And this is the record
00:00:11.24\00:00:13.38
that God hath
given to us eternal life
00:00:13.41\00:00:16.71
and this life is in His Son.
00:00:16.75\00:00:20.38
Welcome to 3ABN
Australia Homecoming.
00:00:20.42\00:00:23.92
Rosemary, here we are already
at the end of our program 3ABN
00:00:31.16\00:00:36.80
Australia Homecoming
2020, Preparing for Eternity.
00:00:36.83\00:00:41.44
Going through this
book Steps to Christ.
00:00:41.47\00:00:43.74
That's right.
00:00:43.77\00:00:45.11
I'm John Malkiewycz.
00:00:45.14\00:00:46.47
And this is my wife Rosemary,
00:00:46.51\00:00:47.84
and we just want to
thank all the speakers
00:00:47.88\00:00:50.71
who took part in
presenting 13 chapters
00:00:50.75\00:00:53.35
from the book Steps to Christ.
00:00:53.38\00:00:55.28
It's been a very special journey
00:00:55.32\00:00:57.02
and I'm sure
you've been blessed.
00:00:57.05\00:00:58.92
We want to do something special.
00:00:58.95\00:01:00.56
And I said this just
before I came on, Rosemary,
00:01:00.59\00:01:03.26
we've got a 100
Steps to Christ books
00:01:03.29\00:01:06.16
and a 100 Great
Controversy books
00:01:06.19\00:01:08.66
that we would
like to give to anyone,
00:01:08.70\00:01:11.17
particularly in Australia,
probably only in Australia.
00:01:11.20\00:01:15.47
If you buy the complete
set of the DVD of this series,
00:01:15.50\00:01:19.81
Preparing for Eternity,
00:01:19.84\00:01:21.21
we're going to
send you one of those,
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or both of those for free.
00:01:22.81\00:01:24.15
Both books?
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Both books. That's right.
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Not the series, but the books?
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But the books, that's right.
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The books.
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Well, today we've
got Marty Thomson,
00:01:31.42\00:01:34.19
pastor of the Kempsey
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:01:34.22\00:01:37.53
and he is going to be
speaking to us on chapter 13
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from the book Steps to Christ,
00:01:41.76\00:01:43.70
rejoicing in the Lord.
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Now this is a topic for Marty.
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I really think
this fits him well.
00:01:47.94\00:01:50.14
And I also think its fits
the closing of the series too.
00:01:50.17\00:01:53.11
It does.
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It's a beautiful close,
the last chapter in the book,
00:01:54.51\00:01:57.31
but last program,
we had Blair Lemke
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from the North New
South Wales Conference
00:02:01.22\00:02:03.62
and he was doing Chapter 12,
00:02:03.65\00:02:06.22
talking to us on
what to do with doubt.
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What a huge topic that is.
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And he has summarized his talk
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with the following words.
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One, God never
asks us to believe
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without giving
sufficient evidence
00:02:21.24\00:02:23.37
for our faith.
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How true?
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Two, the real cause
of doubt and skepticism,
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in most cases,
is the love of sin.
00:02:29.24\00:02:33.82
Three, God has never removed
the possibility of doubt.
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Those who wish to
doubt will have opportunity.
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Those who
really desire the truth
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will find abundant
evidence for their faith.
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Four, in order to overcome doubt
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and arrive at truth,
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we must have a sincere
desire to know the truth
00:02:52.53\00:02:57.04
and a willingness
of heart to obey it.
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Number five, most people
are in darkness and doubt
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because they do
not do what they know.
00:03:03.98\00:03:08.42
And number six,
walk in the light
00:03:08.45\00:03:11.35
that has been revealed to you
00:03:11.39\00:03:13.52
and God will
reveal more light to you.
00:03:13.56\00:03:17.03
And how true is that?
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I think that's
wonderful summary.
00:03:18.43\00:03:19.96
You know, we have a special item
00:03:20.00\00:03:21.46
by Kevin and Jennifer Petrie,
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and I want to thank
them for taking time
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out of their busy life.
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And they will be
singing, This My Anchor.
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So sit back and enjoy.
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Before we listen to Marty.
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Before we listened to Marty.
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Thank you.
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This my anchor
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Firm, secure
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My soul is fastened
00:04:04.64\00:04:08.41
Ever sure
00:04:08.44\00:04:11.51
I've found in
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Waters deep
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There's a hand
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That safely keeps
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We have this heart
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That ties the soul
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To the endless
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Flowing well
00:04:34.14\00:04:37.41
From the waters
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Of his side
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There I find healing
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And there I hide
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He has promised
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He'll be
00:05:03.33\00:05:06.40
A priest whose blood will
00:05:06.43\00:05:09.90
Cover me
00:05:09.94\00:05:13.01
In his promise
00:05:13.04\00:05:16.28
Strong and true
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There is covenant
00:05:19.78\00:05:22.88
Renew
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We have this heart
00:05:25.69\00:05:27.72
That ties the soul
00:05:27.76\00:05:32.49
To the endless
00:05:32.53\00:05:35.53
Flowing well
00:05:35.56\00:05:38.77
From the waters
00:05:38.80\00:05:42.07
Of his side
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There I find healing
00:05:45.21\00:05:47.78
And there I hide
00:05:47.81\00:05:53.52
Through the well
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There is a river wide
00:05:54.92\00:06:00.02
Where I see my Savior's
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Wounded side
00:06:03.26\00:06:06.43
There our high priest
00:06:06.46\00:06:08.16
Who will lay for me
00:06:08.20\00:06:12.73
Sacrificed for me
00:06:12.77\00:06:15.84
This my anchor,
00:06:18.87\00:06:22.48
Firm, secure
00:06:22.51\00:06:25.41
My soul is fastened
00:06:25.45\00:06:29.15
Ever sure
00:06:29.18\00:06:32.35
I've found in
00:06:32.39\00:06:35.59
Waters deep
00:06:35.62\00:06:38.96
There is a hand
00:06:38.99\00:06:40.63
That safely keeps
00:06:40.66\00:06:45.57
There is a hand
00:06:45.60\00:06:47.24
That safely keeps
00:06:47.27\00:06:50.81
Well, thank you,
Kevin and Jennifer,
00:07:11.49\00:07:13.40
for that beautiful song.
00:07:13.43\00:07:15.53
We have an amazing
hope in Jesus, don't we?
00:07:15.56\00:07:18.67
An anchor firm and secure
00:07:18.70\00:07:21.60
that even the
storms of life can't shake.
00:07:21.64\00:07:25.77
Well, this is our final message
00:07:25.81\00:07:28.84
in this series
on Steps on Christ.
00:07:28.88\00:07:30.48
We're looking at
rejoicing in the Lord.
00:07:30.51\00:07:33.68
Why don't we pray before we go
into the message this morning?
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Let's bow our heads and pray.
00:07:37.89\00:07:40.99
Our loving Father in heaven,
we want to thank You so much.
00:07:41.02\00:07:44.89
We thank You so much
for Your love for us.
00:07:44.93\00:07:47.03
And we thank You so much
00:07:47.06\00:07:49.16
for Your amazing
word, this amazing truth.
00:07:49.20\00:07:52.83
Father, we have been
studying this message
00:07:52.87\00:07:57.47
revealed in the
book Steps to Christ.
00:07:57.51\00:08:00.31
And, Lord, as we come
to the final message today,
00:08:00.34\00:08:02.61
we pray that once again,
00:08:02.64\00:08:04.61
that the Holy Spirit
would guide our thoughts
00:08:04.65\00:08:07.55
and lead us to a closer
relationship with Christ
00:08:07.58\00:08:11.12
is our prayer in Jesus' name.
00:08:11.15\00:08:13.25
Amen.
00:08:13.29\00:08:16.09
Well, a few years ago,
00:08:16.12\00:08:18.03
my friends and I were
traveling to the Middle East
00:08:18.06\00:08:21.56
and we had a two
day stopover in China.
00:08:21.60\00:08:25.93
Now, if you only had a
couple of days in China,
00:08:25.97\00:08:28.84
what iconic structure
would you want to see?
00:08:28.87\00:08:32.01
You'd want to see the
Great Wall of China, right?
00:08:32.04\00:08:35.11
Well, that's what we did.
00:08:35.14\00:08:36.58
We went to see the
Great Wall of China.
00:08:36.61\00:08:39.68
We arrived in Shanghai
00:08:39.71\00:08:41.05
to begin with and the
temperature was a cool
00:08:41.08\00:08:43.55
minus five degrees Celsius.
00:08:43.59\00:08:45.95
Now keep in mind,
00:08:45.99\00:08:47.32
we were actually
traveling to the Middle East.
00:08:47.36\00:08:49.22
So we didn't pack thinking
00:08:49.26\00:08:52.19
that we were going to
need a lot of warm clothing.
00:08:52.23\00:08:55.43
As we were getting
ready to go to Beijing,
00:08:55.46\00:08:58.13
where we would then go and
see the Great Wall of China.
00:08:58.17\00:09:01.10
We looked and we discovered
00:09:01.14\00:09:02.87
that the temperature would
drop to minus 15 in Beijing.
00:09:02.90\00:09:08.48
I was starting to feel
a little bit concerned.
00:09:08.51\00:09:10.35
I'm not very good with the cold,
00:09:10.38\00:09:12.48
but my friends assured me.
00:09:12.51\00:09:14.95
They said, look,
00:09:14.98\00:09:16.32
once the
temperature drops below zero,
00:09:16.35\00:09:18.29
it's pretty much
all the same from there.
00:09:18.32\00:09:21.59
Well, that statement
soon proved to be very false.
00:09:21.62\00:09:27.06
And when we arrived in Beijing
00:09:27.10\00:09:29.66
and we were,
here we were standing
00:09:29.70\00:09:31.27
on the Great
Wall of China finally.
00:09:31.30\00:09:33.60
It should have been
an amazing experience
00:09:33.64\00:09:37.17
and yet I couldn't help,
00:09:37.21\00:09:39.67
but just feel
very sorry for myself,
00:09:39.71\00:09:41.84
because all I could think
about was how cold it was.
00:09:41.88\00:09:45.41
And you know, it's interesting,
00:09:45.45\00:09:46.78
the more I thought
about how cold it was,
00:09:46.82\00:09:48.42
the more I expressed
and said, oh, it's so cold.
00:09:48.45\00:09:51.92
The colder I felt.
00:09:51.95\00:09:54.42
Friends when the
cold winds of life,
00:09:54.46\00:09:56.66
blow through, how do we cope?
00:09:56.69\00:10:02.13
Where can we find
warmth in our hearts,
00:10:02.16\00:10:04.83
joy in our souls, and
peace in our minds amidst
00:10:04.87\00:10:09.37
the cold negativity
00:10:09.40\00:10:12.11
around which is so
prevalent in our world today?
00:10:12.14\00:10:15.78
With our Bible
study this morning,
00:10:15.81\00:10:17.15
looking at rejoicing in the Lord
00:10:17.18\00:10:18.58
is going to
highlight five points for us.
00:10:18.61\00:10:20.68
We're going to find out
where is our source of joy
00:10:20.72\00:10:23.59
to begin with.
00:10:23.62\00:10:24.95
We secondly going to look at
00:10:24.99\00:10:26.35
how our focus actually
00:10:26.39\00:10:27.72
influences and
determines our feelings.
00:10:27.76\00:10:30.19
Thirdly, we're going to look
at the importance of remembering
00:10:30.23\00:10:32.56
how God has worked in the past.
00:10:32.59\00:10:34.90
Fourth, we're going to look
at the fact that we can rejoice
00:10:34.93\00:10:39.67
when we trust
that I patiently trust
00:10:39.70\00:10:43.04
that God is working
things together for our good.
00:10:43.07\00:10:45.97
And finally, we look
at the eternal rewards
00:10:46.01\00:10:48.44
of praising God in
the midst of trial.
00:10:48.48\00:10:50.65
Take your Bible and
let's turn to the Book of John.
00:10:50.68\00:10:54.85
The Book of John Chapter 15,
00:10:54.88\00:10:57.79
and we're going
to look at verse 9.
00:10:57.82\00:11:01.12
This is on the
night of Jesus betrayal.
00:11:01.16\00:11:05.33
John 15:9.
00:11:05.36\00:11:09.26
And Jesus speaks these words
in the night of His betrayal.
00:11:09.30\00:11:14.37
To the disciples He says,
as the Father has loved Me,
00:11:14.40\00:11:18.21
I also have loved you.
00:11:18.24\00:11:23.95
Abide in My love.
00:11:23.98\00:11:25.61
On that very night, that
Judas is about to betray Jesus,
00:11:25.65\00:11:29.42
on the very night that Jesus
00:11:29.45\00:11:31.52
knows that His
disciples are about to fail him.
00:11:31.55\00:11:34.49
He knows that His disciples
are about to forsake Him.
00:11:34.52\00:11:38.09
He speaks to them of His love.
00:11:38.13\00:11:40.16
He says abide in My love.
00:11:40.20\00:11:43.47
And what is going to happen
when you abide in Jesus' love.
00:11:43.50\00:11:46.84
Let's notice verse
11, just two verses later.
00:11:46.87\00:11:50.51
"These things I have
spoken to you, Jesus says,
00:11:50.54\00:11:53.61
that My joy may remain in you
00:11:53.64\00:11:57.81
and that your joy may be full."
00:11:57.85\00:12:00.95
Wow.
00:12:00.98\00:12:02.32
Doesn't that sound awesome,
00:12:02.35\00:12:03.69
having the full joy
of Jesus in your heart?
00:12:03.72\00:12:06.55
Here is the source of
joy for the Christian,
00:12:06.59\00:12:08.72
it's found in Jesus.
00:12:08.76\00:12:10.83
When you abide in Jesus,
when you remain in His love
00:12:10.86\00:12:15.10
then, and when you dwell
in His presence, you have joy.
00:12:15.13\00:12:19.13
That's why the
Psalmist wrote in Psalm 16:11,
00:12:19.17\00:12:22.10
"In your presence
is fullness of joy."
00:12:22.14\00:12:26.74
Seeking joy and peace
outside of Jesus is like
00:12:26.78\00:12:29.41
seeking for a destination
that doesn't even exist.
00:12:29.44\00:12:33.75
Our world today seems
flooded in a sea of sadness.
00:12:33.78\00:12:36.28
Would you agree?
00:12:36.32\00:12:37.99
Millions upon millions of people
00:12:38.02\00:12:40.79
suffer from
depression and anxiety.
00:12:40.82\00:12:43.53
Others are weighed down by
very heavy burdens of grief.
00:12:43.56\00:12:48.73
Each of them long
to have peace of mind,
00:12:48.76\00:12:53.90
mindfulness,
00:12:53.94\00:12:55.60
which is the
practice of being present
00:12:55.64\00:12:59.11
is being increasingly
popular in our world today
00:12:59.14\00:13:02.91
as an approach to
alleviating stress.
00:13:02.94\00:13:06.11
However, for the Christian,
00:13:06.15\00:13:08.58
we know that
experiencing joy and contentment
00:13:08.62\00:13:13.02
goes beyond just
noticing what's around us
00:13:13.05\00:13:15.46
and what's within us.
00:13:15.49\00:13:16.83
We have to look
above us to Christ
00:13:16.86\00:13:19.06
to find true joy
and true happiness.
00:13:19.09\00:13:22.33
I'm reminded of the words
of Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon.
00:13:22.36\00:13:25.23
He said these
very fascinating words.
00:13:25.27\00:13:27.14
He said, "When
I looked at Jesus,
00:13:27.17\00:13:29.20
the dove of peace
flew into my heart.
00:13:29.24\00:13:32.47
But when I looked at
the dove it flew away."
00:13:32.51\00:13:35.88
Many today want
peace without Christ.
00:13:35.91\00:13:40.85
Have you ever tried that?
00:13:40.88\00:13:42.65
Have you ever tried
00:13:42.68\00:13:44.02
to find peace in
something else other than,
00:13:44.05\00:13:46.05
I'm just glad that
some of us are honest.
00:13:46.09\00:13:48.02
We've tried to find
peace in other things,
00:13:48.06\00:13:51.49
but we find
ourselves still lacking.
00:13:51.53\00:13:54.53
There are so many ways
00:13:54.56\00:13:56.36
that we may try to
obtain peace and fulfillment
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.53
and joy in our lives, but
they're all dead end roads.
00:13:59.57\00:14:02.80
True peace, true contentment,
00:14:02.84\00:14:05.61
true fulfillment is
found in Jesus Christ.
00:14:05.64\00:14:08.31
So what's happening in
your life at the moment?
00:14:08.34\00:14:11.18
Are you facing
financial hardship?
00:14:11.21\00:14:13.92
Are you facing
troubles in your family?
00:14:13.95\00:14:17.29
Do you feel lonely
00:14:17.32\00:14:18.82
with all this
COVID-19 that's happening?
00:14:18.85\00:14:22.29
What about stress?
00:14:22.32\00:14:25.06
What are your
stress levels like?
00:14:25.09\00:14:27.06
Are you feeling
burnt out and overwhelmed?
00:14:27.10\00:14:30.63
Well, there are so many
things in life that can threaten
00:14:30.67\00:14:33.64
to take away our
joy and our peace.
00:14:33.67\00:14:36.97
And when you face these
trials, what do you do to cope?
00:14:37.01\00:14:41.91
Well, the Australian
Psychological Association
00:14:41.94\00:14:44.38
in their stress
and wellbeing report
00:14:44.41\00:14:46.98
showed that the
vast majority of us,
00:14:47.02\00:14:49.78
actually, 85% of Australians,
00:14:49.82\00:14:52.25
what do we do
with stress to cope?
00:14:52.29\00:14:54.39
We actually go to the TV.
00:14:54.42\00:14:56.49
We go to some form of
entertainment or media
00:14:56.52\00:15:00.60
in order to cope.
00:15:00.63\00:15:02.06
And yet with all the media
that we have at our fingertips,
00:15:02.10\00:15:07.40
our stress levels
continue to climb.
00:15:07.44\00:15:10.04
Could it be that all
of these things around us
00:15:10.07\00:15:14.21
are actually distracting
us and diverting our attention
00:15:14.24\00:15:17.81
from the one who can in
indeed revive true peace,
00:15:17.85\00:15:21.95
deep within our hearts?
00:15:21.98\00:15:24.52
And so Jesus is
our source of peace.
00:15:24.55\00:15:29.02
There are times in life
00:15:29.06\00:15:30.43
when our
circumstances will appear bleak.
00:15:30.46\00:15:33.43
And Jesus doesn't paint an
unrealistic picture for us.
00:15:33.46\00:15:37.90
In John 16:33,
00:15:37.93\00:15:41.80
the final verse
in John Chapter 16,
00:15:41.84\00:15:43.67
Jesus says these words.
00:15:43.71\00:15:45.04
He says, "These things,
00:15:45.07\00:15:46.41
I have spoken
to you that in Me,"
00:15:46.44\00:15:47.94
there it is again, "in
Me, you may have peace."
00:15:47.98\00:15:52.05
In the world you'll have what?
00:15:52.08\00:15:54.05
"You'll have tribulation,
but be of good cheer
00:15:54.08\00:15:56.85
because I have
overcome the world."
00:15:56.89\00:16:00.26
Jesus tells us.
00:16:00.29\00:16:01.96
Jesus states very plainly
that we will face trouble
00:16:01.99\00:16:05.26
in this world.
00:16:05.29\00:16:07.76
But if you believe in Christ,
00:16:07.80\00:16:09.73
even though you endure trouble,
00:16:09.76\00:16:14.97
you can still rejoice
and have peace in Jesus.
00:16:15.00\00:16:17.44
We're prone to discouragement.
00:16:17.47\00:16:20.18
You know, one of the
stories that stands out to me
00:16:20.21\00:16:23.11
is that of John the Baptist,
00:16:23.14\00:16:24.88
the elder cousin of Jesus,
00:16:24.91\00:16:26.72
this mighty man of faith,
00:16:26.75\00:16:29.32
a prophetic voice that
heralded the way for Jesus.
00:16:29.35\00:16:34.16
This man whom Jesus said
00:16:34.19\00:16:36.12
was the
greatest of all prophets.
00:16:36.16\00:16:39.49
This man even
experienced incredible moments
00:16:39.53\00:16:43.77
in his life of
doubt and discouragement.
00:16:43.80\00:16:46.30
In fact, he
even came to question
00:16:46.33\00:16:48.34
the very
identity of Jesus Himself.
00:16:48.37\00:16:51.04
Notice with me in
Matthew Chapter 11,
00:16:51.07\00:16:53.84
what the Bible
tells us in verse 2 and 3.
00:16:53.88\00:16:56.71
"And when John
had heard in prison
00:16:56.75\00:16:58.78
about the works of Christ,
00:16:58.81\00:17:00.42
he sent two of his
disciples and said to him,
00:17:00.45\00:17:04.19
'Are you the Coming One,
or do we look for another?'"
00:17:04.22\00:17:09.56
When we are in the midst
of doubt and discouragement,
00:17:09.59\00:17:12.99
one thing that I
noticed from John's experiences
00:17:13.03\00:17:15.06
that he asks a question,
he doesn't make a statement.
00:17:15.10\00:17:18.53
He asks a question, he
doesn't make a statement.
00:17:18.57\00:17:21.64
Because in that question,
00:17:21.67\00:17:23.00
there is still the
element of faith, isn't there?
00:17:23.04\00:17:24.37
Are you the Coming One?
00:17:24.41\00:17:25.74
I'm sure that you
were, but I just need some,
00:17:25.77\00:17:29.14
something to
strengthen my faith right now.
00:17:29.18\00:17:32.28
John did, his faith,
00:17:32.31\00:17:34.55
his joy revived as
the words and the story
00:17:34.58\00:17:39.19
and the works of Jesus
were reported back to him.
00:17:39.22\00:17:41.42
But I don't want to skip
over this story too quickly.
00:17:41.46\00:17:44.39
We need to see two
very important points
00:17:44.43\00:17:47.53
that emerge from John
the Baptist experience.
00:17:47.56\00:17:50.53
A man of courage,
a man of great faith
00:17:50.57\00:17:53.84
who experienced doubt and
discouragement in his life.
00:17:53.87\00:17:56.77
Firstly, if someone like John
00:17:56.81\00:18:00.54
the Baptist could
experience discouragement,
00:18:00.58\00:18:04.31
all of us can.
00:18:04.35\00:18:07.12
We're all prone to
discouragement and doubt,
00:18:07.15\00:18:10.55
and it shows us how much
we need Jesus, doesn't it?
00:18:10.59\00:18:14.16
We need Him so much to
strengthen us day by day
00:18:14.19\00:18:18.73
and to keep our
faith firm and strong.
00:18:18.76\00:18:21.76
Secondly, in the
book, Desire of Ages,
00:18:21.80\00:18:24.10
Ellen White makes
it very crystal clear
00:18:24.13\00:18:27.30
that those doubts in
the mind of John the Baptist
00:18:27.34\00:18:30.77
did not originate
in his own thinking.
00:18:30.81\00:18:33.61
It was in fact,
his own disciples
00:18:33.64\00:18:36.85
that actually
expressed those doubts to John.
00:18:36.88\00:18:40.05
Are you sure that
Jesus is the Messiah, John?
00:18:40.08\00:18:42.92
And those seeds of doubt
sown by his own disciples,
00:18:42.95\00:18:46.25
those who were
closest to him bore the fruit,
00:18:46.29\00:18:50.76
the bitter fruit
of discouragement
00:18:50.79\00:18:53.29
in John's life.
00:18:53.33\00:18:54.66
How careful we must be
00:18:54.70\00:18:57.07
to only speak words of
encouragement and faith,
00:18:57.10\00:19:01.07
even if we may recover
00:19:01.10\00:19:03.20
from the words of discouragement
00:19:03.24\00:19:05.14
that we may have
spoken someone else
00:19:05.17\00:19:06.81
who has heard those
words may not recover.
00:19:06.84\00:19:09.84
They may not recover.
00:19:09.88\00:19:11.25
Notice this incredible statement
00:19:11.28\00:19:14.18
found in this book
that's being promoted
00:19:14.22\00:19:17.12
and that you
must absolutely read,
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.65
Steps to Christ.
00:19:19.69\00:19:21.02
We find this
statement in the final chapter.
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.12
"Make it a rule never
00:19:23.16\00:19:27.86
to utter one word of
doubt and discouragement."
00:19:27.90\00:19:30.97
Wow. How about that?
00:19:31.00\00:19:33.10
"You can do much to
brighten the lives of others
00:19:33.13\00:19:36.04
and strengthen their
efforts by words of hope
00:19:36.07\00:19:38.77
and holy cheer."
00:19:38.81\00:19:40.41
Even if you don't feel like it,
00:19:40.44\00:19:42.08
speak words of
hope and holy cheer.
00:19:42.11\00:19:44.48
And that leads us
to our second point,
00:19:44.51\00:19:45.91
that our focus
determines our feelings.
00:19:45.95\00:19:49.68
In this same book, Ellen White
in the final chapter describes
00:19:49.72\00:19:53.66
a very interesting experience.
00:19:53.69\00:19:55.46
She begins by
saying these words.
00:19:55.49\00:19:58.23
She says, "Many walking upon,
00:19:58.26\00:20:01.96
along the path of life, do this.
00:20:02.00\00:20:04.73
They dwell upon their mistakes
00:20:04.77\00:20:07.14
and failures
and disappointments,
00:20:07.17\00:20:09.74
and their hearts are filled
with grief and discouragement
00:20:09.77\00:20:12.97
because they're dwelling
upon those negative aspects."
00:20:13.01\00:20:15.91
She says that
many people do this.
00:20:15.94\00:20:17.88
And then she describes
an experience where a lady,
00:20:17.91\00:20:20.18
she was in Europe,
00:20:20.22\00:20:21.78
and a lady wrote to her seeking
some word of encouragement
00:20:21.82\00:20:24.72
from Ellen White.
00:20:24.75\00:20:26.49
That very night
00:20:26.52\00:20:27.86
after Ellen White
had read the letter.
00:20:27.89\00:20:29.22
She had an incredible dream.
00:20:29.26\00:20:31.33
In the dream she was
in a beautiful garden
00:20:31.36\00:20:34.60
and a guide was conducting her
through this beautiful garden.
00:20:34.63\00:20:37.90
She was amazed at
the beautiful flowers,
00:20:37.93\00:20:40.27
the colors and the
sweet smelling fragrances.
00:20:40.30\00:20:44.61
Then suddenly this other
lady who had written to her
00:20:44.64\00:20:48.11
also appeared in the dream.
00:20:48.14\00:20:50.75
But instead of noticing
all the beauty of the garden,
00:20:50.78\00:20:52.71
you can see where
this is going, can't you?
00:20:52.75\00:20:54.62
Instead of noticing all
the beauty of the garden,
00:20:54.65\00:20:56.45
she goes like, look at
these awful thorns and thistles.
00:20:56.48\00:21:00.92
Isn't it terrible that they're
ruining this beautiful garden?
00:21:00.96\00:21:05.73
The dream tells us a
very powerful lesson.
00:21:05.76\00:21:09.43
What we choose to focus
on is going to determine
00:21:09.46\00:21:13.44
our emotions, our
feelings, how we feel.
00:21:13.47\00:21:17.51
If we choose to focus
00:21:17.54\00:21:19.97
on the beauty that surrounds us,
00:21:20.01\00:21:21.34
our hearts will
be filled with joy.
00:21:21.38\00:21:22.71
But if we focus on the
negative aspects of life,
00:21:22.74\00:21:25.68
our hearts will be filled
with discouragement and grief.
00:21:25.71\00:21:28.78
The Apostle Paul
wrote these words
00:21:28.82\00:21:31.45
in Philippians Chapter 4.
00:21:31.49\00:21:33.02
These are incredible words
written by the Apostle Paul.
00:21:33.05\00:21:36.99
Philippians 4:6, "Be
anxious for," how much?
00:21:37.03\00:21:41.43
"For nothing, but in," how much?
00:21:41.46\00:21:44.43
"Everything by
prayer and supplication
00:21:44.47\00:21:48.44
with thanksgiving,
00:21:48.47\00:21:50.24
let your requests
be made known to God."
00:21:50.27\00:21:53.04
Rather than dwelling upon
the problems and the trials
00:21:53.07\00:21:57.75
and the discouragements
and the failures,
00:21:57.78\00:21:59.65
we had to take those
things to God in prayer.
00:21:59.68\00:22:03.28
We have to take those
things to God in prayer.
00:22:03.32\00:22:05.85
And when we take our
worries to God in prayer,
00:22:05.89\00:22:07.72
with thankful
hearts, what's the result?
00:22:07.76\00:22:10.49
Verse 7, and the peace of
God, isn't that what you want?
00:22:10.53\00:22:13.86
"The peace of
God is what I want,
00:22:13.90\00:22:15.53
which surpasses
all understanding
00:22:15.56\00:22:17.77
will guard your hearts and minds
00:22:17.80\00:22:19.33
through Christ Jesus.?
00:22:19.37\00:22:20.70
Amen.
00:22:20.74\00:22:22.07
Isn't this good news?
00:22:22.10\00:22:24.31
And so we take these
things to God in prayer,
00:22:24.34\00:22:28.21
but our prayer must
be more than requests.
00:22:28.24\00:22:31.25
It must also
include thanksgiving.
00:22:31.28\00:22:35.05
It must also
include thanksgiving
00:22:35.08\00:22:37.05
because it's, as we express
gratitude and thankfulness
00:22:37.09\00:22:39.85
for what God has
done in our lives,
00:22:39.89\00:22:41.36
then that actually more
than half solves the problem.
00:22:41.39\00:22:44.36
It actually more than
half solves the problem.
00:22:44.39\00:22:47.03
Being gracious and
thankful has incredible power
00:22:47.06\00:22:50.77
to increase our joy
and to decrease our sorrow
00:22:50.80\00:22:54.30
because it's putting our
focus in the right place.
00:22:54.34\00:22:57.41
You know, a study was conducted
where participants were asked
00:22:57.44\00:23:02.11
to write down three
things they were grateful
00:23:02.14\00:23:04.51
for every night
before they went to bed
00:23:04.55\00:23:06.95
and why they are
grateful for those things.
00:23:06.98\00:23:08.55
After just one week,
00:23:08.58\00:23:10.89
those participants experienced,
you know, they were happier.
00:23:10.92\00:23:16.62
They felt better.
00:23:16.66\00:23:19.13
They continued the
same practice for six months
00:23:19.16\00:23:22.43
and their levels of
happiness and joy continued
00:23:22.46\00:23:25.50
to grow exponentially.
00:23:25.53\00:23:28.44
This was not just some sort of,
00:23:28.47\00:23:29.80
you know, that
was a fun exercise,
00:23:29.84\00:23:32.21
but it kept
getting better the longer
00:23:32.24\00:23:35.11
that they
practiced being thankful.
00:23:35.14\00:23:36.85
Friends, if that can work
00:23:36.88\00:23:38.21
for a group of
randomly selected people,
00:23:38.25\00:23:41.38
how much more can it
work for you as a Christian?
00:23:41.42\00:23:45.65
You know,
there's no one on earth
00:23:45.69\00:23:47.32
who has more to be
thankful for than a Christian.
00:23:47.36\00:23:50.33
We can be thankful for
what Jesus has done for us.
00:23:50.36\00:23:54.46
When we look away from
ourselves and to Christ,
00:23:54.50\00:23:57.80
we find amazing strength,
00:23:57.83\00:24:00.50
but perhaps just maybe
00:24:00.54\00:24:03.24
we're like those
Israelites of old,
00:24:03.27\00:24:06.04
who in the days
of Ezra and Nehemiah,
00:24:06.07\00:24:09.11
they heard the law of God,
00:24:09.14\00:24:11.55
they'd been kept in
captivity for decades.
00:24:11.58\00:24:15.22
They'd seen God now working
powerfully in their midst.
00:24:15.25\00:24:19.02
They'd seen
Nehemiah lead the team
00:24:19.05\00:24:21.79
and the walls of the
city had been rebuilt,
00:24:21.82\00:24:25.56
and now thousands were returning
00:24:25.59\00:24:27.76
to the homeland to Jerusalem
00:24:27.80\00:24:29.73
and they were coming
together to praise God.
00:24:29.76\00:24:32.90
And to hear the
words of the Lord,
00:24:32.93\00:24:36.20
and yet in this day that should
have been a day of rejoicing.
00:24:36.24\00:24:40.61
It's very interesting,
00:24:40.64\00:24:41.98
as they hear the words
of God's law being read,
00:24:42.01\00:24:46.18
instead of
discerning in that amazing truth
00:24:46.21\00:24:49.68
and amazing, the
amazing goodness of God,
00:24:49.72\00:24:52.79
what they saw
00:24:52.82\00:24:54.16
was it more clearly
revealed their own defects,
00:24:54.19\00:24:57.36
it more clearly
revealed their own shortcomings.
00:24:57.39\00:24:59.59
And that's where their focus,
00:24:59.63\00:25:01.93
that's what they
began to focus on.
00:25:01.96\00:25:04.00
On a day of
rejoicing, they began to mourn.
00:25:04.03\00:25:07.04
And so what did Ezra
have to say to the people?
00:25:07.07\00:25:10.01
He said, do not
sorrow, Nehemiah 8:10.
00:25:10.04\00:25:13.71
He said, "Do not sorry
for the joy of the Lord
00:25:13.74\00:25:16.31
is your strength."
00:25:16.34\00:25:18.78
The joy of the
Lord is your strength.
00:25:18.81\00:25:21.38
Friends, listening
today, do not sorrow,
00:25:21.42\00:25:23.62
for the joy of the
Lord is your strength.
00:25:23.65\00:25:25.92
Though you may be
sinful, God's grace covers you.
00:25:25.95\00:25:29.92
The joy of the
Lord is your strength.
00:25:29.96\00:25:32.06
Though you may feel
weak, Jesus can strengthen you.
00:25:32.09\00:25:35.86
The joy of the
Lord is your strength.
00:25:35.90\00:25:37.23
Though you may feel alone,
00:25:37.27\00:25:39.23
do not fear for the joy
of the Lord is your strength.
00:25:39.27\00:25:42.50
He is with you to strengthen you
00:25:42.54\00:25:44.91
through whatever
trial you may face.
00:25:44.94\00:25:47.28
You know, when my
wife and I were preparing
00:25:47.31\00:25:48.78
to have our first child,
00:25:48.81\00:25:50.85
we've got two by the way.
00:25:50.88\00:25:52.58
Two and counting, we
went to the prenatal classes
00:25:52.61\00:25:57.05
at our local Kempsey hospital
00:25:57.09\00:26:00.86
and the midwife gave us
a very important insight.
00:26:00.89\00:26:05.13
She said that a
woman who is very anxious
00:26:05.16\00:26:08.16
and very stressed
and very fearful in labor
00:26:08.20\00:26:11.53
will actually
experience more pain
00:26:11.57\00:26:13.84
than if she is calm
and happy and at peace.
00:26:13.87\00:26:19.54
It's an incredible insight.
00:26:19.57\00:26:21.28
Though we may go through
immense sores and heartaches,
00:26:21.31\00:26:25.55
we can still be happy in Jesus.
00:26:25.58\00:26:28.05
And when we are,
it will help to soothe
00:26:28.08\00:26:30.39
the pain that we go through.
00:26:30.42\00:26:33.09
You know the promise
about praying with thanksgiving
00:26:33.12\00:26:35.59
and experiencing God's
peace is followed by this verse
00:26:35.62\00:26:39.19
back in Philippians Chapter
4, it's followed by this verse,
00:26:39.23\00:26:43.57
Philippians 4:8.
00:26:43.60\00:26:45.23
And I'm sure you know, it.
00:26:45.27\00:26:46.60
It says, "Finally, brethren,
whatever things are true,
00:26:46.63\00:26:50.04
whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just,
00:26:50.07\00:26:54.08
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
00:26:54.11\00:26:56.98
whatever things
are of good report.
00:26:57.01\00:26:58.35
If there is any
praiser, if there's any virtue,
00:26:58.38\00:27:01.98
if there is
anything praiseworthy,
00:27:02.02\00:27:03.69
meditate on these things,
00:27:03.72\00:27:07.46
make that your focus."
00:27:07.49\00:27:09.49
What we choose to
think about directly impacts
00:27:09.52\00:27:12.63
how we feel.
00:27:12.66\00:27:14.20
Dr. William James
regarded by some as the father
00:27:14.23\00:27:17.43
of American
psychology once said that
00:27:17.47\00:27:19.37
our greatest weapon
00:27:19.40\00:27:21.77
against stress is our ability
00:27:21.80\00:27:25.57
to choose one
thought over another.
00:27:25.61\00:27:28.78
The same principle applies
to all unwanted feelings.
00:27:28.81\00:27:32.41
Your greatest defense is
your ability through Christ
00:27:32.45\00:27:35.55
to shift your focus,
00:27:35.58\00:27:38.25
to choose to focus on
the things that are good,
00:27:38.29\00:27:42.92
that are true,
and that are found
00:27:42.96\00:27:45.36
in the Word of God.
00:27:45.39\00:27:47.03
The world around us is
absorbed in worldly pursuits,
00:27:47.06\00:27:51.40
in worldly thoughts.
00:27:51.43\00:27:53.97
And Jesus said this
in Matthew Chapter 6,
00:27:54.00\00:27:56.17
he told us this in Matthew 6:32.
00:27:56.20\00:27:59.97
He says, "But after
all these thingsā |"
00:28:00.01\00:28:02.74
What are all these things?
00:28:02.78\00:28:04.15
Things like food,
things like clothing,
00:28:04.18\00:28:06.68
material things, things
like houses and cars and money.
00:28:06.72\00:28:11.35
All of these possessions,
00:28:11.39\00:28:12.72
they absorb the
minds of secular people.
00:28:12.75\00:28:16.66
And that's where a lot of
grief and discouragement comes
00:28:16.69\00:28:20.36
from when we
focus on those things
00:28:20.40\00:28:22.16
that are so
temporary, and that can be
00:28:22.20\00:28:23.53
taken away from us so quickly.
00:28:23.57\00:28:26.00
But Jesus assures us.
00:28:26.03\00:28:28.34
He assures us that
your heavenly Father
00:28:28.37\00:28:31.47
knows that you
need all these things.
00:28:31.51\00:28:35.78
God is your Father.
00:28:35.81\00:28:37.25
He loves you as His child.
00:28:37.28\00:28:38.95
He's not going to
leave you without.
00:28:38.98\00:28:41.62
He is going to provide for you,
00:28:41.65\00:28:43.72
even in the face
of a time of trouble
00:28:43.75\00:28:46.69
in which every earthly
support will be cut off.
00:28:46.72\00:28:48.69
The Bible tells us your bread
and your water will be sure.
00:28:48.72\00:28:52.56
God is an amazing God.
00:28:52.59\00:28:54.50
He is our Father
00:28:54.53\00:28:55.86
and He will
provide for our needs.
00:28:55.90\00:28:57.60
And so Jesus points out
where our focus ought to be.
00:28:57.63\00:29:01.57
In verse 33 He says
this, "But seek first,
00:29:01.60\00:29:05.37
the kingdom of God
and His righteousness
00:29:05.41\00:29:08.04
and all these things
will be added to you."
00:29:08.08\00:29:10.35
One of my favorite promises
in all Scripture, by faith,
00:29:10.38\00:29:14.18
we had to seek
first, focus wholeheartedly
00:29:14.22\00:29:18.42
and invest ourselves entirely
in Christ and in His work.
00:29:18.45\00:29:24.13
Don't waste another moment,
letting your mind be absorbed
00:29:24.16\00:29:27.63
in the things of this world.
00:29:27.66\00:29:29.96
Jesus says, put Me first,
00:29:30.00\00:29:31.77
make Me the
unmatched priority of your life
00:29:31.80\00:29:35.57
and watch Me
bring joy to your heart
00:29:35.60\00:29:37.61
and to your soul.
00:29:37.64\00:29:38.97
Jesus promises that.
00:29:39.01\00:29:41.31
And so then it's essential
as we come to our third point.
00:29:41.34\00:29:45.58
To recognize the
importance of remembering
00:29:45.61\00:29:47.72
how God has
blessed us in the past,
00:29:47.75\00:29:51.22
how God has
blessed us in the past.
00:29:51.25\00:29:53.52
How have you seen
God working in your life?
00:29:53.56\00:29:56.59
How did you come to know Christ
00:29:56.62\00:29:58.23
and His love for you?
00:29:58.26\00:30:00.63
What have been some of
your mountaintop experiences?
00:30:00.66\00:30:04.17
You know when we
recount God's blessings
00:30:04.20\00:30:06.23
in our life and
praise Him for them,
00:30:06.27\00:30:09.44
our faith is strengthened
00:30:09.47\00:30:10.81
and so is the
faith of those around us.
00:30:10.84\00:30:12.91
What is the
Psalmist write in Psalms 77,
00:30:12.94\00:30:15.94
in Psalms 77:11,
a beautiful verse.
00:30:15.98\00:30:20.18
Psalms 77:11.
00:30:20.22\00:30:22.52
I'm just, let's just turn there.
00:30:22.55\00:30:24.85
The Psalmist writes,
00:30:24.89\00:30:26.22
"I will remember
the works of the Lord.
00:30:26.25\00:30:30.33
Surely I will
remember your wonders of old."
00:30:30.36\00:30:34.73
God calls us to remember
because we're prone to forget.
00:30:34.76\00:30:37.33
You know, the history
of the Israelite nation
00:30:40.90\00:30:43.30
is one of constant forgetfulness
00:30:43.34\00:30:44.91
of how God blessed
them in the past, is it not?
00:30:44.94\00:30:47.58
And failing to do so they
often repeated the same errors,
00:30:47.61\00:30:50.75
the same mistakes
of previous generations
00:30:50.78\00:30:53.62
that had gone before them.
00:30:53.65\00:30:55.48
One of the most
profound inspired quotations
00:30:55.52\00:30:57.79
reads like this.
00:30:57.82\00:30:59.15
We have nothing to
fear for the future,
00:30:59.19\00:31:02.66
except as we shall forget
the way the Lord has led us.
00:31:02.69\00:31:08.13
And so how crucial
it is for us to remember
00:31:08.16\00:31:10.80
what God has done in our lives.
00:31:10.83\00:31:13.64
Well, friends, it takes
time to pause and reflect
00:31:13.67\00:31:17.74
in order to remember
what God has done in the past.
00:31:17.77\00:31:19.87
If we're so busy that
00:31:19.91\00:31:21.38
we don't have time
to stop and reflect,
00:31:21.41\00:31:23.78
we won't remember,
but as God provided us
00:31:23.81\00:31:28.15
a sanctuary in time
for us to pause and reflect
00:31:28.18\00:31:31.05
and remember His blessings.
00:31:31.09\00:31:32.45
Absolutely, He has.
00:31:32.49\00:31:35.16
The fourth
commandment says these words.
00:31:35.19\00:31:37.33
Remember the Sabbath day.
00:31:37.36\00:31:38.99
Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy,
00:31:39.03\00:31:41.36
six days you shall
labor and do all your work.
00:31:41.40\00:31:43.77
But the seventh
day, the blessed day
00:31:43.80\00:31:46.27
is the Sabbath of
the Lord your God.
00:31:46.30\00:31:47.64
In it you shall do no work.
00:31:47.67\00:31:49.40
Take a full 24 hour break.
00:31:49.44\00:31:52.87
And remember what
God has done in your life
00:31:52.91\00:31:56.28
far from a
legalistic requirement,
00:31:56.31\00:31:57.88
the Sabbath calls us to
pause and remember Jesus.
00:31:57.91\00:32:01.28
Remember His works in creation
00:32:01.32\00:32:04.05
that you are not some accident
00:32:04.09\00:32:05.75
that you are molded and
shaped by God who loves you.
00:32:05.79\00:32:08.76
Remember His work in redemption.
00:32:08.79\00:32:10.99
Remember how His grace
has worked in your life.
00:32:11.03\00:32:14.26
How at times when
you've been so broken
00:32:14.30\00:32:16.53
and feeling so helplessly lost,
00:32:16.56\00:32:18.90
you've been reminded of God's
unconditional love for you.
00:32:18.93\00:32:21.94
Remember His
promise to come soon
00:32:21.97\00:32:25.07
and to take us
home, as you remember,
00:32:25.11\00:32:28.04
joy will fill your heart.
00:32:28.08\00:32:30.51
But, of course, it's not
enough to simply remember,
00:32:30.55\00:32:33.45
we must express our faith.
00:32:33.48\00:32:36.18
The Psalmist goes on to
say in verse 12, Psalm 77:12,
00:32:36.22\00:32:40.09
"I will also
meditate on all your work
00:32:40.12\00:32:42.66
and talk of your deeds."
00:32:42.69\00:32:45.43
Talk of your deeds.
00:32:45.46\00:32:46.80
We've got to put
expression to our faith.
00:32:46.83\00:32:49.63
When you remember
God's amazing blessings
00:32:49.66\00:32:52.17
in your life, tell others.
00:32:52.20\00:32:53.94
There's a
thousand ways to do this.
00:32:53.97\00:32:56.50
A mentor of mine, what
he does is every morning
00:32:56.54\00:32:59.34
he does a Facebook
post of what he read
00:32:59.37\00:33:02.71
in the Bible that morning.
00:33:02.74\00:33:04.11
Thousands of people
can access that post
00:33:04.15\00:33:07.12
and can see it
and be encouraged.
00:33:07.15\00:33:09.02
And I know it gives
him a faith lift as well.
00:33:09.05\00:33:13.76
Something I like
to do is write TP
00:33:13.79\00:33:17.99
next to certain Bible verses.
00:33:18.03\00:33:20.00
Just in the margin TP
00:33:20.03\00:33:23.10
and it simply
means tested and proven.
00:33:23.13\00:33:27.10
And what it means
is that that verse
00:33:27.14\00:33:28.90
was tested and
proven in my life.
00:33:28.94\00:33:30.44
I saw how God's Word
was fulfilled faithfully.
00:33:30.47\00:33:33.61
And I write the date and
I write a short description
00:33:33.64\00:33:36.71
of what was happening
in my life at that time.
00:33:36.75\00:33:38.71
So whenever I come across
that verse again in Scripture,
00:33:38.75\00:33:41.68
it takes me back to that
time when I remember God working
00:33:41.72\00:33:45.42
powerfully in my life.
00:33:45.45\00:33:47.02
And as you can imagine,
that gives me a significant
00:33:47.06\00:33:49.49
bout of joy.
00:33:49.52\00:33:52.26
Friends, let's come
to the fourth point.
00:33:52.29\00:33:54.66
Remembering that God
is working for our good.
00:33:54.70\00:33:58.53
Remembering that God
is working for our good.
00:33:58.57\00:34:01.04
God is so
compassionate, isn't He?
00:34:01.07\00:34:02.94
He's so loving.
00:34:02.97\00:34:04.31
He is so kind.
00:34:04.34\00:34:05.67
The Bible tells us
in Lamentations 3:33,
00:34:05.71\00:34:08.88
"For He does not
afflict willingly,"
00:34:08.91\00:34:12.11
that means it's
not from His heart.
00:34:12.15\00:34:13.48
It's not in His
heart to reflect,
00:34:13.52\00:34:15.38
"nor grieve the
children of men."
00:34:15.42\00:34:17.82
It is not in the heart
of the compassionate Savior
00:34:17.85\00:34:20.92
to inflict pain and
to grieve our souls.
00:34:20.96\00:34:25.13
And yet God is still
able to work through the pain,
00:34:25.16\00:34:29.56
to work things out for good,
00:34:29.60\00:34:31.83
even when we can't
see how that was possible.
00:34:31.87\00:34:36.14
Most often it
requires patient trust
00:34:36.17\00:34:39.24
on our part because
that good doesn't often,
00:34:39.27\00:34:44.08
it's not often
apparent to us straight away.
00:34:44.11\00:34:46.15
Usually we have to wait quite
a while in order to see it.
00:34:46.18\00:34:49.48
And I recently heard a story.
00:34:49.52\00:34:51.09
It was actually just last night.
00:34:51.12\00:34:52.62
I heard story of
a lady in Albania
00:34:52.65\00:34:56.22
who had come to know Christ.
00:34:56.26\00:34:58.09
There was a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:34:58.13\00:34:59.46
working there in Albania.
00:34:59.49\00:35:01.26
And he had shown this,
this lady the scriptures,
00:35:01.30\00:35:04.27
and she had
fallen in love with Jesus
00:35:04.30\00:35:06.10
and she wanted to get baptized.
00:35:06.13\00:35:07.97
But then communism
took a hold of Albania.
00:35:08.00\00:35:11.77
As the Soviet Union was growing
00:35:11.81\00:35:15.24
and it became impossible
for her to be baptized.
00:35:15.28\00:35:18.25
More than this,
her spiritual mental
00:35:18.28\00:35:20.02
was imprisoned
and he actually died.
00:35:20.05\00:35:22.12
And so here she
was, she felt alone.
00:35:22.15\00:35:25.22
She felt, no doubt
she would have felt
00:35:25.25\00:35:27.62
very discouraged by all of this,
00:35:27.66\00:35:29.96
but she held on to her faith
00:35:29.99\00:35:32.73
and you know what she did?
00:35:32.76\00:35:34.10
She actually took the Bible
00:35:34.13\00:35:35.46
and she read it
from cover to cover,
00:35:35.50\00:35:37.23
not something that
maybe everyone will do,
00:35:37.27\00:35:39.67
but she actually
did it every year.
00:35:39.70\00:35:42.20
Every single
year, she took the Bible
00:35:42.24\00:35:44.14
and read it from cover
to cover every single year.
00:35:44.17\00:35:47.14
She also tithed.
00:35:47.18\00:35:49.08
She tithed even though
she didn't have a place
00:35:49.11\00:35:50.98
to send her
tithes, she just kept it
00:35:51.01\00:35:53.25
in a safe place at her home.
00:35:53.28\00:35:55.82
Well, as you can imagine,
00:35:55.85\00:35:57.19
as her relatives who
didn't share her convictions
00:35:57.22\00:36:00.39
found out about this,
they started to ridicule her,
00:36:00.42\00:36:02.56
use the money
for something else.
00:36:02.59\00:36:04.79
You could get
this, you could get that.
00:36:04.83\00:36:07.86
And the years went by
and the decades went by
00:36:07.90\00:36:10.40
and she kept reading,
kept reading her Bible
00:36:10.43\00:36:12.33
and she kept
doing a faithful tithe.
00:36:12.37\00:36:14.50
And she kept
looking forward to the day
00:36:14.54\00:36:16.60
when she would finally
be able to get baptized.
00:36:16.64\00:36:20.98
And you know what?
00:36:21.01\00:36:22.34
She almost gave in.
00:36:22.38\00:36:23.71
She almost decided
to just use the tithe
00:36:23.75\00:36:27.15
to buy something else.
00:36:27.18\00:36:28.75
But she went and she prayed.
00:36:28.78\00:36:30.12
And then she came
back to her family members
00:36:30.15\00:36:31.99
who were putting
the pressure on her.
00:36:32.02\00:36:33.36
And she said, look, God
hasn't given me permission.
00:36:33.39\00:36:35.72
I'm sorry.
00:36:35.76\00:36:38.13
In the early 1990s,
00:36:38.16\00:36:40.80
when communism in Albania fell,
00:36:40.83\00:36:44.07
this lady was the
first to be baptized
00:36:44.10\00:36:46.37
as a Seventh-day Adventist
00:36:46.40\00:36:47.74
after the fall of
communism in Albania.
00:36:47.77\00:36:50.04
She had waited, get this,
00:36:50.07\00:36:52.54
50 years to be baptized.
00:36:52.57\00:36:56.44
She'd read the
Bible through 50 times
00:36:56.48\00:36:58.65
in those 50 years.
00:36:58.68\00:37:00.18
She had tithed
faithfully for 50 years
00:37:00.22\00:37:04.59
and this time of
great disappointment
00:37:04.62\00:37:08.42
as she had held on to faith,
00:37:08.46\00:37:09.79
it just made the
victory all the more sweet.
00:37:09.82\00:37:12.23
It just made the
victory all the more sweet
00:37:12.26\00:37:14.03
as she had held on to faith.
00:37:14.06\00:37:15.93
Others heard about
her story and they matched
00:37:15.96\00:37:18.93
the tithe that she had saved up.
00:37:18.97\00:37:20.77
And a huge sum of money was
able to be put towards the work
00:37:20.80\00:37:25.04
in Albania as many
others came to know Christ.
00:37:25.07\00:37:28.54
Yes, you know,
00:37:28.58\00:37:29.91
the Bible is
also full of stories
00:37:29.94\00:37:32.28
of God working
things out for good
00:37:32.31\00:37:34.42
when it seemed impossible.
00:37:34.45\00:37:35.88
It seemed impossible.
00:37:35.92\00:37:37.42
Think of the story of Job.
00:37:37.45\00:37:39.12
It didn't happen straight away,
00:37:39.15\00:37:41.19
but he patiently trusted
to the place where he said,
00:37:41.22\00:37:44.49
even though he slay
me, I'll still trust him.
00:37:44.53\00:37:47.66
Think of Daniel in Babylon,
00:37:47.70\00:37:49.76
a captive taken
away from his home land
00:37:49.80\00:37:52.60
and stripped of his parents,
of his place of worship.
00:37:52.63\00:37:57.57
And yet he trusted in the
Lord and God used him to reveal
00:37:57.61\00:38:00.74
some of the most mighty truths
00:38:00.78\00:38:02.64
that are
important for us in our day,
00:38:02.68\00:38:04.65
which we're living in today.
00:38:04.68\00:38:06.01
Think of Esther
00:38:06.05\00:38:07.38
and think particularly
the story of Joseph.
00:38:07.42\00:38:10.25
His brothers sold him
into slavery, and yet,
00:38:10.29\00:38:12.05
eventually it worked
out for good, didn't it?
00:38:12.09\00:38:14.56
Then Potiphar's
wife falsely accused him
00:38:14.59\00:38:16.59
and yet eventually
worked out for good.
00:38:16.62\00:38:19.19
Then he gets thrown into prison.
00:38:19.23\00:38:20.76
Things seem to be
getting worse, not better,
00:38:20.80\00:38:22.76
but eventually it
worked out for good.
00:38:22.80\00:38:26.74
And Joseph
certainly recognized this
00:38:26.77\00:38:29.24
as he came to the
end of his, as Jacob,
00:38:29.27\00:38:32.07
his father died at the
end of the Book of Genesis.,
00:38:32.11\00:38:36.04
His brothers were afraid of him
00:38:36.08\00:38:37.81
because of what
they had done to him.
00:38:37.85\00:38:39.21
They thought
Joseph's a powerful man,
00:38:39.25\00:38:40.72
he's going to
take revenge on us.
00:38:40.75\00:38:43.42
But Joseph speaks to
them these remarkable words
00:38:43.45\00:38:46.19
found in Genesis 50:20.
00:38:46.22\00:38:49.02
"But as for you,"
speaking to his brothers,
00:38:49.06\00:38:51.59
"you meant evil against me,
00:38:51.63\00:38:54.23
but God meant it for good,
00:38:54.26\00:38:57.63
in order to bring
it as it is this day
00:38:57.67\00:38:59.40
to save many people alive."
00:38:59.43\00:39:00.94
Joseph rose above the pitfall
of bitterness and revenge
00:39:00.97\00:39:04.67
that many fall into today.
00:39:04.71\00:39:09.58
In fact, he could not only,
00:39:09.61\00:39:11.68
he not only went and
didn't go into the pitfall.
00:39:11.71\00:39:13.88
He could
actually give glory to God
00:39:13.92\00:39:15.95
and love those who
had mistreated him.
00:39:15.98\00:39:19.45
Why?
00:39:19.49\00:39:20.82
Because he recognized
that God had been able to work
00:39:20.86\00:39:22.86
through that
situation for a good purpose.
00:39:22.89\00:39:25.56
There is a truly
powerful lesson right here
00:39:25.59\00:39:28.33
in Joseph's experience
that we cannot afford to miss.
00:39:28.36\00:39:32.70
Think about it,
00:39:32.73\00:39:34.07
whatever trials come our
way and by whomever they come.
00:39:34.10\00:39:39.04
If we see in that difficulty
00:39:39.07\00:39:41.01
an opportunity
to grow in Christ,
00:39:41.04\00:39:45.25
then it completely
changes the way that we respond.
00:39:45.28\00:39:48.38
In Christ's
Object Lessons, page 61,
00:39:48.42\00:39:51.65
we read this
remarkable statement.
00:39:51.69\00:39:55.79
Through conflict
this spiritual life
00:39:55.82\00:39:58.99
is strengthened.
00:39:59.03\00:40:00.70
Trials well born will develop
steadfastness of character
00:40:00.73\00:40:05.17
and precious spiritual graces.
00:40:05.20\00:40:09.37
Some say that the difference
between coal and diamond
00:40:09.40\00:40:11.64
is time and pressure,
00:40:11.67\00:40:13.01
but that's not always
true of people, is it?
00:40:13.04\00:40:15.34
Trials in and of themselves
don't make us a better people.
00:40:15.38\00:40:19.35
It's what we do
with them that matters.
00:40:19.38\00:40:21.35
Trials can make us bitter
or they can make us better.
00:40:21.38\00:40:25.12
But it depends
on how we respond.
00:40:25.15\00:40:27.36
If Joseph had
cherished vengeful,
00:40:27.39\00:40:29.39
bitter thoughts
towards his brothers,
00:40:29.42\00:40:31.49
for what they had done to him,
00:40:31.53\00:40:32.96
he would have
become spiritually dwarfed.
00:40:32.99\00:40:37.20
If he had allowed
the devil's doubts,
00:40:37.23\00:40:39.13
God's forgotten about you.
00:40:39.17\00:40:40.50
God doesn't love you
to dominate his thinking,
00:40:40.54\00:40:42.90
he would have
declined in spirituality.
00:40:42.94\00:40:47.28
If Joseph had vented his story
00:40:47.31\00:40:49.28
criticizing and
condemning his brothers
00:40:49.31\00:40:51.58
for their wrongs,
his character would have
00:40:51.61\00:40:53.28
become critical
and hostile itself.
00:40:53.31\00:40:55.98
Friends, you cannot have
the joy of Jesus in your heart
00:40:56.02\00:40:58.92
and the same time cherish
a critical bitter thoughts
00:40:58.95\00:41:01.89
for someone for
whom Christ died.
00:41:01.92\00:41:03.76
It's impossible.
00:41:03.79\00:41:05.53
You may not
condone their behavior,
00:41:05.56\00:41:07.00
but if you have
experienced the grace of Christ
00:41:07.03\00:41:08.90
in your own life, you
will not allow any place
00:41:08.93\00:41:11.93
for malice and
envy in your heart.
00:41:11.97\00:41:14.30
Can somebody say amen to that?
00:41:14.34\00:41:16.44
In fact, it is in these
very trials that we can come
00:41:16.47\00:41:19.14
to understand more
of the love of Christ.
00:41:19.17\00:41:21.54
You see, when I'm
struggling to forgive someone,
00:41:21.58\00:41:24.51
I look to Jesus and I see
that He freely forgives me
00:41:24.55\00:41:26.78
and I'm humbled.
00:41:26.82\00:41:28.35
You know, when I'm
struggling to be kind to someone
00:41:28.38\00:41:30.22
who's hurt me, I look to Jesus
00:41:30.25\00:41:32.09
and His loving-kindness to me
00:41:32.12\00:41:33.72
is so unconditional that
it just humbles me again.
00:41:33.76\00:41:37.46
And you know,
00:41:37.49\00:41:38.83
when the conflict reveals
more of my faults and defects,
00:41:38.86\00:41:42.10
and then I look
to Jesus, I just bow.
00:41:42.13\00:41:44.23
And I say, oh,
Lord, how great thou art
00:41:44.27\00:41:46.87
for loving a sinner like me.
00:41:46.90\00:41:49.54
Friends, it's so
important that we praise God,
00:41:49.57\00:41:51.87
even in an, especially
in the midst of trials,
00:41:51.91\00:41:55.54
because there's
an eternal reward.
00:41:55.58\00:41:57.28
And this might surprise you
as we come to the final point.
00:41:57.31\00:42:01.85
In one of my all-time
favorite stories of Scripture,
00:42:01.88\00:42:04.82
Paul and Silas go to Philippi,
00:42:04.85\00:42:07.32
they're preaching the gospel.
00:42:07.36\00:42:09.52
And after some initial success,
00:42:09.56\00:42:11.06
they then find
themselves in very deep water.
00:42:11.09\00:42:14.00
They're seized by an angry mob,
00:42:14.03\00:42:15.90
dragged through the marketplace,
00:42:15.93\00:42:18.13
falsely condemned
by the magistrates
00:42:18.17\00:42:20.90
and they're
beaten with a scourge
00:42:20.94\00:42:23.81
and then they're
thrown into the inner prison.
00:42:23.84\00:42:26.81
You know, the scourge
00:42:26.84\00:42:28.68
that they were beaten
with was a Roman scourge,
00:42:28.71\00:42:30.38
typically is made of
three level lashings.
00:42:30.41\00:42:33.15
But the Romans used
to insert bits of bone
00:42:33.18\00:42:35.48
and metal into that lashing
00:42:35.52\00:42:37.62
to inflict incredible suffering.
00:42:37.65\00:42:39.25
It would literally
rip open the backs,
00:42:39.29\00:42:41.99
the skin of the
person being beaten.
00:42:42.02\00:42:45.13
The Roman prisons
typically had an outer prison
00:42:45.16\00:42:47.73
and an inner prison.
00:42:47.76\00:42:49.10
The outer prison allowed
light and air to flow through.
00:42:49.13\00:42:54.40
However, the inner prison was
cold, dark, and like a dungeon,
00:42:54.44\00:42:58.17
virtually no
natural light penetrated
00:42:58.21\00:43:00.28
into those gloomy prison cells.
00:43:00.31\00:43:02.11
And so here's the picture.
00:43:02.14\00:43:04.05
Paul and Silas, they've been
dragged through the marketplace
00:43:04.08\00:43:07.85
falsely accused
beaten so that their backs
00:43:07.88\00:43:11.49
are literally just
ripped open and bleeding.
00:43:11.52\00:43:14.59
They're in the inner
prison where there is cold,
00:43:14.62\00:43:17.13
it is dark, it is gloomy.
00:43:17.16\00:43:20.50
Friends, after
going through all of that,
00:43:20.53\00:43:24.10
you wouldn't blame them
for feeling discouraged,
00:43:24.13\00:43:25.70
would you?
00:43:25.73\00:43:28.27
You wouldn't blame them
for expressing some concerns
00:43:28.30\00:43:33.24
and some doubts and
some discouragement.
00:43:33.27\00:43:35.84
Notice what the Bible tells
us that they do in Acts 16:25,
00:43:35.88\00:43:41.05
"But at midnight Paul
and Silas were doing" what?
00:43:41.08\00:43:44.89
"Praying and
singing hymns to God
00:43:44.92\00:43:49.22
and the prisoners
were listening to them."
00:43:49.26\00:43:51.59
That is incredible.
00:43:51.63\00:43:53.33
That is inspiring.
00:43:53.36\00:43:57.47
That is awesome.
00:43:57.50\00:43:58.83
And do you notice
00:43:58.87\00:44:00.20
what the final
part of that verse says.
00:44:00.24\00:44:01.57
The prisoners
were listening to them.
00:44:01.60\00:44:04.91
They were not used to hearing
00:44:04.94\00:44:06.44
this kind of
thing from that cell.
00:44:06.47\00:44:07.94
They were used to
hearing people shrieking
00:44:07.98\00:44:10.21
and swearing and cursing,
00:44:10.25\00:44:13.75
and yet we see here
00:44:13.78\00:44:15.92
that they are actually
singing hymns and praising
00:44:15.95\00:44:19.59
God and these prisoners
were listening to them.
00:44:19.62\00:44:21.56
And guess what?
So was the jailer.
00:44:21.59\00:44:24.33
And he drifts
off into this sleep.
00:44:24.36\00:44:26.66
And as the story goes on,
00:44:26.70\00:44:28.03
an earthquake
strikes the prison cell,
00:44:28.06\00:44:29.73
the doors fling open,
00:44:29.76\00:44:31.93
the jailer suddenly wakes up.
00:44:31.97\00:44:34.10
He sees the prison doors open.
00:44:34.14\00:44:35.60
He thinks all the
prisoners have escaped
00:44:35.64\00:44:39.64
and anticipating his
fate from his superiors,
00:44:39.67\00:44:43.65
he takes out his sword and
he is about to kill himself
00:44:43.68\00:44:46.61
when a kind but
urgent voice calls out to him
00:44:46.65\00:44:49.58
from the darkness.
00:44:49.62\00:44:50.95
Do yourself no
harm, for we're all here.
00:44:50.99\00:44:55.76
Trembling this
man calls for a light.
00:44:55.79\00:44:58.79
He wants to see
the faces of these men
00:44:58.83\00:45:01.66
who cold,
tortured and imprisoned
00:45:01.70\00:45:05.40
could still rejoice.
00:45:05.43\00:45:08.10
And when he comes before them
00:45:08.14\00:45:10.41
and he sees in
their faces a peace
00:45:10.44\00:45:12.17
and a joy that he's never known.
00:45:12.21\00:45:14.74
He asks them that question says,
00:45:14.78\00:45:16.34
what must I do to be saved?
00:45:16.38\00:45:20.25
Something different about you.
00:45:20.28\00:45:22.55
The way that you
went through that.
00:45:22.58\00:45:24.55
I want what you've got.
00:45:24.59\00:45:26.39
I want to know Jesus.
00:45:26.42\00:45:27.96
What greater joy could there be
00:45:27.99\00:45:30.43
than seeing a soul
come to know Christ.
00:45:30.46\00:45:33.86
Jesus tells us that
heaven erupts into joyful chorus
00:45:33.90\00:45:38.43
when one sinner
turns to know Jesus,
00:45:38.47\00:45:40.77
he tells us that.
00:45:40.80\00:45:42.14
There is joy and salvation.
00:45:42.17\00:45:44.21
Now here's a question for you.
00:45:44.24\00:45:46.24
What was it that
drew the jailer's,
00:45:46.27\00:45:48.64
that drew that
jailer to know Christ?
00:45:48.68\00:45:51.58
Was it Paul's
incredible preaching?
00:45:51.61\00:45:54.45
Was it his vast intellect
00:45:54.48\00:45:56.22
and knowledge of the scriptures?
00:45:56.25\00:45:58.45
Was it a miracle
that he had performed?
00:45:58.49\00:46:01.22
It was none of those things. No.
00:46:01.26\00:46:03.26
It was simply the fact that
he was willing to praise God
00:46:03.29\00:46:07.70
in the midst of his trial.
00:46:07.73\00:46:10.70
Friends, the greatest
witness that you and I can give
00:46:10.73\00:46:12.83
is to praise God in
the midst of our trials.
00:46:12.87\00:46:15.10
It's the greatest
witness that you and I can give.
00:46:15.14\00:46:18.71
We read this incredible
statement in the book,
00:46:18.74\00:46:21.64
actually, The Apostles
written by Ellen White.
00:46:21.68\00:46:23.51
She says that
Paul's, zeal and devotion,
00:46:23.55\00:46:27.12
and above all, his willingness
to suffer for Christ's sake,
00:46:27.15\00:46:31.42
exerted a deep and lasting
influence upon the converts.
00:46:31.45\00:46:34.92
Friends, it's not our zeal.
00:46:34.96\00:46:36.49
It's not our devotion.
00:46:36.52\00:46:37.86
It's not our knowledge
00:46:37.89\00:46:39.23
or our influence or our
talents or our education
00:46:39.26\00:46:41.93
that has the greatest impact
on reaching souls for Christ.
00:46:41.96\00:46:45.53
It's our willingness to
suffer for the cause of Christ.
00:46:45.57\00:46:48.94
It's our willingness
00:46:48.97\00:46:50.84
to praise God in
the midst of trials.
00:46:50.87\00:46:53.61
And so here's another thought.
00:46:53.64\00:46:55.74
The degree of suffering
you endure for Christ on earth
00:46:55.78\00:46:59.58
will be
proportional to the blessing
00:46:59.61\00:47:01.72
that you receive
with Christ in heaven.
00:47:01.75\00:47:04.85
And what is that
heavenly blessing?
00:47:04.89\00:47:07.66
That heavenly blessing,
00:47:07.69\00:47:09.26
the significant
part of that is that
00:47:09.29\00:47:11.39
there are people there
who have been won to Christ.
00:47:11.43\00:47:15.03
And they were won
to Christ significantly
00:47:15.06\00:47:18.60
because they
saw you praising God
00:47:18.63\00:47:21.00
in the midst of a trial.
00:47:21.04\00:47:22.64
They saw your faith
00:47:22.67\00:47:24.41
and they said I
want what you've got.
00:47:24.44\00:47:26.21
I can see that you've got
joy in the midst of this pain.
00:47:26.24\00:47:28.61
How do you do that?
00:47:28.64\00:47:30.45
I need Jesus too.
00:47:30.48\00:47:32.18
And so they're
drawn to know Jesus.
00:47:32.21\00:47:34.62
Notice these words
of Jesus from the Sermon
00:47:34.65\00:47:37.99
on the Mount in 5:11.
00:47:38.02\00:47:41.09
Matthew 5:11, Jesus says
00:47:41.12\00:47:43.36
"Blessed are
you, blessed are you
00:47:43.39\00:47:46.76
when they revile and persecute
you and say all kinds of evil
00:47:46.80\00:47:50.53
against you falsely
for My name's sake."
00:47:50.57\00:47:52.27
Jesus, what are You saying?
00:47:52.30\00:47:53.64
Blessed. Yes. Rejoice.
00:47:53.67\00:47:55.74
He says, and be
exceedingly glad,
00:47:55.77\00:47:57.77
for great is
your reward in heaven.
00:47:57.81\00:48:01.24
If you're faithful
through that trial,
00:48:01.28\00:48:03.21
it is going to
touch someone's life.
00:48:03.24\00:48:05.98
It's going to draw
them to know Jesus,
00:48:06.01\00:48:08.48
whatever trial
you're facing right now,
00:48:08.52\00:48:10.89
or that you will
face in the future.
00:48:10.92\00:48:12.92
Christ longs for each
of us to be encouraged
00:48:12.95\00:48:16.79
by the truth that your
suffering is not in vain.
00:48:16.83\00:48:19.89
Your heartache
is not without hope
00:48:19.93\00:48:23.13
through Jesus and with Jesus,
00:48:23.16\00:48:24.93
you can rejoice
through the trial encouraged
00:48:24.97\00:48:27.27
by the thought
that someone somewhere
00:48:27.30\00:48:29.14
is going to be drawn to
Jesus through all of this.
00:48:29.17\00:48:32.94
Friends, the greatest example
of this is Jesus Himself.
00:48:32.97\00:48:35.74
As He hung there on that cross,
00:48:35.78\00:48:38.78
as His heart was being crushed
00:48:38.81\00:48:40.95
under the weight of
the world's sin upon Him.
00:48:40.98\00:48:43.02
The Bible tells us
these amazing words,
00:48:43.05\00:48:45.62
recorded in Hebrews 12:2
00:48:45.65\00:48:48.39
says that "Jesus,
00:48:48.42\00:48:50.49
for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross."
00:48:50.53\00:48:55.30
That joy and that hope
00:48:55.33\00:48:58.13
that uplifting
thought that enabled Jesus
00:48:58.17\00:49:00.20
to suffer the
cruelty of the cross
00:49:00.24\00:49:02.84
was that one day you
and I could be saved.
00:49:02.87\00:49:05.31
That joy that
strengthened the heart of Jesus
00:49:05.34\00:49:08.64
in the midst of
the greatest trial
00:49:08.68\00:49:12.21
was that one day
that we would be with Him
00:49:12.25\00:49:14.42
safe and secure,
00:49:14.45\00:49:16.25
free from sorrow and
pain for all of eternity.
00:49:16.28\00:49:21.26
That joy that's so deeply
encouraged Christ on Calvary
00:49:21.29\00:49:25.76
was that although His
people would also go through
00:49:25.79\00:49:28.30
heartaches, troubles and trials,
00:49:28.33\00:49:30.77
that we could look to
Jesus and find faith and courage
00:49:30.80\00:49:35.57
and hope in
Jesus to not only cope,
00:49:35.60\00:49:39.61
but to actually
emerge through that trial
00:49:39.64\00:49:41.11
with our faith in Christ
stronger than ever before.
00:49:41.14\00:49:45.35
So let's highlight the
key points in this message.
00:49:45.38\00:49:47.28
Firstly, Jesus is
the source of our joy.
00:49:47.32\00:49:52.02
Any other attempt to
find joy that's out of Jesus
00:49:52.05\00:49:57.36
is a dead end road.
00:49:57.39\00:50:00.06
When we focus on that,
00:50:00.10\00:50:01.43
which is true and that is good,
00:50:01.46\00:50:03.37
it lifts our hearts.
00:50:03.40\00:50:05.03
And when we make
Jesus our primary focus,
00:50:05.07\00:50:08.77
He promises to bless us
00:50:08.80\00:50:11.17
and to provide all of our needs.
00:50:11.21\00:50:13.11
And that would
include joy in our hearts.
00:50:13.14\00:50:16.24
When we remember
God's blessings in the past,
00:50:16.28\00:50:19.28
and we remember those
mountaintop experiences,
00:50:19.31\00:50:22.12
it gives us
significant bout of joy to us,
00:50:22.15\00:50:24.79
especially when we're
facing difficult times.
00:50:24.82\00:50:28.19
Also, when we patiently endure,
00:50:28.22\00:50:30.83
we patiently trust and believe
00:50:30.86\00:50:34.33
that God is
actually working things out
00:50:34.36\00:50:35.93
for our ultimate good.
00:50:35.96\00:50:38.03
And finally, when we realize
00:50:38.07\00:50:40.30
that there is an
eternal reward for praising God
00:50:40.34\00:50:42.24
in the midst of
trials, the eternal reward
00:50:42.27\00:50:44.27
is that someone's going
to know Jesus through this.
00:50:44.31\00:50:46.84
Someone's hearts is going
to be touched through this.
00:50:46.88\00:50:50.65
And I just want to
highlight, again, this quote
00:50:50.68\00:50:53.62
from the book Steps to Christ,
this very challenging quote,
00:50:53.65\00:50:56.05
but very powerful
quote, which says what.
00:50:56.08\00:50:58.39
Make it a rule never to utter
00:50:58.42\00:51:02.82
one word of doubt
or discouragement.
00:51:02.86\00:51:05.73
Who's willing to give that a go?
00:51:05.76\00:51:07.76
You can do much to
brighten the lives of others
00:51:07.80\00:51:11.00
and strengthen
their efforts by words
00:51:11.03\00:51:12.67
of hope and holy cheer.
00:51:12.70\00:51:14.44
I urge you to do that, friends.
00:51:14.47\00:51:16.24
Ask Jesus to
enable you to do that.
00:51:16.27\00:51:21.18
And so I'd like to finish
this message with a story.
00:51:21.21\00:51:24.95
The story is told of a young man
00:51:24.98\00:51:26.48
who established a very
successful legal practice.
00:51:26.51\00:51:29.78
He was also a devout Christian.
00:51:29.82\00:51:31.82
He began to
invest in real estate.
00:51:31.85\00:51:33.66
He bought prime real estate
along a beautiful shoreline.
00:51:33.69\00:51:37.06
Things were looking so-so good
00:51:37.09\00:51:40.16
when tragedy struck
and his son, his boy
00:51:40.20\00:51:42.56
perished and died.
00:51:42.60\00:51:44.77
It wasn't long after
that this incredible fire
00:51:44.80\00:51:48.07
ripped through that
beautiful shoreline,
00:51:48.10\00:51:50.11
where he had just
invested all of this money
00:51:50.14\00:51:52.74
and his fortune
evaporated overnight.
00:51:52.77\00:51:57.35
But, friends, the
worst was yet to come.
00:51:57.38\00:52:00.22
He, him and his wife
and his four daughters,
00:52:00.25\00:52:03.85
they decided to travel overseas
to help a Christian effort,
00:52:03.89\00:52:07.26
a Christian mission,
00:52:07.29\00:52:08.62
which was taking place overseas.
00:52:08.66\00:52:10.83
His last minute
business developments
00:52:10.86\00:52:12.79
meant that he
couldn't travel with his wife
00:52:12.83\00:52:15.03
and four daughters.
00:52:15.06\00:52:16.40
So they went ahead of him.
00:52:16.43\00:52:17.77
He was going to
come a few days later.
00:52:17.80\00:52:21.20
And so his wife
and four daughters
00:52:21.24\00:52:22.57
boarded the ship
00:52:22.60\00:52:23.94
and they're
traveling over their way
00:52:23.97\00:52:25.64
overseas to help with
this Christian mission effort.
00:52:25.67\00:52:28.81
When a freak accident took place
00:52:28.84\00:52:31.45
and the ship struck another ship
00:52:31.48\00:52:34.35
and it sank in
just 12 minutes time.
00:52:34.38\00:52:40.02
Finally, when the survivors,
there was a few survivors,
00:52:40.06\00:52:43.32
when they made it overseas,
a message was sent back
00:52:43.36\00:52:47.60
to the father, to the husband.
00:52:47.63\00:52:49.73
This message from
his wife saved alone.
00:52:49.76\00:52:55.14
This heartbroken father
immediately left to join
00:52:55.17\00:52:58.01
his wife.
00:52:58.04\00:52:59.37
And it is said that as he
approached that area of ocean
00:52:59.41\00:53:02.64
where a ship sank and
his four daughters perished
00:53:02.68\00:53:06.05
that Horatio's
Spafford penned these words,
00:53:06.08\00:53:09.32
I'm sure you know them,
00:53:09.35\00:53:10.72
when peace like a
river attendeth my way.
00:53:10.75\00:53:14.26
When sorrows
like sea billows roll,
00:53:14.29\00:53:17.43
whatever my lot
thou has taught me to say
00:53:17.46\00:53:21.46
it is well, it is well
00:53:21.50\00:53:24.03
with my soul.
00:53:24.07\00:53:26.63
Friends, the only way
00:53:26.67\00:53:29.60
that we can say that
it is well with our soul
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is to have Jesus in our hearts.
00:53:34.01\00:53:36.85
Won't you reach
out to Him right now?
00:53:36.88\00:53:38.98
Let's pray as we
close this message.
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Our loving Father,
00:53:42.75\00:53:44.75
You were the one who
can fill our hearts with joy
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and with peace and with hope.
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Father, we thank You
00:53:51.29\00:53:53.36
for all that
You've done for our lives.
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Most of all, for what You
have done by sending Jesus.
00:53:54.83\00:53:59.03
We thank You for
His life and His love.
00:53:59.07\00:54:02.77
And so, Father,
it's our prayer today,
00:54:02.80\00:54:05.34
our sincere prayer that Jesus
00:54:05.37\00:54:07.38
would take full
hold of our hearts
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and full hold of our lives
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that we'll be safe
and secure in His love.
00:54:11.18\00:54:14.38
We pray all this in
Jesus' precious name.
00:54:14.42\00:54:17.49
Amen.
00:54:17.52\00:54:18.85