, even when it rains in the clouds, 16:30 we know out here in the Midwest, 16:32 sometimes, when storms are coming, 16:33 all those clouds begin to gather. 16:34 Every now and then, the clouds will just miss 16:37 and there's an opening, and the sun shoots through 16:39 and then goes back. 16:41 That's why we have that saying 16:42 "Behind every cloud there is a," 16:43 what, "silver lining." 16:46 The glory of God is never diminished, 16:48 but the things of life, the sufferings of life, 16:50 sometimes causes that glory to be eclipsed 16:53 by suffering a difficulty. 16:54 So we have to endure 16:56 for the glory to be revealed in us. 16:58 Number 25. 17:00 "What promise does the Bible give 17:02 that focuses us away from this suffering?" 17:08 You know, when you think about that, 17:10 the suffering, and I'll get to this. 17:11 The suffering is not the issue, 17:14 rejoicing and joy is the real issue. 17:16 Go to 1 Peter 4. 17:20 Sorry, not 1 Peter 4. 17:21 Yeah, 1 Peter 4:12-13. 17:26 1 Peter 4:12-13. 17:30 What promise does the Bible give 17:32 that focuses us away from the suffering? 17:36 If the sculpture could say something it will be, 17:41 "Wait till he's done. 17:44 You just wait till he's done. 17:45 I don't look like much now but you wait till he's done." 17:48 Can you imagine what a job it is 17:51 when the person who is sitting there 17:53 at the pottery wheel and his hands and muddy, 17:56 and it just seems like mud is flying everywhere 17:59 and it looks like, "Why would anybody want to do that?" 18:01 But when they finish that 18:03 and they bake it in the furnace of affliction, 18:06 and it comes out, after they paint that 18:09 and then all the color bakes in, 18:11 and it just sparkles, 18:12 and they put it on the shelf and people say, "Wow." 18:16 And they don't realize it just started out as mud. 18:20 Amen. 18:21 And the Lord knows that. 18:23 He knows our frame that we are but dust. 18:27 We all start out that way. 18:29 But I tell you, in the hand of the potter, 18:32 it's amazing what he can do with just mud. 18:35 Wow. Look at the answer. 18:37 1 Peter 4:12-13. 18:41 "Beloved," let's read the next three verses together, 18:45 "do not think..." 18:47 Okay. Okay. 18:49 Do not think, first of all don't think so much 18:51 when difficulty comes. 18:53 And then the other thing is, 18:54 "don't think it strange 18:56 concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, 19:01 as though some strange thing happened to you." 19:06 What are the next two words? 19:08 "But rejoice to the extent 19:10 that you partake of Christ's suffering," 19:13 and here is the key, 19:15 "that when His glory is revealed, 19:17 you may also be glad with," what kind of joy, 19:20 "exceeding joy." 19:22 Have ever seen people so excited? 19:23 My brother-in-law Cliff, when he gets excited, 19:25 he always goes like this. 19:27 "Yeah." 19:29 He always does that. 19:30 I always know when he is excited because he'd go. 19:32 I say, "What are you happy about?" 19:33 He does this. 19:35 Everybody has their thing they do when they get excited. 19:38 As a little kid, when I got excited, 19:39 I ran all through the house. 19:42 You know, children... 19:43 You got to do something when you're excited. 19:45 No, I've never seen an excited person say, 19:49 "I'm excited." 19:51 You know, I've never seen that 19:53 because there's always some indication 19:54 that what you heard just a moment ago 19:56 that made you happy is not, "I'm excited." 20:00 You know, you don't. That's not the way you do it. 20:02 And I can guarantee you 20:03 that when the glory of God is revealed, 20:05 notice this says, "That you may also be glad with," 20:08 what kind of joy, "exceeding joy." 20:10 Heaven's not going to be quiet, 20:12 they are going to have a prayer session par none. 20:16 They are going to be so filled with joy 20:19 because they know that the suffering down 20:20 here was temporary, 20:22 but the joy is eternal. 20:24 Amen? 20:25 So what promise does the Bible give 20:26 that focuses us away from the suffering. 20:29 The focus is not the suffering, 20:31 the focus is rejoicing and exceeding joy. 20:36 That's what your focus, that's the way. 20:37 Look for the rejoicing, look for the exceeding joy. 20:41 That's what God wants us to focus on 20:43 because you think about it, 20:46 it is not a whole lot to rejoice about 20:48 when the furnace is heated seven times hotter. 20:50 I do not believe the Hebrew said, 20:51 "Oh, I'm so glad 20:53 they it heated it seven times hotter." 20:54 I don't believe that. 20:55 I believe their faith in God 20:57 was what focused them away from the suffering. 21:01 They said, "We're not going to serve you, 21:02 but even if He doesn't deliver us, that's okay. 21:06 We got this one." 21:08 I mean, really, you think about that. 21:09 That furnace heated seven times hotter. 21:12 It was to prevent them from being freed from the fire. 21:17 It's an amazing thought. 21:18 But when you partake of the joy, 21:21 the suffering means absolutely minimal. 21:24 I shouldn't say absolutely nothing, 21:26 but the suffering is minimal when you compare it 21:28 with what is coming down the road. 21:30 Number 26. 21:32 Number 26. 21:34 "Speaking of Paul the Apostle, 21:36 what kind of life was he to expect?" 21:40 What kind of life was he to expect? 21:43 One of the things that I teach in counseling is this. 21:47 One of the reasons why people don't get 21:49 what they asked for... 21:52 Well, I just gave you the answer. 21:56 People often expect something that they don't ask for. 22:00 Well, Paul didn't have to ask for what he got, 22:03 but what the Lord was in essence saying is 22:05 "Paul, this is what you need to expect. 22:08 If you're going to be a follower of Mine, 22:10 you need to expect this." 22:14 Notice, Acts 9:15-16. 22:18 Acts 9:15-16. 22:24 Here it is. 22:26 "But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a,'" 22:30 what, "'chosen vessel of Mine 22:34 to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, 22:39 and the children of Israel.'" 22:41 And here is the key. 22:43 "For I will show him how many things he," 22:46 what, "must suffer for My name's sake." 22:51 When you read the promises of the beatitudes in Matthew 5, 22:55 the Bible says... 22:57 Well, let's go there. 22:58 Don't want to just tell you that. Let's look at it. 23:00 When you read the beatitudes of one preacher, 23:03 I think it was years ago, 23:05 Robert Schuller called it The-be-happy attitudes 23:08 because the word the blessed also means happy. 23:11 Bless it. 23:13 But let's look at this. 23:14 All right, Matthew 5... 23:22 and starting with verse 10. 23:27 "Blessed are those 23:28 who are persecuted for righteousness sake." 23:34 That's why the Lord says, "For my name's sake." 23:36 He is righteous. 23:38 If you are living a righteous life, 23:39 the world is not going to like you. 23:41 If you are living out of harmony with the world 23:43 and all you got to do is look at the media nowadays. 23:45 Just recently, there was something in the media 23:47 about a young man who decided that the life 23:49 he was living is not the life 23:52 that is in harmony with God's Word 23:53 now that God revealed His Word in this truth to him. 23:57 And I was amazed that although some commentators said, 24:01 "Well, he could have been more 'diplomatic' 24:05 about how he felt." 24:07 Sometimes, sin repulses you so much 24:09 that you don't have time to be diplomatic. 24:12 All you have time do is say, 24:13 "I don't want to be involved in that anymore. 24:15 I want to go in this direction." 24:17 And so he was so repulsed by the life 24:19 he used to live that he just said, 24:21 "Don't go down that road. 24:22 Don't fill your mind with filth any longer." 24:25 And what happened? 24:26 Persecution arose, but notice why it arose. 24:30 Look at that verse again, Matthew 5:10. 24:32 "Blessed are those who are persecuted 24:34 for righteousness' sake 24:37 for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 24:41 Blessed are you when they revile 24:43 and persecute you 24:45 and say all kinds of evil 24:47 against you falsely for my sake." 24:50 Here it is again. 24:51 "For my name's sake," at the end of Acts 9. 24:54 That's what's happening there. 24:55 It's happening not because of you, 24:57 but because you connected with somebody 24:59 that the world just does not like. 25:00 The devil does not like Jesus. 25:01 Once you say that you are a child of God, 25:03 the world says, "All right. 25:05 All right. All right. 25:06 You are our enemy." 25:09 Friendship of the world is enmity with God. 25:13 The world does not like you 25:14 because you are not of the world. 25:16 If we were of the world, it would love its own. 25:18 But look at the very next verse. 25:20 Verse 12. 25:22 What are the two words we see there? 25:24 Come on, say with me, "Rejoice and be," 25:26 what, "exceedingly glad for great 25:30 is your reward in heaven 25:33 for so they persecuted the prophets 25:35 which were before you." 25:37 When you read Philippians, 25:39 the verse that we read a moment ago, 25:41 1 Peter 4:12-13, 25:42 you see those two words there again, 25:44 rejoice and glad and joy. 25:48 You see it there. 25:49 And so you've got to look beyond the present moment 25:52 almost to say to people in a righteous way, 25:55 "You just wait. 25:57 My time is coming. 25:59 All right?" 26:00 Prisoners of war, what keeps them going on 26:03 because they believed that 26:04 somebody is going to rescue them. 26:06 They know where their citizenship is 26:08 and they say, "They know we're here, 26:11 they know we're here." 26:12 When you think about the road that Christians walk, 26:14 those who are in the dens of lions, 26:16 those who are in the arenas in Rome, 26:18 those who in the future will be... 26:21 those who would have to face difficulty and adversity, 26:23 even some of us. 26:26 We've got to be comforted with the fact 26:28 that God knows we're here. 26:30 And our deliverance is coming. 26:32 That's why I like Isaiah 25:9. 26:34 "Lord, it shall be said in that day, 26:36 Lo, this is our God, 26:39 we have waited for Him, and He will save us. 26:42 This is the Lord, 26:44 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." 26:47 There it is again, rejoicing, glad. 26:50 You got to look beyond the difficulty 26:52 because if you allow the difficulty 26:54 to be the supreme focus, 26:55 it wouldn't take very much to get you discouraged, right? 26:58 There is a whole lot of stuff to get you discouraged. 27:01 Right now, they're talking about the fiscal cliff. 27:06 The Lord has kept me through every other cliff. 27:11 I'm going to put my life in the Lord's hand. 27:12 What about you? Amen. 27:14 The Lord has kept us through recession, oppression, 27:17 and the list goes on, and on, and on. 27:19 For those who are Christians, we don't have to worry about it 27:21 because the Lord says, "Your bread shall be given you, 27:24 and your water shall be sure." 27:26 So if you're hungry, you got some bread, 27:28 if you're thirsty, you get some water, right? 27:30 You don't need a big backpack. 27:31 God will provide all of our needs. 27:34 So the answer to number... 27:37 What was it? Number 26. 27:39 "Speaking of Paul the Apostle, 27:40 what kind of life was he to expect?" 27:43 Life of suffering. 27:45 That's just a lot of the Christian. 27:46 There are so many questions 27:48 that are not told about the suffering that comes. 27:51 You know, we often think 27:52 the other person causes suffering, 27:54 but in fact, if you can see them, 27:55 they are not your enemy. 27:57 All right. Number 27. 27:59 We are moving right along. 28:00 I think we are doing well. 28:01 Praise the Lord for that. 28:03 Here it is, number 27. 28:05 "The Christian walk is one of loss and gain, but how so?" 28:12 One of loss and gain, but how so? 28:16 Go with me to Philippians 3. 28:18 Philippians 3. 28:22 And we're going to look at verse 8. 28:26 Philippians 3:8. 28:28 Every time I look at that word Philippians, 28:30 I think of Philippines 'cause it's just so close, 28:33 it's just so close. 28:35 So if you're joining us from the Philippines, 28:38 that's a book that we can claim. 28:40 Okay. 28:42 Okay, here we are. 28:44 I'm going to have it on the screen for you. 28:46 But I want to give you some additional part of that. 28:48 Not just what we've read. 28:49 Okay. 28:51 Philippians 3:8. 28:53 Let's read verse 8 first. 28:55 Here it is on the screen. 28:57 It says, "Yet indeed I also count," 29:01 how many things, 29:02 "all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge 29:07 of Christ Jesus my Lord, 29:09 for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, 29:14 and count them as rubbish," 29:16 and I like this, "that I may gain," who? 29:20 See the world is focusing on gaining what? 29:23 We have to focus on gaining who? 29:26 The world is focused on gaining what? 29:29 I got stuff I want to sell. 29:31 And the longer I hold on to it, the less value it has. 29:35 Isn't that true? 29:36 And we have Craig's list, we have Angie's list, 29:38 we have whoever else's lists. 29:41 What are the other lists that are out there? 29:44 eBay, we got all these lists. 29:46 And every time you go on these lists, 29:48 they're selling used stuff 29:50 because people have so much stuff in their houses. 29:53 As you look at this, Paul is saying, 29:56 "I suffer the loss of all things. 30:00 I'll give it all up as long as I can gain Christ." 30:04 So here it is once again, 30:05 don't focus on the things that we gain, 30:07 but focus on the one that we gain. 30:11 I've never seen the Lord's face, 30:13 but I'm promised in revelation that one day, 30:15 I will see His face. 30:16 And I tell you, 30:17 for one who likes astronomy and every now and then, 30:19 I get off of my astronomy kick, 30:21 and I get on the Internet. 30:22 Cheri and I, I go through all these space pictures, 30:25 I love the pictures of space. 30:27 You know, because I've never been there. 30:29 Then I look at certain shapes, 30:30 you know, the Horsehead Nebula and the... 30:32 I don't want to start now. 30:34 But some of them look just awe-inspiring. 30:36 And I'd read the calculations, 30:38 Larry, of what the scientists say, 30:40 what the astronomers say, 30:41 from the tip to that part is 20 light years away. 30:45 And I'm thinking, "Just that piece alone? 30:48 What about all the stuff around it?" 30:50 And then they say 30:51 that there are possibly billions of galaxies. 30:54 And I think, "You know, I'm kind of 30:55 done with this galaxy. 30:57 I want to see a new one." 30:58 Anybody here who's... 30:59 I think I'm going to need eternity. 31:01 If there are billions of galaxies, 31:02 Larry, I need to see more than this. 31:04 So I don't mind if I lose this 31:08 'cause I got so much more to gain. 31:09 Amen. 31:11 We don't just gain Christ, 31:13 but we gain access to everything that He owns. 31:17 That's why when we transition... 31:18 I can't wait to get to the next lesson 31:20 because when we transition into that, 31:21 it's powerful to see what He was willing to give up 31:24 to make available to us. 31:27 I was just so imbued by the study today, 31:29 I have two books that I read continually 31:32 and I have them both highlighted, 31:33 one is the Life of Victory and His Cross and Mine, 31:37 both of them written by a man by the name of Mead MacGuire. 31:41 That's the foundation for much of my study. 31:43 Beautiful. 31:44 It's just wonderfully illustrated, 31:46 a wonderful Bible text helping us to understand 31:48 as simply as we can the beauty of the righteousness of Jesus 31:52 and what He was willing to do to tie us 31:55 in to the plan of salvation. 31:57 I almost went running ahead of myself, 31:58 so I got to stop my mind. 32:00 All right. 32:01 But here's the key to question number 27. 32:05 The Christians walk is one of loss and gain, but how so? 32:09 Be willing to lose all things as long as you gain Christ. 32:13 Give it all up for Christ. 32:14 You want to put that answer. 32:16 Give it all up for Christ. 32:19 Wow. 32:24 Number 28, here we are. 32:27 "According to the Bible, 32:29 what is the main source of the suffering?" 32:33 According to the Bible, 32:35 what is the main source of the suffering? 32:39 This is something that we have to come face to face with 32:42 because sometimes, things occur in our lives 32:46 that could have been avoided, 32:48 but because we had a different drive 32:51 than what God wanted us to have, 32:53 we went on a road that we shouldn't have gone down 32:55 and we end up suffering for something 32:57 that we could have avoided. 32:59 Notice this, very important, all right? 33:01 Hebrews 2:8 is where our answer is found. 33:04 Hebrews 2:8. 33:09 According to the Bible, 33:10 what is the main source of the suffering? 33:12 Here is the answer. 33:14 "For in that He Himself has done," what, "suffered..." 33:19 And what's the source? 33:22 Hope. Did not put on the screen. 33:24 Hebrews 2:8. 33:28 Okay, well, let me go there. 33:30 Let's go to James 1:12-15. 33:33 I thought I had that. 33:35 That was the text I want to read. 33:37 Eighteen. 33:38 Did I miss a one there? 33:41 I missed the one. Go to 18. 33:43 Thank you, ladies and gentleman. 33:45 Hebrews 2:18. 33:48 Okay. 33:49 That's beautiful. 33:51 Good thing you have your Bible. 33:52 You'd be in no man's land. 33:54 Here we are, Hebrews 2:18. 34:01 Okay, here we are. 34:02 "For in that He Himself has done," what, 34:06 "suffered being," how, "tempted. 34:10 He is able to do," what, "aid those who are tempted." 34:15 So what is the main source of our suffering? 34:19 What's the main source of our suffering? 34:20 Temptation. James brings this out. 34:24 He expands on the fact that that's the reason 34:27 why many of us sometimes suffer. 34:29 We suffer because we yield to the temptation. 34:32 I tell you, each of us has a story 34:34 to tell about the suffering that we could have avoided. 34:37 And I could open up the doors, 34:39 the gates to say about all the things 34:41 I could have avoided by not yielding to the temptation. 34:45 Christ, His suffering was not based on the fact 34:51 that He yielded to the temptation. 34:54 We're going to transition 34:55 in just a moment to that very... 34:57 Why did He suffer? 34:58 If the reason for much of our suffering is temptation, 35:01 why did Jesus suffer? 35:04 We're going to see that in just a moment, okay? 35:06 But let's put that down. 35:07 According to the Bible, 35:09 what is the main source of suffering? 35:10 Hebrews 2:18. 35:12 The main source of it is what? 35:14 Temptation. Go with me to James 1. 35:18 James 1. Here we are. 35:23 That's the very next book. 35:25 James 1:12-15. 35:33 Well, so much writing in my Bible, 35:34 I have to look at it carefully to see through it. 35:36 Okay, there it is. 35:38 James 1:12, starting with verse 12. 35:42 And it reads as follows. 35:44 "Blessed is the man who endures," 35:46 what, "temptation, 35:49 for when he has been proved, 35:50 or when he is tried, 35:52 he will receive the crown of life 35:55 which the Lord has promised to those 35:57 who to do," what, "love Him." 35:59 So if you endure temptation, 36:01 what does it mean to endure temptation? 36:03 It means don't allow the temptation to pull you in. 36:05 It means don't allow the gripping of the moment 36:09 because there is no such thing as a temptation 36:13 that we must yield to. 36:16 It gets difficult. 36:17 The longer you stand there, the longer you say now, 36:20 "Should I yield or should I not yield?" 36:23 The longer you stand there, the more you consider it. 36:25 You've got to do one of those Elijah moves, 36:26 you've got to run. 36:29 You've got to do it, Joseph, you've got to run. 36:32 And you can't look behind you. 36:34 You've got to run. 36:36 But it continues. 36:38 Most important factor right here, 36:40 "Let no one say," 36:42 verse 13, "when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God,' 36:46 for God cannot be tempted by evil 36:48 nor does He himself tempt anyone." 36:52 Be very careful when you say, 36:53 "Well, I guess God was just testing me." 36:55 No, He doesn't. 36:56 Here's the reason why we consider it as a test. 36:59 Hebrews 2:14, 37:01 "But each one is tempted 37:03 when he is drawn away 37:05 by his own lust or desires and enticed. 37:10 Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to," what, 37:14 "sin and sin, 37:17 when it is full grown, brings forth death." 37:21 You know, you got to see weeds full grown, 37:27 you got to understand that whatever we sow, 37:29 we're going to reap. 37:31 We got to understand that where there are roots, 37:34 there is eventually going to be fruits. 37:37 And I heard this recently or I say recently 37:40 because I've lost track of time, 37:43 but I remember saying once that when a person says, 37:49 "You don't just end up where you end up 37:53 and not know how you got there 37:55 because every destination has a beginning." 37:59 So for you to end up somewhere and say, 38:01 "I don't know how I got here," 38:03 you are either sleepwalking 38:04 or you're unconscious, or you're in a coma. 38:08 But for most of us, we don't end up where we end up 38:11 and did not know how we got there. 38:13 What the real issue is, we end up where we end up 38:16 and we're embarrassed 38:17 that we're caught that we got there. 38:21 You follow what I'm saying, Pastor Jim? 38:22 So we get to where we are 38:24 and we say to people when we get caught, 38:26 "I don't know how it happened." 38:30 A fruit shows up long after the root. 38:34 So when the text says, "Each one is tempted 38:37 when he is drawn away by his own desire and enticed." 38:42 So by the time a thing becomes... 38:44 By the time the fruit shows up, 38:46 the roots were planted a long time ago. 38:48 And Ellen White says, 38:49 "Long before there is a fruit, there's a root." 38:52 So be very, very careful 38:55 with the kind of roots you put down 38:57 because the roots you put down will produce fruit. 39:03 Remember that. 39:05 Let's go to the next one. 39:07 According to the Bible, 39:09 what's the main source of suffering? 39:10 Temptation. 39:11 Endure it, stand firm in the face of it. 39:15 Number 29. 39:16 "How does the Bible reveal that suffering is not optional?" 39:21 This is an amazing thing 39:23 because, you know, you either suffer for not doing wrong 39:25 or you suffer for doing wrong. 39:27 It's like kind of a two-edged sword. 39:29 It's going to come one way or the other. 39:32 But I rather fall into the hand of the God 39:34 who pulls me through the suffering 39:36 of not doing wrong, 39:38 then having to be dragged through the suffering 39:40 of having done wrong. 39:43 Two sides. 39:44 We're going to go to the book of 2 Timothy 3:12. 39:50 How does the Bible reveal that suffering is not optional? 39:53 It's not optional. 39:55 Here it is. 39:58 "Yes, and all who desire to live," how, 40:02 "Godly in Christ Jesus will," what, 40:04 "suffer persecution." 40:07 Jesus said it so wonderfully, I believe in John 16, 40:09 He says, "If they do this to a green tree..." 40:13 What will they do to a tree that does not bear fruit? 40:17 If this happens to Christ who never did anything wrong, 40:20 if temptation and trial comes to the person 40:24 who is never fallen prey to sin, 40:27 why is it so unusual for us to experience the same thing? 40:31 If we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, 40:33 the Bible says, eventually as Pastor CA said, 40:37 "Have you suffered before?" 40:38 And some people said, "No." He said, "It's coming." 40:41 That's a fact of the matter. 40:42 If it hasn't arrived, it's on the way. 40:46 All that desire to live godly... 40:48 I like the way that King James says it, 40:49 "All who live godly in Christ Jesus 40:52 shall suffer persecution." 40:53 Not just the desire, but if you live godly, 40:55 it's going to come. 40:56 It came for Christ and it will come for us. 40:59 But now look at 1 Peter. 41:01 1 Peter 3:17. 1 Peter 3:17. 41:06 Continuing in the study. 41:12 You got to decide which suffering is most appropriate 41:15 for Christ's sake or for your own evil doing. 41:19 1 Peter 3:17. 41:22 "For it is better," what's that word? 41:26 Say that again it is what, better, 41:29 "If it is the will of God... 41:34 For it is better, if it is the will of God 41:37 to suffer for doing good than for doing," what, "evil." 41:41 Now which one do you think is the will of God, 41:44 suffering for doing good or suffering for doing evil? 41:48 For doing good because the Lord knew 41:51 that Christ will go through suffering. 41:53 Christ knew that He would go through suffering. 41:55 But He suffered for doing good 41:58 rather than for doing, what, evil. 42:00 So... 42:05 to do right will bring some suffering, 42:09 but it's a lot better than doing wrong. 42:12 Go to 2 Timothy 2:12, just turn over a few pages. 42:17 Look at that, one turn and I'm there. 42:20 One turn and I was there. 42:24 2 Timothy 2:12. 42:27 Just want to pull that little verse out. 42:29 He is speaking to the elect. 42:32 And by the way, I want to include verse 10 in this. 42:37 Whenever you see the word therefore... 42:44 there is a whole preface that is established before that. 42:46 But I want to give you the time 42:48 to read the therefore and earlier. 42:50 I'm going to read Timothy 2:12. 42:53 And it reads as follows, "If we do," what, 42:56 "endure, we shall also do," what, "reign with Him." 43:03 I saw the Olympics, 43:04 I think most of the world saw it, 43:06 not too many months ago. 43:08 And I've never been invited to the Olympics, 43:12 I don't know why. 43:15 Not as a participant that is, 43:17 I could go if I want to just be a spectator. 43:21 And those ladies and men that get out on the field, 43:25 they run their hearts out and they sweat. 43:27 And sometimes, the moment they cross the finish line, 43:30 it seems like some of them just want to fall to the ground 43:32 out of sheer exhaustion. 43:34 But do you know why they run so hard? 43:37 Because they're looking at the podium, 43:39 they're looking at the glory, 43:41 they're looking at the representation 43:42 of their country, 43:43 they're looking at all the fans that are there, 43:46 the great cloud of witnesses that are saying, 43:48 "You can do it. You can endure. Go on. 43:51 Maybe pain your legs now, 43:52 but it's nothing compared to the medal 43:54 you're going to get when you stand on the podium." 43:56 Christians ought to have 43:58 somewhat of the same kind of attitude. 44:00 It may be difficult in the day-by-day battle. 44:03 It may be difficult in the day-by-day life. 44:05 But look at the podium. 44:07 When you stand there on that glorious day, 44:09 and the Father mentions your name, 44:13 and you come forward, 44:14 and He places a crown of victory on your head 44:18 which really belongs to Him. 44:20 See, He wins the victory and He gives us the crown. 44:22 Isn't that right? Isn't that wonderful? 44:24 He wins the victory, but He gives us the crown. 44:27 So if we endure... 44:28 It says, "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." 44:33 And it's a whole lot more enduring than a gold medal, 44:36 or a silver medal, 44:37 or a bronze medal from the Olympics 44:39 because when the next Olympic comes around, 44:40 somebody is going to break that record. 44:42 But nobody is going to take my name 44:44 out of the Book of Life. 44:45 I'm looking forward to my crown, what about you? 44:47 So here it is. 44:48 How does the Bible reveal that suffering is not optional? 44:50 It's going to happen. 44:51 You're going to either suffer for good 44:53 or you're going to suffer for evil. 44:55 It's better to suffer for the will of God 44:57 and for doing good 44:58 because it brings a reward, 45:00 a lasting reward rather than suffering for evil. 45:04 And number 30. 45:06 Wow, number 30. 45:08 The last one before our transition into question 45:10 on lesson number 12. 45:13 "Why is it that Christians face suffering 45:17 even when they live right?" 45:22 Why is it that Christians face suffering 45:25 even when they live right? 45:30 Who said that? 45:32 Very good point. 45:34 But some people often say, "Why me?" 45:38 And the question is really what? 45:39 "Why not me?" 45:40 See, why me? Why not me? 45:43 Why not me? Here's the answer. 45:45 Why is it that Christians face suffering 45:47 even when they live right? 45:50 Okay. 45:52 And we're going to look at Philippians 1:29. 45:58 This is an amazing text. 45:59 I read this before, 46:00 but in the context of the question, 46:02 it jumps out at me and says, 46:03 "Okay, stop trying to avoid it." 46:06 Listen to this, "For to you, 46:09 it has been granted on behalf of Christ, 46:12 not only to do," what, "believe in Him, 46:16 but also to," do what, "suffer for His sake." 46:21 It's like joining in the military. 46:22 How many have been in the military before? 46:25 If you've been in a battle, it's like joining a battle, 46:28 getting into the army, Larry, and say, "I want to come home." 46:31 "Why?" "They're shooting at me. 46:34 It's not fair." 46:36 And the general will say, "It has been granted to you 46:39 on behalf of the United States 46:41 that you suffer for your country. 46:43 That's why you are in battle." 46:45 Are we in a war? 46:47 Is it going to be some bullets flying? 46:49 A whole lot more than that, 46:51 but that's the lot that we have. 46:53 We are soldiers in the army of Christ. 46:55 Paul says, "Endure hardship as a good soldier." 47:00 So here's the answer. 47:02 It's our lot. 47:04 It has been granted to us. 47:06 If you're going to reign with Christ, 47:07 you got to go through the valley. 47:09 I think David has put it together so wonderfully 47:12 in Psalms 23. 47:14 Once you say, "The Lord is my Shepherd," 47:16 everything he says after that, 47:19 belongs to your experience, 47:21 including the valley of the shadow of death, 47:24 including prepare a table before you 47:25 in the presence of your enemies. 47:27 But also, you have the still waters and the green pastures. 47:30 But the end result of that entire journey... 47:32 Once you can say, "The Lord is my Shepherd," 47:34 you're going to go through all those experiences 47:36 and the end result is what? 47:40 For how long? Isn't it worth it? 47:42 Yes. 47:43 I mean, if the Lord is my shepherd, 47:44 I know where I'm headed. 47:46 If I got to go through the storm, the rain, 47:47 the clouds, the ice, the snow, 47:49 the lack, the deprivation, 47:51 long as I make it to the house, that's all that really matters 47:56 'cause, you know, that we do the same thing. 47:58 We sometimes, when Thanksgiving comes around... 48:00 We've had a very mild Thanksgiving 48:02 here in the Midwest. 48:03 When we were in Florida, 48:05 we had even better one down there. 48:06 But there are some people, when the seasons come around, 48:08 sometimes, it gets really snowy, 48:10 and freezing rain, 48:11 and the day before Thanksgiving, 48:12 it just gets all in climate 48:14 and traffic is bumper to bumper, 48:17 and people will get out on the highway 48:19 and endure a hardship for a turkey. 48:26 And the only thing they're thinking of is 48:28 "Corn bread, cranberry sauce." 48:31 They're thinking of food. 48:33 They go through all that to eat. 48:36 If they could go through all that to eat, 48:38 I can go through all of this for Jesus, what do you say? 48:41 I mean, the heaviest travel day of the year. 48:45 Now I know, it's more than just food, 48:47 we want a fellowship with our family 48:48 and get together and thank God 48:50 for all the good He's done. 48:51 I know that's a big part of it. 48:53 But you're not going to somebody's house 48:54 just to thank God for what He's done 48:55 without some food, right? 48:58 That's the apex of thanksgiving. 49:00 We're going to have the Thanksgiving 49:01 and God has got some food waiting for us. 49:03 So I don't mind going through the difficulties 49:04 as long as I end up 49:06 in the house of the Lord for how long? 49:08 Forever. 49:10 Now that ends question number 30 and lesson 11. 49:15 Now we're going to transition for the next few moments 49:18 into lesson number 12, which is entitled, 49:21 How to Carry My Cross. 49:24 How to Carry My Cross? 49:25 You should have a copy of that. 49:27 And if you haven't received a copy of that, 49:30 go to the website ASF.3abn.org, 49:34 and you'll be able to get a copy of that. 49:36 You know what's exciting about this lesson? 49:38 My wife and I had been to Africa a couple of times. 49:42 We went to... 49:43 The first time, we went to Zambia with Maranatha 49:47 to build churches and schools there, 49:50 or churches more so the first time, 49:52 second time, we went to build schools in Zimbabwe. 49:56 And there is a bridge 50:00 between Zambia and Zimbabwe. 50:04 And that region of the world, they call it, 50:07 it's called no man's land because when you leave Zambia, 50:12 you have to cross the bridge which is over Victoria Falls. 50:17 And as long as you're on that bridge, 50:18 you are in neither country. 50:20 You're not in Zambia and you're not in Zimbabwe. 50:22 As long as you're on that bridge, 50:24 you are nowhere. 50:25 You are nowhere. 50:27 You are on earth but you're nowhere. 50:29 You got to make it to the other side. 50:30 Now I want you to get this 50:32 very, very carefully 'cause this lesson is powerful. 50:34 We're not going to finish it tonight 50:35 but I want to lay the foundation 50:36 so that you can go home and you brink at her. 50:41 A person from Zambia, 50:43 a Zambian can leave Zambia on his way to Zimbabwe. 50:49 And he's in no man's land. 50:50 But while he's in no man's land, 50:52 he still has his identity, 50:54 he is still a person from Zimbabwe. 50:56 And I hope I'm saying it correctly, Zimbabwean. 50:58 I hope that's the way they say it. 51:01 A person from Zimbabwe 51:04 could leave Zimbabwe on his way to Zambia 51:08 and he's in no man's land, but he still has his identity. 51:11 He's a Zimbabwean, still has his classification. 51:18 He was from Zambia, he is from Zimbabwe, 51:21 but they're now both nowhere, 51:23 yet they are both still connected to their countries. 51:27 So if they meet on the bridge, they meet in no man's land. 51:32 And they can't say 51:35 that they are connected to that place 51:37 because according to the geological demographics, 51:42 it's nowhere. 51:44 It's nowhere. It's neither of the countries. 51:46 You're on your way to one, you're leaving the other. 51:49 When you think about what Jesus has done, 51:51 and this lesson is going 51:52 to really bring it out beautifully. 51:55 There was a meeting place called the Cross. 52:01 In the eyes of the demographics of what I just laid out, 52:05 it's no man's land. 52:08 It's between earth and heaven. 52:10 When John says, "And if I be lifted up from the earth, 52:16 I will draw all men unto Myself." 52:19 Jesus was lifted up from the earth, 52:22 but He wasn't in heaven yet. 52:24 He was not on the earth. 52:25 He was not on terra firma. 52:27 He was lifted up from the earth, 52:29 made to hang on a cross, no man's land. 52:33 Now I want you to get this. 52:34 Did He lose His citizenship classification 52:39 while He was hanging on the cross? 52:42 Yes or no. No. 52:43 So was He still the Son of God? Yes. 52:46 Even on the cross? Yes. 52:47 Was He in heaven? No. 52:49 Was He on the earth? No. 52:51 He was on the cross. 52:52 He was in proverbially no man's land. 52:55 He was still the Son of God. 52:58 What you're going to discover in this lesson 53:01 is that the experience that we have as Christians 53:06 is an experience brought together 53:08 by the proverbial Cross called no man's land. 53:13 Neither of us lose our classification, 53:15 both of us maintain our classification, 53:18 yet when we meet there... an amazingly... 53:22 I'm going to even use the word. 53:23 Ellen White sometimes to express something 53:25 that's so glorious, 53:26 you can't find the words for it, 53:27 she says, "It was terribly wonderful." 53:30 You can't think of terribly wonderful. 53:32 But wonderful is not enough, it was terribly glorious. 53:36 We met in a place 53:39 that didn't belong to the person 53:41 that we met there. 53:43 Now I want you to get this. 53:46 Did the cross belong to Jesus? 53:49 Yes or no. 53:52 I'm not going to answer you. I want you to tell me. 53:55 Did the cross upon which Jesus died belong to Jesus? 54:00 No. 54:02 Okay. 54:04 Glad to hear that. 54:06 Who did that cross belong to? 54:08 It belonged to us. 54:10 So the question is why did He go out there? 54:12 Why was He willing to go up on that cross? 54:16 Let me go back to my illustration. 54:18 You see this... 54:19 I got to laid this down because you'll miss 54:21 the whole beauty of this entire... 54:22 If I spend just the next few moments setting this up, 54:24 you'll see the beauty of this. 54:26 Jesus was willing to leave everything behind 54:31 to meet us in no man's land. 54:34 As citizens of the earth and a citizen of heaven, 54:37 He met us in the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia, 54:40 and said, "I'm from heaven. 54:42 Where are you from?" 54:43 "I'm from earth." 54:45 "Hey, why don't you come with me 54:46 and you can be from Zimbabwe and come to Zambia. 54:51 But the most beautiful thing 54:53 is you can be from Zambia and come to Zimbabwe." 54:55 Now get this. 54:57 He can be from heaven and come to come to earth. 55:00 That's something He is able to do. 55:03 But until we meet Him in no man's land, 55:05 we can't go from earth to heaven. 55:08 And my point is this, 55:09 the cross is the great meeting place 55:11 that's so misunderstood. 55:14 When we say phrases like, 55:16 "I believe in the old rugged cross. 55:18 I will cling to the old rugged cross. 55:20 I'm going to carry my cross for Christ's sake. 55:22 This is my cross I must bear." 55:24 Oh, my brother and sisters, 55:26 after you go through these first nine questions, 55:27 which we won't get through all tonight, 55:29 you're going to discover, 55:30 the cross is so much more beautiful 55:32 than we actually give it the classification to be. 55:35 As I was studying this, I had to stop and... 55:39 And I've been preaching for 25 years. 55:41 I had to stop. 55:42 Pastor Jim and say," Wow! 55:45 I hadn't thought about it that way." 55:47 He was very much the Son of God 55:50 when He went and came into no man... 55:52 When He crossed the border, 55:56 when He crossed the point of no return, 55:59 He met us at no man's land. 56:02 So He can meet us and take us to a place 56:04 that we've never been. 56:05 We have to leave our country. 56:06 And when we leave our country, 56:08 we have the same classification, 56:09 sinners meet savior at a place 56:13 that really belongs to us, the cross, 56:15 and takes us to a place that we've never been. 56:18 So when you think about carrying this cross... 56:20 As you study this tonight, 56:21 and I think, I'll try to do maybe one or two questions 56:24 just to whet your appetite. 56:25 Let's go to question number one 56:26 just to see we can get it here tonight. 56:28 Question number one. 56:29 All right, here it is. 56:31 "What condition does Jesus attach 56:33 to being a follower of Christ?" 56:37 Matthew 10:38. 56:39 Matthew 10:38. Here it is. 56:42 Are you all ready to read that? 56:43 Since it's on the screen, I'll move a little faster. 56:46 Matthew 10:38 reads as follows. 56:49 Let's read this together. 56:51 "And he who does not do," what, 56:54 "take His cross and follow after me is," what, 56:58 "not worthy of me." 57:01 I want you to think on that until the next week 57:03 because one thing you'll discover in the Bible, 57:05 there were those who said to Jesus, 57:07 "That is your cross," 57:09 but Jesus never said, "That's My cross." 57:13 Jesus never claimed the cross is His. 57:16 People said that's His cross. 57:20 But what did Jesus say? 57:21 He who does not take His cross, it's your cross. 57:27 It ain't mine? 57:28 So the question is why was I willing to hang on 57:31 to something that didn't belong to me? 57:32 You will find out next week. 57:34 Why was He willing to cross the border of beauty, 57:38 of perfection, of eternity, of sinlessness 57:43 and meet us at the cross called no man's land? 57:47 Because He wanted to invite us someplace 57:49 that we have never been. 57:51 He wanted to get us ready for a process that, 57:53 soon and very soon, we're going to understand 57:56 the great beauty of it. 57:57 So, friends, if it doesn't make sense now, 57:59 continue studying God's Word. 58:01 And one day, it will become a sharper focus. 58:04 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-10-29