This message originally delivered on November 23, 1997 PM.
We are talking about sorrows and troubles and heartache and pain. And you know something friends, it is a great thing to look past your disappointments, your heart aches, your trouble and your pain and not blame back on when we start over. It's a great thing to look past disappointments, heartache, troubles and pain, not to blame shift not to despair, but to believe that God has a purpose in it. There really is a level of maturity that comes into your life. When you say even though your circumstances you don't like it, even though the situation you're in is bad. You didn't even know the days ahead look bleak. And even though everything around you is not what you like, it is wonderful to not have to just gripe like the people of the children of Israel did in the wilderness and aggrieved God's heart, but instead to say I believe everything that comes my way, comes by the sovereign hand of the Almighty. Now that is the place of freedom. Now listen to this. A newspaper recently carried a story about a clergyman who was not only liberal theologically but sociologically, as well. His sermons regularly carry the theme of the goodness of everyone. Only environments were evil, he sided against the police and often cried about their brutality. He supported laws that favor the rights of the criminal over the rights of the victim. He cast his lot often with the ACLU in their social action endeavors. A week before this clergyman was scheduled to speak to his church's senior citizens group, he was mugged by some hoodlums, who robbed him and beat him mercilessly. He was injured and shaken both emotionally and philosophically. He nearly canceled the engagement but then thought better of it and showed up in bandages in a sling. As he began his speech, he told how the mugging had caused him to rethink all of his social positions. He admitted that he had been shaken to the core to the group's surprise. He said that in spite of it, he decided that he would not let that violent episode change his views or his theology. He would go on preaching, as he always had. At that point, an old woman, a member of his congregation in the last row stood up and shouted, mug him again. You know what friends? I started pastoring right out of college as a 22 year old in rural Ohio. didn't sign you were there. Right after that, within one year, we started building the buildings, the church was growing, people were coming to Christ. And you know what God said in His sovereignty, concerning the life of Kim Kaufmann, he said, Maugham came to Indianapolis to start a church. We got things rolling in about two years into this church. There was a split, we had about 100 people, about 2025 people left and were very upset with me. You know what God said? margam. Just recently, through this seven week ordeal, or I've been out of the pulpit, gone, God has said mugham because it is through these muggings or through these trials or through these heartaches and difficulties that we really do begin to grow. In fact, I'm wondering if I'm wondering how many times I have to keep learning. Listen to this. Alexander soultion. Each and spoke of his time in prison, with all its pain as a gift. It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw, that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, not between political parties, either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. Bless you prison for having been in my life. Source nation agrees with the Apostle Paul that suffering is or can be a gift, not just for apostles, but for Christians. Wow. stop and consider that stuff and consider how much we need trials. If we really are serious, if you really say sincerely to God, Oh God, I want to be like your Son, Jesus Christ. I really want to be godly. I want my life to count. Then you just have to know this. X 1422. And you know that your great tribulation Shall we enter the kingdom of God? And know this second Timothy three. It says, All the live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. And there is a sense that words true piles are going to come from the loving hand of the Father and there are going to be heartbreaking times and they are going to come to help us. I wonder really Are we better off than the poorest country in Africa? Listen to what Johnny Erickson Tata says, and stop and think about who's better off really, materially. We're better off with spiritually who's better off listen out of she's talking about going over there to Africa to give wheelchairs and bibles to people, and she's described she's in the middle of describing the scene and listen to what she says. Out of the Chateau Ali crawled to teenagers dragging their twisted legs. Polo survivors, I thought as they joined our group, we overtook a woman in a tribal dress inching along in her rickety wheelchair. An 80 year old man legless, and no more than three feet high hopped up on the curb and flashed a smile my way. I stopped, he waddled over and extended his stump of an arm to shake my hand. I leaned over to press my paralyse fingers against his stump, and we granted our odd handshake. We were pulled up by the singing and clapping on the street. As our group approached the orphaned and homeless party to welcome us under the glare of a neon light. We had arrived in the center of a sidewalk worship service. We Wesner set up right on benches facing the ragtag crowd. And now Christian brothers and sisters showed the pastor, let us give a warm welcome to our most gracious friends from America, who have traveled very far to bring us wheelchairs and Bibles. Cheers erupted, then a welcome song, the full rich Joan of African harmony twisted my heart and tears fell freely. As we listened to the disabled people applauded each other. upon each other's testimonies and the readings of Scripture, a half hour of constant praise passed easily, and then I was asked to speak. Thank you, friends, for welcoming us, I said as I wheeled into a clearing on my sidewalk. My ministry friend pushed a wheelchair gift alongside of me God is good someone shouted as the first child was placed into it. Another chair another disabled person, hands began clapping and rhythm as they flow of crutches and wheelchairs were passed from our group to there's more synchronized clapping loud and snappy. Omma This is another girl she's been describing, bobbed her head and time beaming a proud smile as she rubbed her stumps on the leather armrest of her new chair. The teenage boys with polio started to dance in the clearing. Look, I said to a team member, even the people who knew there aren't enough wheelchairs to go around. They are having for those that are getting one. The rising moon was lightening the eastern edge of the night as we ready to leave the slums. The Africans bid us farewell with one more song because he lives I can face tomorrow because he lives all fear is gone, because I know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives in the neon glare. I wondered as I squinted at their smiles. No, it was joy out of this world. It wasn't the neon glare. My pastor friend lit the way back to the van. As we jostled across the street, my thoughts were jumbled, so much gladness, in the midst of misery. Joy, like a fresh Daisy sprouting from manure. What happens to Emma when it rains, who takes care of her I ask. The glow of the flashlights gave a sheen to his smile, God takes care of her oppressive heat. People penniless a girl with no hands, no legs to walk, no bed, not even a fan living on concrete. It doesn't sound like God's doing a very good job. And I recall hearing someone a boy who lived in a box by the trash heap said, You Westerners are the ones we can understand. God has given you so much. You have been so blessed, but it seems that you're also unhappy. And then, Johnny adds this. We have our ranch style homes, unemployment insurance, three meals a day on the table, supermarket double coupons, if not food stamps. But isn't it odd how we still want more? If we're single, we want married. If we're married, we want the perfect spouse. If we have the perfect mate, we want the time to enjoy life. Other times we have too much skyhigh medical bills, 14 visits to Mayo Clinic and eight surgeries. A stroke renders our husbands speechless. Our chromosomes retard our grandchildren. The funeral was yesterday and we wonder how we'll face the future alone. We collapse under the burden baffled why the abundant life eludes us and lands in the lap of others. We want what we do not have we have what we do not want and we are unhappy but there is a happiness to the person Cindy can take Romans 828 and can say I truly believe the almighty Heavenly Father is going to conform me to the image of Christ by placing me in these difficulties. Even when my heart is breaking, even when the situation doesn't go my way. Even when there is disappointment, you've got to look past the person that hurt you. You've got to look past the boss, you've got to look past the circumstances, the person that cheated you, and you've got to look to God, and you've got to realize God allowed you to be insulted. God allowed you to be disappointed. God allowed your heart to break. God is sovereign. All things are working. And so what news did you get that made you cry? What news? Did you get that hurt you? What did the doctor say? You've got to look back and say, Wait a minute. It's not the people, it's God. And the Almighty is the one that allows these things into our life. And we consider 10 reasons why God allows problems and heartache and suffering to come into our life. Tonight, we're going to look just at this one. Well, actually, we're gonna look at one other one first. Okay, I won't review them. I want to look at one other one first, and I won't review them because I'll get too carried away doing that. I just want to do this. Look here. This one number 10. Trouble test you to see if your faith is genuine. Now friends, this is important. It's important for us to to see this and to get it and to grasp it. And boy, like to be able to grasp the right overhead here too, for a second, hang on. Okay, I think I know where it is. Now, but watch this point, troubled test you to see if your faith is genuine. And you stop and say, Well, wait a minute, why would God have to do that? But don't you remember with Israel? What about with Abraham, he's about to come down with the knife into his son's body someplace, you remember? And he says stop. Now I know. Remember what God said. Now I know. And so many trials come in our life to test to see if our faith is genuine. Say Kim, does the Bible teach that? Yes, it does. Look right here. And Peter says Therefore, now this isn't that's not the right one. Sorry. It's not the right verse. Let me let me just find it here. One second. Hang on. That's why we got to go to those clickers, guys, because I messed up so much down here. Okay, let me just find it real quickly. People we can sing a song or something why I'm doing this. Alright. Let's do this still is not what I wanted this fine. But God, oh, well, I'll show you this part, this will get as close. In First Peter, look what it says. In this you greatly rejoice, though. Now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief and all kinds of trials. And notice this purpose claws. These have come so that you see that so that here's the purpose. Now Peters describing fiery trials that these Christians that have been spread abroad, and watch these have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold. Way more important how much money you're gonna make way more important than what kind of car you're driving. God wants your faith tested. And liquid he says, Your faith of greater worth and gold which parishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine, and may result in praise glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. One of the reasons God sends difficulties and heartache and trouble in your life is to test your faith to see hey, I want to see how is my servant Kim? How is he doing? And when God sends these tests that ought to be the goal and the longing of the believers heart to say, oh, I want to show the Lord that I'm ready to live for Him and serve Him. I finally found the overhead I wanted. Look here. Look at this other verse. Do you remember this? This is the parable in Gospels, Matthew. And remember, the guide goes forth to so and watch this. But since he has no roots, this is the one guy that fell on the shallow ground to see to tell him the shallow ground. You remember that? Since he has no route, he lasts only a short time when trouble or persecution comes because of the word he quickly falls away. Now how many people do you know that for a few weeks, a few months or a few years, they were serious about the Lord and then they fell away? Why they got mad. They fell into some trouble. Some difficulty came. And what I want you to see is one of the reasons for trials is there's a testing there is the proving of our faith. That is the genuine believers are proved by trials. Because if you're not a genuine believer, what happens is this you fall away when trouble or persecution comes because of the word. But real believers they will go through the trouble they will go through the persecution. And so one of the reasons is to prove now I remember what Irwin Luther said years ago. He said Just remember, in the next life, you will not have the opportunity to prove loyalty to Jesus Rice. Because of the next life, there'll be no sin nature. There'll be no battle against the devil a battle against the world, there'll be no trouble. And so it's only now that we can show loyalty to Christ. And when you get out of bed in the morning, and you start thinking of your day, say, Oh, I'm not sure what's going to come my way. I don't know all that's gonna happen. But one thing is this, I want to show loyalty to Christ. Now, my wife had me read an article this week, it was very, very good. And in what she was saying, in which the article said that we see this, we see this kind of thing in the lives of missionaries, or maybe pastures, or maybe some people that sacrifice in some great way. And we say, well, I see these people suffering, grief and droughts, But all's I am as a housewife. But all's I am is just, I'm just a regular old worker someplace. I just have a normal job. You know, it's no big deal. But you know what this article says, no, no, no suffering for the cause of Christ is the housewife that goes through the difficulties of changing the diapers, doing the laundry, struggling with all the mundane things, getting the house ready for people to come over, and all those kinds of things, and they doesn't she does it for the glory of God. In other words, there is no difference. God and heaven is glorified. And your test is proved genuine. When you do whatever it is the most mundane thing it remember what turned Jesus on the widow that gave the two mites in in the mundane things of life, the angels blow their horns and heaven rejoices when our Faith says I'm living for Christ today. That's what I'm going to do. So that's the way you should go to work. Right now, what I really want to spend time on was this, this first point here, and that's what we'll go on and look at this. Sometimes the believer will be afflicted with problems as a means of loving chastisement. Get this everybody he cares more about your holiness than your happiness? And maybe you tell us, I'm losing my voice? Maybe you make us a little rich, and I'll slow down a little bit. Okay. Thanks. Hebrews 12, beginning with verse four, would you follow along as I read Hebrews four, and verse 12. Hebrews 12 And verse four, excuse me. Sorry. In your struggle against sin, and may I just add, you worn out Hebrew believers, who are so disappointed, who are so about ready to turn back to Judaism, all you people that are tired and weary, oh, you're people that say you can't take any more. Now listen to what this writer says in your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons, my son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. Because the Lord disciplines those he loves. And he punishes everyone he accepts as a son, endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as sons, for what son is not disciplined by his father. If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline, then you are illegitimate children, and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live? Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Friends, really, truly, I so badly want y'all to get this. Because I want to get it. And in first service this morning, I just tell you even thinking about this and going over it again, in my own preaching, and my own preaching helped me and inspired my faith. I hope that it will you because this is a principle that you really have got to get. Now listen, when you become a Christian, God becomes your father. And when God becomes your father, he's serious about it. He is much more serious about being your father than you are about being his child. And he is a perfect father. And so how should we respond knowing that when hard times come, they come from God? This is what this passage says they clearly come from God. Now, how are we to respond? Well, I I want to start by first off giving you a definition of discipline. You see, it says in this passage whom the Lord Chase Nith, or who the Lord disciplines, verse seven, you see that several times verse five, look, there you see the word found several times. Here's what discipline is. Discipline is when God our Father, does not shield us from the assault of the world, the flesh, the devil, or some burdensome and frustrating circumstance. But rather, he exposes us to these things, so as to overwhelm us with a true sense of our own inadequacy, which drives us to cling to him more closely. This is the ultimate reason why God purposely fills our lives with troubles, perplexities, failures, and sorrows of all kind. Did you hear that? I hope you got it, I should, I knew I should have put that on the overhead for you to see. It's when God does not shield you from the assault of the world, the flesh of the devil burdensome or frustrating circumstances, he in his fatherly wisdom, purposely says I'm going to allow Kim to get it for a while. I'm going to put him in some situations. Now I'm going to let him have it for a while not because he doesn't care. But because he's going to build into us and teach us more about holiness and godliness. Now, that being the discipline, that being the point, let's just start breaking this down. And I've I've, in my exposition to this text, the outline is a little bit different than than the natural reading of the text. Let me show you what I mean. First off, let's look at things. How are we supposed to respond? First off, you're not to make light of it. But please notice what it says in verse five. It says, and you have forgotten that word of encouragement. First off in your struggle against sin, you haven't resisted the point of shedding blood, they had been persecuted, there have been all kinds of problems, but they had not shed blood. They had not actually died, or they haven't had to go that far yet. And he reminds them they haven't gone as far as Jesus had gone, which he just talks about in verses one through three. But now watch this, and you have forgotten. Listen, everybody, you see that first part, and you have forgotten, you know, this is a very interesting in the Greek it means to be hidden or out of sight. And that is this you have purposely allowed the promises of God. You've purposely allowed the the truth of Scripture to be hidden from your sight. In other words, you have forgotten. One man said it like this. To to forget is a moral failure. And that's one of the reasons when rich leaves us I forget where I don't see where riches right now. But when we're rich leads us in the songs like he did today about thanksgiving and praise. We can never grow tired of that. Because the renewed heart and the heart full of faith is full of thanksgiving and praise to God. But here it is forgetting it. Notice one says the verse five you have forgotten, it means this you have let it slip, you've let the truth of the Bible it isn't that the way we do it. And we get discouraged. When we're all down and discouraged having a pity party, what is not before us the promises of God. What is before us our problems, how difficult our life is how bad we are. And so we have forgotten and notice this, this teaching is not to be forgotten. And you've forgotten to a word of encouragement, you have forgotten the promises of God. Now, first off, we'll notice now when God disciplines you, when he brings sorrow and trouble and heartache into your life, how are you to respond? First off, you're not to make light of it. Look at verse five. You are not to neglect it or despise it. You're not to think lightly of it. Could I say you're not to have this attitude que ser, rasa Ra, you're not to have that attitude. All right. And the Greek actually means this to refuse it or to consider it as a small matter. You see, we often do this. We forget God is sovereign over every situation with a purpose behind it, which is for your good and to forget this as a moral failure. To not have a good memory. That's why we take communion because the not have a good memory is a moral failure. Because in forgetting is getting in all kinds of trouble. In my recent reading of the Gospels again, it's Jesus is going like this. Ah, god, god. Well, where were you guys? Just the other day we fed 5000 people. Now what what is wrong with you? Don't you remember? That's how he talks to his disciples. I don't think I'm exaggerating. He's so frustrated with him. Come on, I just did this for you. And we can sit there and go Peter, you dummy and we can go to the Old Testament go Israel, you're so stupid. And then what do we do in our own lives? Well, I don't know about you but I do the same thing I forget. So we're not to make light of it. Don't count as a small thing. I don't know about you, but when when I got discipline as a young boy, I did. I'm sorry about this mom. But if my mom discipline me, I do. care, because it never really hurt. But if my dad discipline me, I never made light of it. Okay? I never made light of it. I can remember instantly always having to go use the bathroom first and being scared to death. Okay, well, one thing we're supposed to remember is don't make light of it because the Lord knows how to discipline us in a way to get our attention. So first off, don't make light of it. Secondly, don't lose heart. Now, here's what when God allows Listen, when he pulls back his sovereign hand and he allows sorrow or trouble or failure or heartache into your life. Don't lose heart. Look what the text says right there in verse five, you can't miss it. That is Don't faint. It means become despondent. It means become weary, get out or don't have a pity party. Oh, Kim Coughlin needs to hear this. There any other Kim Kaufman's here. When the discipline Hand of God when he takes me to the woodshed? My my response often is, you know, and I hate to say this to you guys, because I'm so weak in this area. But I say, Yeah, well, I'll just quit. I just won't be a pastor anymore. You know, or some stupid thing like that. We faint we've become despondent. That's what it means to lose heart. You we say things like this, it's more than I can bear. I just can't take it. God must not love me. He certainly doesn't hear my prayers. Now, when God disciplines you, and when he rebukes you and see the word there for rebuke, that means to correct with the sense of shame to find fault with and to admonish the false severely. When God does that, don't lose heart. Notice something else I'm skipping out through the text a little bit, watch this. Third, don't you are to endure. Look down to Verse seven, what it says, endure hardship as discipline. Take the hardship as discipline, you know what this word endure is Hupo. Mental? Anybody remember that? Hupo. Mental Hupo is by or under mental I remain. And here it is remain under God's bringing the discipline down. What do we want to do run over here, escape over there, go this way, go that way. God says stay there, endure it. You got the little child, you put them over the bed and you're gonna spank them on the bottom and the child gets up and runs. Don't do that. Stay there and just let it get over with your American. If you ever do that, I've done that my kids have done that. It's worse because you gotta go back through it again. Okay. I probably in our DNA is gonna get arrested for what I just said. But that's what we do. All right. Now, listen, relief from trouble is not the goal. You can't say I haven't got time for the pain. You can't say that. Listen, you've got to remain, you've got to stay there. Spurgeon said, you may readily judge whether you are a child of God or a hypocrite by seeing in what direction your soul turns in seasons of severe trial. The hypocrite flies to the world and finds a sort of comfort there. But the child of God runs to his father and expects consolation only from the Lord's hand. We are to endure. That's why, by the way, never, ever make an important decision when you're down and discouraged. Because we are to endure. You are to submit look at verse nine. Look what it says. Moreover, we all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits? Now, in verse seven endure is Hoopoe men no guess what? The word? Hoopoe tassel. You know what, that's the word for wives be submissive to your husbands Hupo taso. It's the word for a private to arrange himself under a sergeant in the Army. And the point here is this in the discipline hand of Gods be submissive, arrange yourself under purposely willfully submit to the Father's discipline. I still can remember in my thoughts of a child being six years old and and playing it at 47 Kimbo Lane over here on the north side of Indianapolis, and my mom would say to me and my brothers and sisters rolled married are gone and I was home and Kim, you are not to go to the trash and break the bottles. And I loved as a five and six year old to go break the bottles in the trash, take the bricks and smash them and one day I was out there breaking the bottles and my mom comes out of the house with a three foot long yardstick. Okay, and you know what I did? I ran I can still remember because there are trees I remember running between the trees and thinking you're thinking what am I doing? You know, now it's gonna pass for mom to dad. You know it. What am I doing? We are to submit. And can I tell you something friends stop and think about this. Here's the four things when guys go there. I'm sorry, there's one more look at this. And lastly, you are to be trained by it. And look at verse 11. And by the way, this is probably the most significant thing of all. Look what it says in verse 11. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Now, soon as the service was over today, someone came up to me with tears in their eyes, and they said, You know, I have been through so many trials, and I don't really know how much I've learned. I think I've run and didn't handle it biblically. And in a family discussion today, someone said to me, I think that I haven't handled my trials that way. I think I've, I've many, many times haven't passed the test. You know, that's a legitimate question. Verse 11, says this later on this discipline from God not know right? Now, listen, right now. It's painful. Right now it's painful. Now stop and think about this. We talked about it before, but you take the little boy, you bend them over the bed or the little girl, you take the paddle and you hit them on the rear end. And the Bible says that I mean, we all know that's painful, right? That's painful whack Ouch. cry tears. In the Bible says God sends wisdom to the head when we hit in the rear. Okay, this is what the book of Proverbs says. That's what it says discipline your child gotta get God sends wisdom. Now stop and think about his friends. There is no difference for us. When God the heavenly father takes you and puts you in the woodshed. What is supposed to happen as his disciplining had the rod of correction comes down, he has you found out you get exposed for what you are, whatever it is, the trial comes, the sorrow comes, the heartache comes as all you are to be trained by it. Now friends, I can tell you, it clear as a bell I have seen in my own family's life, people that have been disciplined by the Lord and seeing Christ formed in their character before my very eyes. I have seen people that I'm up close and personal with who are going through difficulties. And they've really been humbled. And they've since been sincerely disciplined by God. I've seen them respond in the right way. And I've seen Christ in their life. And it's so beautiful. But look what it says. It says here, it will produce later on not right now. But later on, it's going to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. In other words, one of the reasons why you keep going through trials again and again and again is possibly you're not passing. And sort of like Jeff Jethro Bodeen on Beverly Hillbillies who had to keep going through all those grades. There you are, all right. Because listen, we must be trained by it. You know, this is the word to exercise unencumbered exercise naked as they would in those days, the Olympic athletes trained with no clothes on so they have nothing encumbering them, and they can run as fast as they wanted. It means to exercise vigorously. Now, it's the very word where we get gymnasium where you go have a workout. And the text says you are to be trained by the disciplining Hand of God. Now, let me ask you a question. How are you doing? Are you being trained? You see, it's possible for God to discipline you and for you not to learn. I read many books or a couple of books on John Dillinger growing up, he was a guy that I thought was cool. And you know what? John Dill injure many times got disciplined by the Methodist church Sunday School in Mooresville, Indiana. And you didn't listen. And it's possible for the Heavenly Father to take you through some heartache and discipline and you come out bitter. Rather than come out godly. We can't be this way. We've got to let the hand of God humble us. And we need to train from be be trained by him. Okay, so I'll move on quickly. Because I'm I'm going to really long but I'll move on quickly. I almost feel like stopping. went on. Well, I won't. I'll just go really quickly. Here. Let me show you this. Now. You know what I am. I'm going to stop right there. I'm going to pick up maybe next Sunday night we're going to pick up right there. But I want to show you one thing is we do close. I want to show you this. And it would be good for us to think down these lines more than one Sunday anyway. Okay. Look here. One thing you've got to know. And we conclude is this. And I'm now jumping to a conclusion, suffering and glory. There is a direct parallel in Scripture suffering here means glory there. Please notice this next phrase, everybody. You can't begin to understand Dan's suffering when looking at only this side of eternity. Friends, the world were cursed God and say, How could a God of love allow these little children to suffer? I, my friend, Greg Neff is not here tonight. Is he? Here? I don't know where he is tonight. But he's at home. Okay. You know, Greg Nevitt. You all know Greg, Greg was the guy we talked about, he was the all County high school football player. And now he's in the wheelchair. He's the guy that says Amen. And if you were in second service today, I thought he was going to do that all three second servers, he was gonna keep his computer talking. I'm glad he slowed down. But he was right here. He got the computer talking And he slowed down. But you know what Greg told me, Greg writes me a letter. Just about every week I get a letter from Greg. And Greg really, has struggled. Just like if you read about Johnny Erickson, and the struggle she's had, Greg has struggled with this problem of being put in a wheelchair and pushed all around. And you know how he is. And I love that guy so much. But you know, it was, it was one time after a sermon like this, that Greg wrote me a letter. And he says, he actually said this, I got the letter on file, I saved it. And you got to see it in his way of writing it the best that he could, he said, Pastor, I am now glad I had this accident, I wouldn't change my life. Because if it hadn't been for this accent, I would not have come to Christ. And there really, we got you got to understand, and that's what the world doesn't, there is a life after this one. And it lasts forever. And that life lasts forever, forever and ever and ever. And this life is just 70 or 80 or 90 years. And then we stop and we pretend like this life is all there is. You've got to get out of that thinking. If you're going to think biblically about suffering. You've got to remember that the way you live now as a Christian will be rewarded in the next life. And notice verses like this. I consider that our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Wow. That's something like there's many more, let me show you. Bless there you and men hate you, and exclude you and insults you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, leave for joy. Because great as you reward in heaven. We think of the persecuted Christians right now on the other side of the world, and probably in our heart, we're going well, we'll pray for them. And we'll give if we have to, but boy, I'm glad we're not them. But you know, one day the first will be last and the last will be first. You know what's gonna happen one day, those people right now that are suffering in different parts of the world, they are going to be so greatly rewarded in the heavens is going to be unbelievable. We're going to envy them. Look what Paul says, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. If you find out what Paul's going through. They don't seem so light and, and temporary to me. Momentary notice that notice the words by the way, momentary versus eternal. This is a pastor, I've gone over and over with you, but watch. By faith Moses, when he had grown up to notice these volitional terms, he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time, he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ, as greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward Mizpah he's talking about the Judgment Day, he's talking about the day when we received gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble. And Pharaoh made these volitional choices now, because he wanted to reward on that day, you understood judgment. This is something I'm, I feel like a pastor, I failed you in this, because of my own secular thinking too much of the time. And that has to be reflected often in my preaching. But But can I tell you friends, this is the Bible is filled with this. People refuse, choose regard they are thinking about their decisions in this life are made because they think of the next life. And we need to be doing that when it comes to the suffering. In fact, let me show you one other. I think I've missed a couple pages here someplace but which of this one, it said, Women receive back they're dead raised the life again, others were tortured, and I've hit you with this many times. But I love this. They refused to be released. So that there's our purpose. They might gain a better resurrection. You're actually on the torture table. They will let you go no I want rewards so when our Heavenly Father disciplines us, you've at least learned tonight that things that you're not supposed to do. Next Sunday night, we'll pick up here and next Sunday morning we'll go back to one of the other 11 things and we'll pick up on that