Faith Finish Lesson 19 - start 20
Courtney Hemenway · Nov 15, 2015
Faith, No. 44
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492652106067

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Alright, we are going to finish with question, this is for the faith class. We will finish lesson 19. The final question, which was question 9, which says, How does 2 Corinthians 3.18 fit into this process? So I just wanted to go and remember what the process was. Okay, that's why I wanted to review this real quick. The process really dealt with Romans 5, 1 through 5. And I'll read that.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our inductions by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we exalt in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

So, what was the process? What process were we talking about? Tribulations, right? tribulations, and the process of why you have trials, why there is suffering. So, what do we say? God brings about or allows for us to go through trials. That's the process. He allows it. Just what we were talking about beforehand in the prayer. about how he allows these things.

You know, even the tragedies that we see in the world, we see, you know, things that we, and I fully understand, or tell this a lot of times, I don't understand the purposes. I understand the purpose, I don't understand a lot of times what's going on, but I rest in the fact that he's in control. When we see the things in France and those kind of things. I don't understand it, but I understand that he's in control.

And he's allowed that for his purposes. I think about that. There are 120 people who passed away. For the believers, that's their second best day of their life. So we think it's a tragedy. But if there were believers in there, they're home. They're face to face. What is that second best? First is when you come to know the Lord. The second best is when you go home to be with the Lord face to face. Otherwise, we're in the middle here. Oops, I do have a question. I thought we had a little agreement before class. You get one question before class.

I had a hard time accepting that God would allow wars and when Like back in the Old Testament, God didn't have the people go to somewhere that was uninhabited. He had them go to somewhere, you know, and have wars with people. And so I think of it as like, God knows who is going to believe and who isn't. So it's like, if He, God has wars, He knows those people aren't ever going to become believers, right? So it's kind of like, not to not sympathize, but it's like you're going to die an unbeliever whether it's Now or if it's 30 years from now? You're preaching the fairness doctrine. Oh. It's got to be fair, right? In your eyes, it's got to be fair. Well, okay. How about this?

Do you think God knows about all those people, all the things about them? Do you know all the purposes of it? In the midst of a war, how many people have come to know the Lord? How many people have been impacted by war or by a hurricane or by a fire or by any of those things?

That's what I'm saying. Even with this Paris thing, there were literally thousands of people impacted by that. That we have no clue who may have been, that was the thing that they realized, there is evil in the world. And now I have to find a savior.

I'm just thinking of the time when he said, don't let even one of these people live. Because it's like, get rid of every single one. And if you're going to not get rid of every single one, it's going to cause a problem. Who was it who was supposed to wipe it all out and he didn't? Right. And he's like saying, I did everything. Oh, I kept the best because I was going to give that to you. Right.

Because you hear the bleeding of the sheep or something. Who was that? Was it in the Old Testament? Yeah, it's Old Testament. Anyway, but that again, you know, because that's because in our, oh, well, I was going to save the best to give to you. No, I told you to get rid of everyone. Because I know. So, do you know better than God? No, of course not. See, and that's the point in all of this, that we may not understand all the things that he's doing. But he does. Right. And that's where our rest is. Right. And that was kind of my point. It sounded like some fairness.

Well, you know, I mean, that's what a lot of people have. You know, that's a lot of what unbelievers will say is that, well, how did God allow this to happen in Paris? How did he, if there's a God of love, how did he love? No, I'm just saying a lot of people don't understand that. I was going to say that in that big concert where there were a thousand people basically, they were at the Eagle Death Metal concert and it's all about anti-Christ, all this stuff, and all of a sudden they're getting mowed down.

Although, you know, that could go on the wrong track, because when that church in South Carolina, they got mowed down, you don't say, well, they're evil people. No, but the point being, they can be using the contrast and all that. That's part of that SME, and that's part of this through trials.

They didn't want revenge. I think God used it for His purposes. The world did not understand their response. There were journalists crying because of these people. They could not understand this. Is He using it for His purposes? Absolutely. So that's the process God brings about or allows for us to go through trials.

So now we'll look at 2 Corinthians 3.18. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." Okay, so the question asks, how does this fit into our process of going through trials? I guess Christ went through a lot of suffering before he died on the cross. What about us going through trials?

How does this verse 2 Corinthians 3.18 fit into this process of us going through trials.

Well, it's conforming us to the image of Christ. Christ suffered, and so suffering is part of the conforming process. You know this diagram that he put up here, but it's spiritual growth and glory to glory, being transformed. We are being transformed from one glory to another. We're being transformed into the very image of Christ. That's the process. It's spiritual growth. As you go through this, you grow.

As it says, with unveiled space, so evidently, being involved in the Bible, it takes the veil off our face. We have the Word of God. That's the mirror. That's what we see. That's what we see unveiled. We don't have anything blocking us, and the mirror is the Word.

And that's so we have this, and by doing that we're being transformed. And through the Holy Spirit is doing that process. So the trials are a method for that transformation from glory to glory. So it fits perfectly with that. A couple of things. I said, basically, when we come to know the Lord as newborn babes in Christ, we don't have a clue as to the glory of our Lord, who really is to, who he really is to and for us. Therefore, early on in our life in Christ, we don't have as many trials, and they generally are answered quickly. I think that's true. Early on, a lot of times the trials don't last as long. Lord, help! Okay. Here you go. And you're out.

As we grow in the Lord, the trials come and the answers are meant to grow us, or as the 2 Corinthians 3.18 verse states, transform us from glory to glory.

That means we may not be out of the trial immediately, or the answer we want is not as we ask. But the trials are meant to transform us into the image of Christ through faith in what Christ has stated and the Holy Spirit is convincing and convicting us of in the Lord. So, again, it's the process he's taking us through. As we're newborn, you know, we ask a lot of things and I think we get a lot of, you know, answers right away.

Get me out of this. Okay, you're out. As we grow, it's, you know, there's one of those verses I think in a song that like, sometimes he calms the storm, sometimes he calms me in the storm. And I really like that verse. It was the guy, you know, on the song. Because that's really true. You know, sometimes He takes us out, sometimes He calms us in the storm. And I think that's what this whole process is. In the storm, you have a peace, an understanding.

That's why I've kind of gone to those, you know, one of these verses we're going through in Romans 5, and also James, about consider it all joy, or exult in your tribulations. Is that insanity? I'll get to that in a later question. When we say that, can you say that in a crowd on 16th Street? And tell them, we rejoice in our trials. Yeah, you're going to the rubber room.

So, as we go through the trials, God is sharing and revealing His very glory of the Lord Jesus. So, if God's purpose in our trials is to share Christ's glory with us, how does that change how you go through trials? Can you rejoice and consider it all joy? Can you exult?

Well sure, because you know what the result is that you don't have to worry what the outcome is going to be because you already know it. If we grasp a hold of this, this is an amazing thing for you. It gives you peace. I haven't got a hint, but as I'm studying through this, I think, you know, walk in the flesh or walk in the spirit. As we walk in the spirit, what is the fruit of the spirit? Love, joy, peace, joy, suffering. So, if we're walking in the spirit, we believe by faith in what he's told us, will we have peace, joy, rest, self, all those things? Absolutely. And that's the thing, you know, that's how we can in a trial, if you understand he is going to bring us through trials, he knows about it, and he's allowing it to grow us.

You know, I was thinking about all the trials with what happened in Paris, and I was thinking how lucky those people were that here they are enjoying themselves in a game and everything with nothing to worry about, and then, Pam, they're dead. And they have not gotten through the trial. They're here one day being happy, and then they're gone. And at that point they're either saved or not.

So you better get ready. Just in case. Don't wait. You know, the thing I think we as believers don't understand is in some of these trials there are believers. And we think that's a tragedy. That is not. They're home. I know, I know. They are home face-to-face. And this is where, you know, when somebody passes away, it's really a test to us. Do we believe that? That they are home with the Lord face-to-face? If we do, that is a joyous day. I was thinking what a wonderful way to go. Having a good time. Having a good time in your home. You don't have to go through cancer. He may choose that for you and use that for his purposes.

I go back to Hal. Hal was such a great witness. He impacted so many people. And like I said, I go to that time where the psychologist who was there to comfort him came out in tears. She could not understand this man. How could you be rejoicing and be happy? And he was waiting to go home. And she's trying to comfort him and she's, hey, I'm going home. I'm happy. This is a great day. And she's going, huh? She could not fathom that. He even found humor when they did an operation on his private part and we had to visit him and he said, hello, now I'm talking.

I mean, that's it. But see, that is considered all joy. You exult in your tribulate because you know the end result. And that's all I'm saying. You know, when you go through a tragedy, it's not like you're doing, you know, you have to do cartwheels and stuff, but there's an underlying fruit of the Spirit, peace, joy, all those things. Patience. Patience. I'm in it, and it may take a year, it may take five years. Patience. I get along with what you're saying, and I'm always moved by what you say about our Abba Father. When you're going through some suffering, and He's not going to take it away, it's just so nice have that sweet, sweet fellowship with my own father.

Oh, I go through that all the time where if Paris happens, if that, and you can't understand that, oh, you know, what despair. But you have a father, do you go, who knows that? What peace, joy, and rest that you have knowing that? If you don't, how do you get through this world?

I really wonder. As, you know, I think we're going It's a wheel that's getting more out of round. You know? It just keeps getting crazier and crazier. What do you do as a non-believer? What do you cling to? I mean, there is no hope. Certainty. Our hope is certain.

I just, you know, I look at these things and I understand when I see what happens. I don't know all that his purpose, or his end game, I know it's to share His glory and all that, but I rest in the fact that He did it for His purposes. And it's a completely different way of looking at any event. And actually, we're going to get into that right now, some things that I really, as I was studying this. Let's go to Lesson 20. So, Lesson 20, Faith Class. Question 1. Why should we rejoice in tribulations? Three good reasons. I've given away numerous times already what we've just been talking about. Because we're being conformed now.

The first thing I want to go about is God allows it. God allows it. That's before, you know, in the process, the first thing is God allows it. You know that nothing comes into your life unless God allows it. He is sovereign and allows for that trial for His purposes. So, it's there for a purpose.

So... Go ahead. To grow through tribulations? Yeah. Let me stay on the sovereign part. Because as I was studying this, I suddenly thought, do we really understand appreciate or know what a sovereign God is. Do you understand? I mean... That's part of the growth. It is growth, but that's in the faith, by faith, understanding that. But, you know, I usually link my Colossians to the, in separated, can't be separated from his love, that he's sovereign. But as I got to think about it, do we really understand, you know, I flippantly maybe say that, the sovereign part, but 2 o'clock this afternoon, do you know what God's sovereignty means today?

What's going on? Do you understand? Yeah, He's in control. But do you understand that at 3 o'clock today, at 5 o'clock in the morning tomorrow, whatever, He's in control. Do you understand when you're going through your normal day, He's in control? We all do, I guess you don't. I'm just kidding, I'm kidding. No, no, I mean, I learned, but I just look for more things now as I go through my day, how he's in control.

Every breath you take. My prayers, lots of my prayers are, he gives me every heartbeat and every breath. That's to the level of sovereignty that he has. And so it changes your perspective when you walk through a day, knowing that whatever's going on, he's sovereign. He's in control. I mean, does that change how you walk through your day? Yeah.

I know this a little bit out of it, but it makes me think of my two eldest sons. One was always worried about stuff, youngest. And the eldest would go through everything smiling. I used to get so mad, he'd say, you happy boy Eric. I think you can frustrate people by being restful, peaceful in a trial.

But I think it's also a great witness to people. He's still the same today. Makes me mad sometimes. But I really want to just think about how you go through your day understanding that it's the Sovereign God. You know, when you see the news, when you see, when you travel, when you do, when you... He's still in control. All the things.

So when the guy cuts you off or, you know, whatever happens, you get bumped in... they messed up your reservation for getting on an airline. He locked your keys in your car yesterday. Locked your keys in your car. I mean, do you understand? At that point, he is sovereignly in control. So, I went, what are some verses that show God's sovereignty? All of them? Cheap. That's one. I'll get to that one.

Romans 8.28. How about, trust the Lord with all your heart and not on your own understanding? Well, that's you. What do you, I mean... That's like trusting God. Okay, but a verse that says he's sovereign. Oh, I... 8.28 is one I'll get to. 828 of what? Romans, 828. I'll go through some. I just wondered if you guys had any, because I started to think about it.

I was like, what verses? I talk about the sovereign God all the time, but what are some verses that actually tell me about that? I am would be a big one, right? I don't know which it is, but... No, I mean those are ones. Any others before I list off a few of them? Well, this one is personal, but greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

That's a good one. Yeah. And do you understand that? Yeah. I mean, so when the world throws crud in your face, who's the one who's stronger? It's so comforting to know that you're not alone. Yeah, he's there with you. It's what Debbie was saying. We have an intimate father. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace. When you don't understand, you can go to him and say, I don't understand. And he wants us to be in that position. And he's brought those circumstances, so you do do that. So I have a couple others. One, I can't believe you guys didn't say, because they always bring it up, Colossians 1. I'll begin with 15, I'll go through 15 through 20.

But He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authority. All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything.

For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him." Which is great. Some people say Christ didn't have full deity. Right here it says, that is, Father's good pleasure is for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. So again, He created all things, it's for Him, through Him, by Him, it's all. Then I have Psalm 135, 6. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all the deep. He does whatever he wants.

Job 42, 1 and 2. Then Job answered the Lord and said, and this is great, this is after the speeches that God tells Job, so you think you're pretty sharp cookie. Let's just discuss this a little bit. Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Do you believe that? Absolutely.

Luke 1.37 For nothing will be impossible with God. He was talking to Mary at that time. But for nothing will be impossible with God. Pretty all-encompassing.

Now, Romans 8.28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes. All things. All things. Trials, blessings, everything. God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. One of the last ones, 1 Timothy 6, and I'll go through 12-15 just because it's the beginning of it I like. In verse 12, fight the good fight of faith. So that's the basis, the underlying of all this.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the proper time.

He who is blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Sovereign. So, thinking about the verses, again, just puts it in perspective when we go through this thing, what you truly understand is a sovereign God. When everything is blowing up around you and you think nothing is in control, God is sovereign. That gives you the peace, joy, patience, everything, if you understand that, because you have the Spirit. The Holy Spirit who convinces and convicts you that He is in control.

The second point, he said the three reasons why we rejoice in tribulation, because we're appointed to trials. We have been appointed to trials. We represent him in our heavenly home in those trials. So if we go back to 1 Thessalonians 3, one through three. Therefore, when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother, and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions.

For you yourselves know that you have been destined for this." Yikes! We've been appointed for this. So, you know, when you become a believer, It's not going to be all roses and whipped cream. But we know why the trials come. To perfect us, to conform us. to transform us from one glory to the next.

Look what the disciples of Jesus had to go through at his death. I mean, they were just babes in Christ in a way, you know, and what they had to go through to stand. They were very strong. Well, look at what Paul went through. Oh my goodness. You know, he, and which one, Corinthians or whatever he lists out, all the things he went through, stoned, just the three days in the deep, shipwreck, this, that, blah, blah, blah, all the things.

I wonder if there are any other, because that was actually one of the things that kind of convinced me of Christ being for real, is because they could have like took off and went to Vegas after Christ died. So I was kind of wondering about what other leaders, if there were out there like a Gandhi and stuff like that of people, you know, well, like after the fact, like went through suffering because they believe that, I guess, like, um, I don't know Muslim religion that much, No, I think the thing is, I think what you're trying to get at is, I think all the apostles except John were martyred. Right. So, I mean, they died for their faith.

Right, that's a big thing. And think of the other one, which is Paul, which is the one that gives us, tells us who we are as the body of Christ. Look what he went through from stoning and wanting to rip every Christian out of the pile and kill them. to being blinded on the thing and suddenly in what, three years in the desert with the Lord? Boy, his world went upside down. And then to be stoned, shipwrecked, and he went on. He had the special time with the Lord to get all this to tell us who we are in Christ. And he went from stoning Christians to being stoned himself and trials, tribulations, everything.

I remember reading about in our recent World War II, I don't know if it was Japan or it must have been. Anyway, they had all these prisoners in a room and just little pads on the ceiling and floor. And they tried breaking this Christian. And they were not able to break him. And so finally, they shoved a leprous man in there. And all the other men crowded against the wall to get away. And he took him and laid him down on his pad and ministered to him. And they did not know what to do. They couldn't break this man. So they finally let him loose, let him go. You know, for us, like I said, you know, the testimony, they're trying to break us or whatever. Yeah. Take me home. Break me. I don't care. I'll go home. Hello?

That story of sometime in the war, they told them to dig their own graves. And they're singing. Yeah. And they couldn't figure out why were they singing. Peter and everybody singing in the jails. You know, like I said, when we saw the jail when we were in Israel, Jerusalem, you know, these aren't pleasant places. These do not have TVs, nice beds and a toilet.

Right. You know, these are down in a dank rock, carved out of rock. And I still remember that bench that where supposedly the Lord was held. Two leg holes. You sat on the bench and you put your legs through and they tied your legs off down. You can't move. And they know I would go crazy. I would want to go home to the Lord very quickly at that point.

One of the neat things about helping us to really believe all this is true. Like Paul teaches us so much important stuff. But he's in Ephesians that says that I didn't get any of this information from any man. No. All this grace and all this stuff we're taught, he got this one-on-one, here's the gospel. Yeah, God anointed him to be the one to give us everything about who we are in Christ, the body of Christ, the church. We wouldn't know that without him.

So, yeah. So, actually with that, and with the trials, you know, pointed to trials, but also as an ambassador, we're an ambassador through these trials. We represent our sovereign in the trial, and our sovereign is the Lord Jesus Christ. We represent not only our sovereign of our country, but we represent the country itself, where we come from. Where do we come from? Heaven.

Philippians 3.20, where are we? Where is our citizenship? in heaven.

Who do we represent? We're an ambassador here. We represent, and all we're supposed to do is share what, who our sovereign is, what he says. An ambassador only repeats what's supposed to be, I should say. We fail that in many ways now, but the structure you're supposed to represent and say only what your king, president, whatever of your country says is an ambassador. That's all you're supposed to say. We are to represent Christ here. Our country, our citizenship is in heaven. So we're ambassadors through these trials. And like we said, through a trial, Hal and others, we are an ambassador for Christ.

When you go through a trial and the world cannot understand you, they will be drawn to Christ through you in those trials. When you know me, Christ said, you know my Father. Yes, and that was another one I was going to use in the sovereign part, you know, is that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. So knowing Christ, we know the God who created everything.

We have two people who own their convent. I live in a small con, only 16, and there's eight upstairs. But anyway, one is now, he inherited a lot of money, he's traveling the world. and the other is a professor up in University of Northern Colorado and somehow they have ran it to Muslim families. Two bedrooms up there. We each were seven children.

And this morning, when they go by, when I see them, I said, this morning, I said, this is a beautiful day. I said, God bless you. And I said, God bless you. They just, they never say a word. They can't figure me out. Well, and that's, we're to be a light salt for them. We're to draw them, we're an ambassador to draw them to Christ.

Can I give you an example of this real quickly? When I was a Jehovah, I wasn't really a Jehovah's Witnesses, but they came to my brother and I's to my grandmother's house where we lived. They were teaching us everything wrong about God. And so I was going to a Bible study a few years later with my wife and there was this couple And most people would say, Joe, this is a real blah, blah, blah.

And I would try to talk to him and say, boy, Russ, you're really deep. Let's just keep talking about the Bible and maybe this will, I'm sure this will make more sense. And it was that spirit and that ambassador who really knew Jesus. You know, I think of those, but I also, God uses everything, all things. You know, I get on even, everybody goes crazy on it, but for some reason he allows it.

The guy, I haven't seen him, but I take him on TV, guy down by the Rockies, sits out and screams at people. Now, If God didn't want that, or did He allow that? And could there be some people who are impacted by that? Not my cup of tea, at all. But He's allowed it. Is God sovereign? Yeah.

You know, in my history, I had, before as a believer, I was on an airplane flight. And coming back, I was kind of bummed about stuff, and this guy got me. Buttonholed me for the two-hour flight. Told me everything about the Lord. Would not let me go. I wanted nothing of this. And I'm like, these people are crazy. I don't want anything to do with them.

And yet, years later, I talk about it, and he used that Not ultimately to get me to the Lord, but I think back to that. He started a process, even though it just irritated my socks off. You know, God allowed that. It was part of the process. So I never poo-poo anything because God somehow is allowing it.

And again, the thing I always say, you're pointing at that guy, Three fingers are pointing back at me. He's teaching me something. He's teaching me something. You know, you point. That's all I do. Three fingers pointing back at me. So I always think, you know, no matter what goes on, you know, he's using it for his purposes. He's in control. You know, as I've said many times with Mike, he brings up, I say the right thing at the wrong time or the wrong time at the right thing and whatever. Well, guess what? He's maybe working on you that day. Not that guy.

So that gets to that mindset that God is sovereign. God is in control and he uses all things. All things. Well, we'll get to the third reason next time. Alright, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you. Again, we just rest in the fact that you're sovereignly in control. And we rest if we have faith. We have peace if we have faith. We have joy if we have faith. We have all the things of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, when we have faith in believing in what you told us and what you say is true of us and just all the promises that you have for us. By faith, we rest.

We thank you for that. We thank you again. I say many times that you have not left us alone. You've given us the Holy Spirit and your Word. The Word tells us so we can know your Son. The Holy Spirit convinces us and convicts us of those truths. We thank you for that.

And we do just think of Paula and just her needs. We just rest in the fact that you're in control, and you are using those circumstances to your glory. So we just thank you, and again, we just Just rest in the fact that you're an intimate God, one who intimately is involved with each and every one of us. There's never a time where you say, oops. And we rest in that, and we thank you for that. And we thank you that we're not in control, but you are. And we just thank you for all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.