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You are listening to Key Life 
Fellowships Pulpit Ministry 

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podcast. 
We thank you for tuning in as we

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learn from God's Word together. 
For more information about Key 

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Life Fellowship, visit us on the
web at keylifefellow-ship.com. 

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Amen. 
I'm thankful for the reminder of

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the hope, the steadfast hope 
that we do have in Christ, that 

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sure. 
And that firm foundation. 

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How many of you are thankful for
Christ this morning? 

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And being that in our lives? 
You have your Bibles. 

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If you would go ahead and turn 
your attention to the 119th 

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Psalm where I'm sure you knew I 
was going to turn today. 

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And I do apologize ahead of time
that I'm not bringing you some 

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type of canned Father's Day 
sermon, but I would encourage 

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all of the fathers to pay 
attention to the message that 

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the Lord has for us today. 
And all of you men, be the men 

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of God that he has willed you to
be in Christ. 

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And so I pray that for each of 
you, I ask that you would 

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continue to pray that for me. 
But we will be continuing our 

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study entitled Living Life in 
the Light of God's Word. 

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And again, if you want a 
Father's Day message, Dad, live 

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your life in light of God's 
Word. 

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Let it truly be a lamp unto your
feet and a light unto your path 

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and everything that you do and 
everything that you say. 

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But today we're specifically 
going to look at Psalm 119 for 

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another reason. 
In our lesson this morning, 

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we'll be learning about one of 
the greatest teachers in our 

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Christian life. 
This teacher that we will be 

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discussing is like many of the 
coaches, many of the teachers 

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that I know in my life 
personally, I experienced and I 

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found this, that the really good
teachers, the really good 

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coaches, the really good 
professors, the really good 

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mentors, the ones who really 
made the biggest impact on my 

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life and, and, and who were used
by God to mold me and to craft 

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me into the man that I am today 
were not at the time usually my 

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favorite people. 
They were those who were the 

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most difficult on me. 
The lessons that they taught 

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were trying. 
The lessons that they taught 

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were at times hard and required 
a lot of self-discipline in 

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order to learn these lessons. 
It turned out later on that I 

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looked back and all of those 
teachers and mentors and 

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instructors, professors who were
hard on me at the time, I look 

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back and I say thank you God for
those people because in 

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difficult times I learned the 
most. 

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And we, we know that's true in 
life, right? 

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It is in those adverse moments 
that we really dig in and we 

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really focus on learning what is
being taught here by this 

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lesson. 
And today the psalmist is going 

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to teach us about one of these 
teachers that we find in our 

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Christian lives. 
That is professor Affliction. 

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Professor affliction, the fact 
that the greatest teacher, one 

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of the greatest teachers that 
God uses in our lives is 

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affliction. 
I know that everyone is excited 

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about learning about this, 
right? 

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Please teach us how affliction 
is good. 

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We're going to see that the 
psalmist gets that lesson, that 

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affliction is a great teacher. 
In fact, one of the most 

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important, one of the most 
impactful teachers of your 

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Christian life, and God has 
willed in his Providence that 

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affliction be just that, a 
professor in our lives, That 

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affliction be the thing that 
teaches us, that shapes us, that

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molds us into who he desires for
us to be. 

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In fact, when we see the word 
affliction, that word affliction

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in Scripture, when we see it 
here, that word means to be made

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low in the Hebrew, to be 
humbled. 

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And so we understand this, that 
affliction is what God uses to 

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cause us to be humble or to be 
made low, to be brought low. 

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And isn't that where we all need
to be as believers in that 

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position of low and humble? 
Why is it that God can be 

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exalted and anytime that we 
attempt to exalt ourselves, we 

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can know this, that affliction 
is headed our way. 

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God's desire is to make us and 
to keep us humble. 

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And lo, and he does this and 
always has done this in the 

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lives of His people through the 
great teacher of affliction. 

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In fact, in Isaiah, Isaiah says 
this in the 48th chapter, in the

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10th verse, as he is being 
prompted by the Spirit to speak 

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for God, He says, see, I have 
refined you, though not as 

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silver. 
I have tested you in the furnace

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of affliction, and it is in that
furnace of affliction when when 

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God allows the fire in our life 
to be turned up per SE, where we

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learn the most. 
In fact, Thomas Boston in in a 

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book entitled The Crook in the 
Lot, one of my favorite all time

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books because it deals with 
God's sovereignty in regard to 

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our affliction and how just as 
the apostle Paul faced 

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affliction. 
Remember Paul said I I've asked 

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three times that this thorn be 
removed from me, but he came to 

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the conclusion that it's God's 
will and that God's grace is 

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sufficient even though he has 
the thorn in his flesh. 

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Thomas Boston in his book The 
Crook in the Lot, says this. 

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Though the crook in the lot may 
seem harsh, he's talking about 

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affliction. 
That's what our crook is. 

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Whatever affliction is at that 
time in our life may maybe 

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that's pain, maybe that's 
disease, maybe that's suffering,

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maybe that's persecution, as we 
will see today. 

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But he says this about the 
crook. 

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Though the crook in the lot may 
seem harsh and painful, it is 

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ultimately for our. 
Good. 

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To refine us and conform us to 
the image of Christ. 

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And is that not God's will that 
we be conformed to the image of 

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Christ? 
In fact, we know what scripture 

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says. 
Those he foreknew he did also 

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predestined to conform to the 
image of Christ. 

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And if we are going to be 
conformed to the image of 

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Christ, we are going to be 
conformed through affliction. 

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Christ was not without 
affliction, and neither will we 

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who are being conformed to his 
image be without affliction. 

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So we need to pay attention to 
that as we read this text today 

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and as the psalmist gives us a 
lesson on this great professor, 

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that so many times we are taught
these lessons by this professor 

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over and over and over again, 
and we pay no attention to what 

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it is. 
That God is trying to teach us. 

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May that cease today, may today.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, 

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May today if you were going 
through a season of affliction, 

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may you examine your life and 
ask yourself this question. 

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What is God teaching me through 
this affliction? 

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And learn what the psalmist 
experienced here in Psalm 119, 

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verse 65. 
Read it with me. 

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It is under the heading TET, 
which is the next Hebrew letter 

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in the Hebrew alphabet that we 
come to, and it'll cover these 

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next 8 verses, just as we have 
seen throughout the entirety of 

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the 119th Psalm, he says. 
This in verse 65, Do good to 

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your servant according to your 
word. 

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O Lord, teach me knowledge and 
good judgment, for I believe in 

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your commands. 
Before I was afflicted I went 

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astray, but now I obey your 
word. 

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You are good, and what you do is
good. 

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Teach me your decrees. 
Though the arrogant have smeared

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me with lies, I keep your 
precepts with all my heart. 

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Their hearts are callous and 
unfeeling, but I delight in your

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law. 
It was good for me to be 

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afflicted so that I might learn 
your decrees. 

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The law from your mouth is more 
precious to me than thousands of

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pieces of silver. 
And gold, let's pray together. 

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Father, in the name of Jesus, we
come to you now thanking you for

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your Word, thanking You for the 
lessons that Your Word contains.

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Thank You that we can look at 
Your Word and we can know. 

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Just because we simply suffer 
affliction in this life, it is 

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for a purpose. 
And we need not be frustrated by

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that, Lord, that we would trust 
in Your Word all the more in our

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times and seasons of affliction.
Knowing that You have put this 

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teacher into our life, 'cause us
to focus or to refocus on You 

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and Your commands and Your Word.
To focus and refocus on Your 

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will for our lives and what it 
is that we are to be doing while

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we were. 
We are here as Your children. 

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And Lord, that we are to do 
these things not for our own 

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glory, but to bring You glory 
with our lives that You have 

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given us. 
God, I pray for the soul who's 

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here today who does not know 
Christ. 

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I pray that You would deal with 
them by Your mercy and by Your 

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grace this morning, and you 
would open their eyes to see the

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truth that they need a Savior, 
and that you would draw them out

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of the darkness of sin and draw 
them into the marvelous light of

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Jesus Christ. 
Lord, we depend upon you for 

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that, Lord, as we look at Your 
word. 

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He calls us to believe and to 
trust in it even more so than we

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ever have. 
And we find hope in our 

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affliction, and we find joy in 
our affliction. 

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Maybe rejoice in the fact that 
you have given us this Teacher 

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so that we can truly be 
conformed into the image of 

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Christ. 
We pray and we ask all these 

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things in your name, Lord Jesus,
Amen. 

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So we see the psalmist here 
obviously dealing with some type

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of affliction in his life, and 
we can come to a pretty quick 

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conclusion that he's dealing 
with affliction because he has 

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been dabbling in sin. 
Now we have to, before we get to

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the purpose of affliction, what 
God uses it as, we have to ask 

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ourselves a couple of questions.
Where does affliction come from?

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I want to make this very clear 
because people don't understand 

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this in today's modern church 
culture where where if anything 

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bad comes in your life, it 
obviously can't be from God. 

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It must be from somewhere else 
and that's the farthest thing 

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from the truth. 
I want us to understand that 

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though people teach false heresy
and false doctrine that says 

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these types of things that God 
is only going to bring or to 

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allow good things into your life
and bad things will never come 

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from God. 
That is not biblical. 

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That is man made, that is that 
is culture made. 

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That is American church ideology
at its best because we're going 

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to see that the psalmist 
understands this in the first 

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few verses that affliction is 
from God. 

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I want you to write that down. 
We we we first see affliction 

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from God here. 
Look in verse 65. 

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He says do good to your servant 
according to your word, O Lord, 

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teach me knowledge and good 
judgement, for I believe in your

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commands. 
And he says in verse 67, before 

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I was afflicted. 
I went astray. 

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But now I obey your word. 
You are good, and what you do is

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good. 
Teach me your decrees. 

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What we have here is the 
psalmist crying out to God, 

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asking for his mercy. 
Do good to me. 

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Give me mercy. 
Give mercy to Your servant 

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according to Your Word. 
Free me from this agony that I 

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have in the form of affliction. 
Teach me knowledge and good 

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judgment because I haven't used 
knowledge and good judgment. 

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I used bad knowledge and bad 
judgment because it came from 

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within me. 
I did not glean from Your wisdom

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in Your Word, He says. 
Teach me through your Word what 

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I am to do, because before I was
afflicted, I went astray. 

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I was doing whatever in the 
world that I wanted to do, he 

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said. 
But now I obey your word. 

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I want us to understand 
something here. 

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What's going on? 
The psalmist is seeing 

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affliction for what it could be,
and that could be discipline 

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from a holy God in the lives of 
his children. 

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What appropriate time on 
Father's Day to talk about how a

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loving Father will always 
discipline his children. 

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In fact, we know that Scripture 
teaches us that if we withhold 

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discipline from our children, we
hate them. 

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It also teaches us that if we 
spare the rod of discipline, 

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we'll spoil our child. 
We will literally ruin our 

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children. 
Look around you, American 

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church. 
There is a generation that is 

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ruined because of a lack of 
discipline from their fathers. 

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That being true and that being 
so, there is also a generation 

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of church people who have been 
ruined because they don't 

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understand that our Heavenly 
Father disciplines us with 

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affliction. 
Many of you have endured it for 

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years and you have neglected to 
see the lesson that is involved.

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And so you are continually going
to go through the same cycle. 

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You are truly in Christ and He 
is not going to let you live 

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like you were anything other 
than someone who is in Christ. 

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And he will bring affliction 
upon your life. 

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When will he do this? 
No one, Number one. 

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We see here the psalmist 
defining it for us when we 

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reject God's Word. 
Obviously here the psalmist 

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rejecting wisdom from God's 
Word, knowledge from God's Word,

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discernment from God's Word. 
What was he doing? 

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He was doing what we do so many 
times. 

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He was attempting to do life on 
his own, depending on his human 

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wisdom, depending on his human 
philosophy, depending on his 

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upbringing, the things that man 
has taught him, not depending 

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upon God wandering away from the
truth. 

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Jeremiah speaks of these type of
people in Jeremiah chapter 8 

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verse 9, he says the wise will 
be put to shame. 

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They will be dismayed and 
trapped since they have rejected

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the word of the Lord. 
What kind of wisdom do they have

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when we reject God's word? 
Please know this. 

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As children of God, if you were 
in Christ, when you reject His 

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00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:18,600
Word, you were rejecting all 
wisdom, all knowledge, and all 

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00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,240
discernment that you have from 
God. 

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He is not going to speak to you 
in some audible voice outside of

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Scripture. 
Stop listening for that. 

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00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,800
The author of Hebrew said in 
times past he spoke through the 

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prophets and he spoke in various
ways, but in these last days he 

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has spoken through His Son Logos
the Word, and we have His word 

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here at our disposal. 
The Psalm is understanding this.

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When I reject God's word, what I
am doing is I am inviting God's 

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discipline in the form of 
affliction into my life. 

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We. 
Have to be very careful when we 

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reject the truth of the Word of 
God, because rejecting the truth

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of the Word of God is what 
identifies A reprobate as a 

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reprobate and we. 
Sure, as professing believers 

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don't want to bear the 
characteristics of a reprobate, 

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you know a reprobate does. 
According to Romans chapter 1. 

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It's not that they don't know 
the truth, it's not that they 

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don't hear the truth. 
It's that they suppress the 

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truth. 
And that's exactly what Paul 

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says about the reprobate in 
Romans chapter 1. 

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That they because of their 
wickedness. 

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They suppress the truth because 
since what may be known Romans 

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00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:38,200
8/1/19 excuse me, about God is 
plain to them because God has 

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made it plain to them. 
For since the creation of the 

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world, God's invisible 
qualities, His eternal power and

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00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,440
divine nature have been clearly 
seen, being understood from what

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00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,080
has been made, so that men are 
without excuse. 

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For although they. 
For although they knew God, they

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neither glorified him as God nor
gave thanks to Him. 

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But their thinking became 
futile, and their foolish hearts

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were darkened. 
Although they claimed to be 

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wise, they became. 
Fools, just as those that 

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00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,200
Jeremiah spoke of a moment ago 
in Jeremiah chapter 8, trying to

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do it in their own wisdom and in
trying to do it in their own 

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wisdom and in their own 
reasoning, humanistic reasoning.

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What did they do? 
They rejected God's word. 

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00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,440
The sad thing is, is that many 
people who claim to know Christ 

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bear the characteristics of a 
reprobate. 

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00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,800
They bear the characteristics of
those in Jeremiah who are 

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00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,880
wandering away from the truth, 
trying to do it their own way, 

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00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,640
rejecting the wisdom that God 
has given them. 

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00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,000
And I would say this to you, 
examine your life. 

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00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,760
This may be an indicator that 
you really don't know Christ at 

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00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,560
all. 
But if you do know Christ. 

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00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,320
Know this, when you reject His 
Word, you, you know the truth of

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00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,480
the Word of God, and you and 
your mind say, I'm going to do 

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00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:50,400
it my way anyhow. 
You're inviting your Heavenly 

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00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,200
Father to discipline you and to 
bring affliction into your life.

286
00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:55,760
Why? 
Because He's not going to let a 

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00:16:55,760 --> 00:17:00,000
true child of God live that way.
He's not going to let a true 

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00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,760
child of God blatantly disregard
His Word. 

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00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,960
He will bring you Plumb line 
right back to where you need to 

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00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,680
be. 
And I don't know about all of 

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00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,720
you, but I'm so thankful for 
that because it is God's 

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00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,640
affliction, His discipline, that
is proven to me time and time 

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00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:21,200
again that I belong to Him. 
He is not going to let Kirk Hall

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00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,680
look like Kirk Hall any longer. 
He has already determined that 

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00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,600
Kirk Hall will be conformed to 
the image of Christ. 

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00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,360
And if Kirk Hall needs 
affliction in his life and 

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00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,920
suffering so that he will look 
more like Jesus, that is exactly

298
00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,040
what he is going to bring. 
Into my life. 

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00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,760
And it's it's exactly what he's 
going to bring into the lives of

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00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:41,560
all those who are truly in 
Christ. 

301
00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,720
We can't live a life that 
rejects God's Word while 

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00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:52,160
professing Christ and expect not
to receive God's discipline and 

303
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:56,640
his judgment in our lives. 
The psalmist here, knowing what 

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00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,480
it's like to rely on the 
natural, his own fleshly 

305
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:05,680
judgment, his own fleshly 
insight, and to miss out on 

306
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,760
wisdom and knowledge from God, 
is through the Holy Spirit 

307
00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,440
revealed in His Word. 
And so when we reject God's 

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00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,440
Word, we invite infliction into 
our lives. 

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00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,440
We invite this infliction 
because God is going to make 

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00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,920
sure that our focus is on Him, 
that we are living a life that 

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00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,160
brings Him glory. 
That's what we have been 

312
00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:30,080
purchased in Christ to do. 
This is the crushing that David 

313
00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,920
refers to in Psalm 51 where he 
says that my bones were crushed.

314
00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,440
Why were his bones crushed? 
Because he belonged to God. 

315
00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:37,800
He was a man after God's own 
heart. 

316
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,120
And he willfully rejected the 
word of God. 

317
00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:42,760
And in willfully rejecting the 
word of God, you say, well, how 

318
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,400
did he do that? 
He knew God's word said don't 

319
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,240
commit adultery. 
He knew God's word said don't 

320
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,360
covet your neighbor's wife. 
He knew God's word said don't 

321
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,800
murder. 
And he did all three of those 

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00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,480
things, blatantly rejecting the 
word of God. 

323
00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,640
And in doing so, God brought 
great affliction into his life. 

324
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,480
And God literally crushed him so
that he would be brought low. 

325
00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:09,360
Watch this for his own good. 
It's not like God is being mean 

326
00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:13,160
or awful or he likes to inflict 
pain in your life. 

327
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,520
That is not what scripture says 
at all. 

328
00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,280
God would that you walk the 
line. 

329
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,760
God would that you stay focused,
that you live according to His 

330
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,880
Word, and He would that to the 
degree that when you veer from 

331
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,640
that, if you belong to Him 
purchased by the precious blood 

332
00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,200
of His only begotten Son, He 
will not tolerate you leaving 

333
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,600
how you want to live and 
ignoring His word. 

334
00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,040
He'll bring you back. 
I'm so thankful that He. 

335
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:46,320
Always brings me back. 
Sometimes I come back with a 

336
00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:52,840
limp, like Jacob did. 
Sometimes I come back sore, 

337
00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:57,000
attempting to wrestle with God. 
He always wins, but He always 

338
00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,120
brings me back, and I'm thankful
for that. 

339
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,400
He will not let me continue to 
reject His Word because when I 

340
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,560
do, it causes affliction to come
into my life. 

341
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:11,600
What grace He shows us in 
bringing that affliction. 

342
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,800
What lessons? 
He does teach us so we see that 

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00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,000
affliction comes from God when 
we reject God's word, but also 

344
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,520
when we rebel against God. 
That's when we choose to waver 

345
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,880
in convictions due to our evil 
inclinations of our flesh. 

346
00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,480
We just say, you know what, I'm 
going to do what I want to do, 

347
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:33,520
and I really don't care what. 
Conscience said, I'm going to do

348
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,080
what my flesh wants, what I 
desire. 

349
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,520
Oh, the Lord speaks about his 
rebellious people in Jeremiah 

350
00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:41,640
1410. 
It says this. 

351
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,440
This is what the Lord says about
this. 

352
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,240
People talking about Israel 
rebelling against them, they 

353
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,920
greatly love to wonder. 
They do not restrain their feet,

354
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,120
so the Lord does not accept 
them, and He will now remember 

355
00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:55,480
their wickedness and punish them
for their sins. 

356
00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,040
That's for all the people who 
think that God's not going to 

357
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,440
punish you and afflict. 
Suffering in your life when you 

358
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,720
rebel against Him. 
If He did it to those in the Old

359
00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,040
Testament who belonged to him, 
the apple of His eye, He will do

360
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:12,000
that to His Church. 
In fact, judgment begins in the 

361
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,160
House of God. 
This is where it ought to 

362
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:15,840
happen. 
It ought to happen here. 

363
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,680
When we come back to conviction,
we come back to our senses. 

364
00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,760
We run to His throne of grace 
and our time of need, begging 

365
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,120
for His mercy, begging for His 
forgiveness, knowing full well 

366
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,240
that He will give it. 
As he has promised. 

367
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:32,760
The psalmist here making very 
clear that he had somehow 

368
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,680
rebelled against God, He'd 
somehow sinned. 

369
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,640
I don't know particularly what 
does the sin was in this 

370
00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:43,640
instant, but I know that it was 
some sin of some degree. 

371
00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,520
It was rebellion against God. 
And isn't that a description of 

372
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,600
all of our sin, rebellion 
against God? 

373
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,320
We as humans always want to put 
it in the categories big sin, 

374
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,240
little sin. 
If the Word of God forbids it, 

375
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,400
it's sin. 
It doesn't matter how big you 

376
00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:01,120
think it is or how small you 
think it is. 

377
00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:04,800
When you pick it up, you are 
actively choosing to rebel 

378
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,360
against God and against His 
Word. 

379
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,880
So the psalmist had done 
choosing to waver, choosing to 

380
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,760
rebel. 
But isn't this our natural 

381
00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:17,880
inclination, the inclination of 
our flesh? 

382
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,560
That's why we have to be aware 
of the constant war that is 

383
00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,120
being waged in our life. 
And I know what many of you 

384
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:27,440
would say, yeah, that's that war
of Satan attacking us. 

385
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:31,560
And yes, Satan does attack you. 
And I told the men on Thursday 

386
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:32,840
night, you know what Satan is 
not? 

387
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,880
He's not omnipresent. 
He can't attack all of us at 

388
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,800
once. 
But did you know this? 

389
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:40,480
Your fleshly desires can attack 
all of us at once. 

390
00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:43,560
I've seen churches destroyed 
because the whole congregation 

391
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,600
got in the flesh and chose sides
and fought over silly things. 

392
00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:49,840
And so we have to be aware of 
this, that there's a battle 

393
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:51,720
that's going on inside of us. 
Paul describes it. 

394
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,680
For us in Galatians chapter 5. 
He says in verse 17, he says for

395
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,200
the sinful nature desires what 
is contrary to the Spirit and 

396
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,080
the Spirit what is contrary to 
the sinful nature. 

397
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,680
They are in conflict with each 
other so that you do not do what

398
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:05,200
you want. 
And it's the same thing that he 

399
00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,640
echoes in Romans Chapter 7. 
The things that I want to do, I 

400
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,560
don't do things that I don't 
want to do, that's what I find 

401
00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,240
myself doing. 
So there's this constant battle 

402
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:16,200
between my, my, my sinful 
desires and the word of God and 

403
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,520
God's will for my life. 
We have to be aware of that. 

404
00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:19,880
Why? 
Because when we lose that 

405
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,720
battle, we invite affliction 
from God into our life. 

406
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:24,920
Why? 
God is always going to win in 

407
00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:26,440
the lives of his children for 
his glory. 

408
00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:31,600
He's always going to make sure 
that you were exactly where you 

409
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,880
need to be. 
The psalmist, you're saying I 

410
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:36,840
went astray. 
What was he saying? 

411
00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:40,040
I carelessly. 
Wandered away from the truth. 

412
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,360
I don't believe for one second 
that there's any Christian in 

413
00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:45,040
this room today who says I'm 
going to just wander away from 

414
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:46,720
the truth. 
And I've made-up my mind to do 

415
00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,800
that. 
You know, what happens is you 

416
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,640
become careless in your life and
before you know it, you 

417
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:53,760
carelessly wander away from the 
truth. 

418
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:58,080
You carelessly rebel against God
and your flesh craves that, and 

419
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,400
your flesh enjoys that, and you 
continue to feed your flesh. 

420
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:04,360
And here's the thing, if you 
believe the word of God, you 

421
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:07,840
know this. 
You're a new creation now, and 

422
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,000
God is not going to let you live
like you're still the old 

423
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,720
creation created in in sin. 
You are recreated in Christ and 

424
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,560
He's going to make sure through 
his discipline that you are 

425
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:23,560
acting like Christ, that you are
not continually wandering away 

426
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,480
from the truth and rebelling 
against God in your life. 

427
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:28,320
Now please know we're all prone 
to wonder. 

428
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,120
That's why this message is so 
applicable to all of us, because

429
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:35,480
we can all be at the door of 
God's hand of discipline on our 

430
00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:38,560
life right now. 
And we know this because Isaiah 

431
00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,120
53 tells us this in verse 6. 
We all, like sheep, have gone 

432
00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:43,880
astray. 
Isn't that true? 

433
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,240
We're prone to that. 
We're prone to going astray, 

434
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,000
especially when we're walking in
the flesh and not walking in the

435
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,720
Spirit. 
We have to give great care to 

436
00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,480
that. 
Stop carelessly wandering 

437
00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,040
through this life. 
And to take the Word of God and 

438
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,880
to walk according to what He has
commanded. 

439
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:08,000
God's not going to tolerate us 
rejecting His Word. 

440
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,920
He's not going to tolerate 
blatant rebellion from his 

441
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,080
children. 
When you do this, hardships 

442
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,280
coming. 
Discipline's coming. 

443
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,760
God is going to make sure that 
he gets your attention. 

444
00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,720
Hebrews chapter 12 Our our Bible
reading today is so important in

445
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,600
in regard to this particular 
topic. 

446
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,640
It says this in verse 7. 
There are 12 in their hardship 

447
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,880
as discipline. 
God is treating you as sons to 

448
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:37,680
many of you. 
You read that and you find no 

449
00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,800
comfort in that. 
I find great comfort in that, to

450
00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:45,760
know that he calls me his son 
and part of his love for his 

451
00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,080
children is this. 
He disciplines those that he 

452
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:52,160
loves. 
He goes on and he says for what?

453
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,320
What son is not disciplined by 
his father? 

454
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,880
Of course, this is assuming that
we're back in the day where it 

455
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,240
was norm for fathers to 
discipline their children. 

456
00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,320
I think we ought to all get 
T-shirts, bring discipline back,

457
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:09,440
wear them every single day. 
You know what I'm talking about.

458
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,200
We've all been to Walmart. 
We see the unruly kids. 

459
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,760
I can't get over it. 
An adult negotiating with the 

460
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,600
toddler. 
We do not negotiate with 

461
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:25,520
terrorists. 
No discipline that toddler. 

462
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,680
You've already told them four 
times to not get that candy off 

463
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,640
that shelf. 
Discipline them right there in 

464
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,120
Walmart. 
It's still legal in the state of

465
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:34,600
Texas. 
Put it in the right place. 

466
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,160
It's no coincidence. 
I know I'm going to get in 

467
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:38,360
trouble for this, but I don't 
care. 

468
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,040
It's no coincidence that you 
just have this big massive 

469
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,240
muscle in your rear end with no 
vital organs anywhere close. 

470
00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,440
It's because God's Word says if 
you spare the rod, you spoil the

471
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,600
child, that they are to be 
disciplined and you are to 

472
00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:55,320
inflict pain in their lives. 
It's for all the liberals. 

473
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:57,760
They're not afraid I'm going to 
hurt them, you are going to hurt

474
00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:01,600
them. 
That's the point our earthly 

475
00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:03,480
fathers heard us to make a 
point. 

476
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,840
They, they, they caused us to 
suffer pain and affliction. 

477
00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,960
That's what he's saying here. 
These people understood this. 

478
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,280
We have a hard time 
understanding it in our day, he 

479
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:13,600
says. 
If you're not disciplined and 

480
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,120
everyone undergoes discipline. 
He says then you're illegitimate

481
00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:20,280
children are not true sons. 
What is he saying there? 

482
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,200
Pay attention to this church if 
you can live any way that you 

483
00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:24,960
want to live and call yourself a
Christian. 

484
00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,400
And God's discipline doesn't 
come into your life in the form 

485
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:30,600
of some kind of affliction. 
You're not truly saved. 

486
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,680
You don't belong to Him. 
He's making this very clear 

487
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,280
because if you did belong to 
him, he would step in and he 

488
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,600
would inflict pain and He would 
inflict suffering into your life

489
00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,880
to get your attention. 
He's not trying to get the 

490
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:46,600
attention of the lost world that
way. 

491
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,400
They don't belong to him. 
They're not children of God. 

492
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:51,200
They're children of sin and 
Satan. 

493
00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:53,720
And you know what they're doing?
They are storing up for 

494
00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:57,120
themselves wrath for the day of 
judgment. 

495
00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:00,480
He's not going to discipline 
them in this lifetime, making 

496
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,280
them holy because He's holy. 
That's what he does for his 

497
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,200
children. 
He's sanctifying us. 

498
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,560
He's not sanctifying the 
unjustified. 

499
00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:11,200
What he's doing is he's ignoring
their sin for the time being. 

500
00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:15,160
And one day they will suffer 
under the full fury of the wrath

501
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,200
of God in hell. 
And so please understand that as

502
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,800
believers, when you see 
discipline come into your life, 

503
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:26,120
don't be mad at God about it. 
You brought it on yourself. 

504
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,400
You knew what your Heavenly 
Father expected of you, and you 

505
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:32,760
rebelled against that. 
You knew His commands. 

506
00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,200
You knew His who He is and what 
He has. 

507
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,160
Dictated in his word, and you 
said I'm going to do what I want

508
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,440
to do anyways, just like a 
spoiled brat, and what's going 

509
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:44,480
to happen? 
You're going to get a spoiled 

510
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:48,760
brat's reward, he says. 
If you're without discipline, 

511
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,240
you're legitimate, not true 
sons, He says. 

512
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,240
Moreover, we have all had human 
fathers who disciplined us, and 

513
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,880
we respected them for it. 
How much more should we submit 

514
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,120
to the Father of our spirits and
live? 

515
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,720
He said You respected your 
earthly fathers because they 

516
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,120
disciplined you. 
Watch what he says about it. 

517
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,080
Our fathers disciplined us for a
little while as they thought 

518
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:12,320
best, but God disciplines us for
our good, that we may share in 

519
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,800
His Holiness. 
He speaks common sense here. 

520
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:18,000
No discipline seems pleasant at 
the time. 

521
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,560
No it doesn't. 
He says, but painful. 

522
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,880
That's for all of you people who
say God wouldn't inflict pain. 

523
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,120
He's saying this God is going to
inflict pain in the lives of his

524
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:30,440
children who rebel against him, 
but he's teaching you something.

525
00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,440
This pain is the. 
Professor that we're talking 

526
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,640
about, he says later on, 
however, it produces a harvest 

527
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:39,120
of righteousness and peace for 
those who have been trained by, 

528
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:40,760
he's saying your earthly 
fathers, they discipline you, 

529
00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:42,840
they inflict pain on you, and 
it's for your own good. 

530
00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:47,360
How much more is the perfect 
God's discipline in the lives of

531
00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,080
His children? 
How much more? 

532
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:51,040
I want to think about it from 
time to time. 

533
00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:54,120
My my children are grown now and
I'm very pleased at what the 

534
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:58,800
Lord has done in their lives. 
But I can remember back to their

535
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,680
childhood because I was a 
disciplinarian. 

536
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:04,120
Why? 
Because God is a disciplinarian 

537
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:05,720
and I didn't know how to be a 
father. 

538
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,680
And so when I found out that I. 
Was going to have children. 

539
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:12,160
I said, Lord, show me how to be 
a good father like you're a good

540
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,160
father. 
You know what I learned about 

541
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,680
God? 
Equal parts love and discipline.

542
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,800
Mix those together and you'll be
a godly parent. 

543
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,960
You love your kids when they 
need love and you discipline 

544
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:27,800
them when they need discipline. 
And you never waver in either of

545
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,400
the two. 
And So what I learned there is, 

546
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,080
is from this text here. 
Hey, you know what I had people 

547
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,400
telling me all the time. 
Don't you think you're being a 

548
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,400
little too hard on those kids? 
To which I would reply, usually 

549
00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:41,920
under my breath. 
Don't you think you need to mind

550
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:47,200
your own business? 
I see that God's given you 

551
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:48,960
children to raise. 
Why don't you go raise yours and

552
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:55,960
let me raise mine? 
Because my intent was to do 

553
00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:57,640
nothing less than to point my 
children to. 

554
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,680
Christ to point my children to 
the scriptures and I would be 

555
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,560
doing them an injustice if I 
taught them about a father who 

556
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,200
did not discipline, because then
they might think that our 

557
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,240
heavenly Father doesn't 
discipline when that's the. 

558
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:14,120
Farthest thing from the truth. 
Those he loves, he disciplines. 

559
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,280
But. 
It brings a harvest of 

560
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,920
righteousness and peace for 
those who have been trained by 

561
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,200
it. 
Or we learn to be thankful for 

562
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,040
discipline. 
Not at the time it hurts. 

563
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,960
We learn later. 
So the psalmist very clearly 

564
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,760
understanding here that 
affliction comes from God in the

565
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:32,640
form of discipline. 
But before I was afflicted, I 

566
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,040
went astray. 
I guess you did. 

567
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,120
And when you went astray, he got
your attention and now you're 

568
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:38,840
coming back and you're saying, 
do good to your servant 

569
00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:41,480
according to your word. 
Do what you promised. 

570
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,680
I'm going to walk in the way 
that I need to walk because I 

571
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:47,760
got the message loud and clear. 
The problem with some of the 

572
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,800
so-called Christians in the 
American church, you don't get 

573
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,760
the message loud and clear. 
You keep going through the same 

574
00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,160
affliction over and over and 
over and over again. 

575
00:31:57,320 --> 00:31:59,200
You're like that rebellious 
child, right? 

576
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,840
You're like my daughter. 
The day that I got a call when 

577
00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,800
she was very young, I got a call
at the office at the church that

578
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,000
I pastored and her mom says I 
don't know what to do with your 

579
00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:12,040
daughter. 
Of course, she was my daughter 

580
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,680
at the time. 
I said what are you talking 

581
00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,760
about? 
I got work to do. 

582
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,160
She said she's not minding. 
I said spank her rear end. 

583
00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,960
She said I already have 7 times.
I said make it a nice round 8, 

584
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:30,280
see if that doesn't work. 
But eventually, through that 

585
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,200
pain, through that suffering, 
through that affliction, she 

586
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:36,840
learned this. 
My father, my parents, they are 

587
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,840
not going to waver. 
They have said this is the way 

588
00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:43,400
it is, this is the way it's 
going to be, and it's going to 

589
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,960
be easier for me if I just obey 
what they say. 

590
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:50,480
And our good and gracious 
Heavenly Father is the same way.

591
00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:52,880
People, be thankful when He 
afflicts you. 

592
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,720
The moment that it happens, 
thank Him that He loves you 

593
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,040
enough that He didn't just leave
you to your sin. 

594
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,840
You brought discipline on your 
life to bring you back out of. 

595
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,200
Of that sin so loving, God will 
bring affliction into the lives 

596
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,040
of His people when they refuse 
to obey His word and when they 

597
00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,560
stray. 
Secondly, we see in regard to 

598
00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,920
affliction that not only does 
affliction come from God by His 

599
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:20,680
own sovereign hand, affliction 
also comes from man. 

600
00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,760
I want you to see that. 
Because I don't want you to 

601
00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:25,360
think that the only affliction 
that God allows into our life 

602
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:27,560
comes from His hand, because 
that's not always the case. 

603
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:33,760
God sovereignly decrees, and He 
also allows demand to bring 

604
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,960
affliction into our lives. 
And so know this as God's 

605
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,160
children, as those who are 
professors of Christ, that we're

606
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:44,720
subject to affliction not only 
when we disobey God, we're 

607
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:49,200
subject to affliction. 
That comes from unbelieving men,

608
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,800
from those who are lost in our 
culture, from those who are lost

609
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,960
in our society, from those who 
hate God and hate His word. 

610
00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:02,160
We're going to receive 
affliction from these people, so

611
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,400
know that it's just going to be 
a part of our life. 

612
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,760
In fact, Paul told Timothy that 
if we seek to live godly lives, 

613
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:13,520
we will face persecution. 
At the end of the day, all of 

614
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:17,600
us, if you're living for Christ,
are going to be afflicted by 

615
00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:21,679
unbelieving people. 
What happens? 

616
00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:27,639
This affliction comes to us, 
resulting in unjust defamation. 

617
00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:30,199
Look what the psalmist says 
there in 69, He says, though the

618
00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:33,880
arrogant have smeared me with 
lies, I keep your precepts with 

619
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:35,719
all my heart, he says. 
I'm holding on to your word. 

620
00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:38,000
Even though they're lying about 
me, they're saying false things 

621
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,040
about me. 
He understands the reason why in

622
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,360
verse 70, their hearts are 
calloused and unfeeling. 

623
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:50,000
They're just lost, he said. 
But I delight in your law, he's 

624
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:54,520
saying. 
I'm not going to be sideswiped 

625
00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,520
and be discouraged because of 
the critics. 

626
00:34:58,120 --> 00:34:59,880
I'm going to see them for what 
they are. 

627
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:05,160
They are lost, unbelieving 
people who do not have a 

628
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,000
relationship with God, therefore
they hate people who do. 

629
00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,240
Who have no regard to holiness, 
therefore they they hate people 

630
00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:15,160
who do. 
And he says I'm not going to let

631
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:17,880
them sideswipe me. 
I'm going to delight in God's 

632
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:19,960
law. 
I'm going to stay focused on 

633
00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:22,040
your word. 
So affliction comes to us and it

634
00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,120
results in that unjust 
defamation that none of us like 

635
00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,080
right? 
Nobody likes for someone to lie 

636
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:30,240
about you, to say mean things 
about you, to make up ugly. 

637
00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:31,920
Stories about you. 
Anybody here like that? 

638
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,360
You ought to try being a pastor.
It's a common thing, right? 

639
00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,360
They love to say things about 
pastors, and that's fine. 

640
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,280
I don't care. 
God's going to handle you. 

641
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:46,400
What I have learned is that when
I face this, God is trying to 

642
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,320
teach me something through it or
he wouldn't have allowed it in 

643
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,280
my life. 
He's trying to teach me 

644
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,240
something. 
Maybe He's trying to humble me. 

645
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,640
Maybe he's trying to teach me 
how to pray for others who are, 

646
00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:01,160
as the psalmist said, callous 
and unfeeling, to bring me to a 

647
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,960
point where I'll actually lower 
myself and to pray for those who

648
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,120
persecute me. 
You know, like Jesus, when he 

649
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,560
looked down and he said to those
who just hung him on a cross, 

650
00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,120
Father, forgive them for they 
know not what they do. 

651
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,240
Perhaps he's teaching me that 
lesson through the affliction 

652
00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:20,520
that I'm facing. 
But nevertheless Jesus said it 

653
00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:22,120
was going to be this way but. 
We have great. 

654
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,800
Comfort, don't we? 
In the words of Christ, he said 

655
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,320
in Matthew chapter 5 verse 11, 
blessed are you when when people

656
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:32,120
insult you, persecute you, and 
falsely say all kinds of evil 

657
00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:34,920
against you because of me. 
Make sure that because of me is 

658
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,960
a part of this. 
He says rejoice and be glad 

659
00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:40,480
because great is your reward in 
heaven. 

660
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:43,640
From the same way they 
persecuted the prophets who were

661
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:44,840
before you. 
He's saying you're in good 

662
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,840
company. 
They persecuted the prophets for

663
00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,360
doing exactly what God wanted 
them to do. 

664
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,920
And God allowed this affliction.
You guys remember Elijah and yet

665
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,200
there he is whining. 
I'm all by myself and everybody 

666
00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,320
else is falling bail. 
And God said stop. 

667
00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,240
I saved the remnants. 
Stop whining. 

668
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:04,680
I brought this affliction into 
your life so that you can look 

669
00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:05,560
to me. 
I'm. 

670
00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,520
Going to see that lesson so 
clearly in just a moment. 

671
00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:13,640
But let us learn to rejoice when
people verbally persecute us and

672
00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:17,400
they afflict us with lies and 
false words. 

673
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,480
Psalmist here having to endure 
this. 

674
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,640
But also, what about? 
Physical affliction, physical 

675
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,760
persecution. 
I know in the American church 

676
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:28,560
that's the farthest thing from 
our mind. 

677
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,680
But I want to just break it to 
all of you so you understand 

678
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:35,160
this. 
We're not the only country in 

679
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:39,080
the world. 
In fact, there are many other 

680
00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:42,080
countries who they don't get to 
freely come in and worship as 

681
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,320
we're doing right now. 
And in fact, if they did, they 

682
00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,200
would be tortured and even 
killed for their faith in Jesus 

683
00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:51,600
Christ. 
And it's a sad day when we don't

684
00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:56,840
think about those who are 
undergoing physical affliction. 

685
00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:58,320
They're actually being 
persecuted. 

686
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,560
And you know what they that you 
find out about these people who 

687
00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,200
are being physically persecuted,
it strengthens them. 

688
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:07,920
It teaches them to trust God. 
Matthew chapter 24, verse 9. 

689
00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:09,480
Jesus let us know it would be 
this way. 

690
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,840
He said then you will be handed.
Over to be persecuted and put to

691
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:17,360
death and you will be hated by 
all nations because of me who 

692
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:22,520
wants to come to Jesus. 
You see why the American church 

693
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,680
has watered down the gospel so 
much, Because when you tell 

694
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:28,120
them, you're going to be hated, 
you're going to be handed over 

695
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,280
and be persecuted, you're going 
to even be put to death. 

696
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,080
Now come on, who wants to 
follow? 

697
00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:37,080
The sad thing is the American 
church has to change the gospel,

698
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,000
which is no gospel at all. 
They've changed it into, hey, 

699
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:41,600
ask Jesus in your heart, and 
everything's going to be. 

700
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,480
Peachy. 
It's not the truth. 

701
00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:48,280
The truth is, if you live for 
Christ, you're going to be 

702
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,040
persecuted. 
You're going to be blasted 

703
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:54,320
verbally and afflicted by those 
who make lies up about you. 

704
00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:01,280
And at some point in time you 
could be physically persecuted, 

705
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:03,920
physically afflicted with pain 
and even death. 

706
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,080
This affliction is allowed by 
God. 

707
00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:08,800
It is a part of His plan. 
And did you know this? 

708
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:11,240
It's been a part of His plan all
throughout Orthodox 

709
00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:12,880
Christianity, throughout 
history. 

710
00:39:14,240 --> 00:39:17,080
It's only in the last few 100 
years with this great nation 

711
00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:20,080
that we live in and we haven't 
had to suffer that kind of 

712
00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,280
persecution as the church. 
Many would ask why? 

713
00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:24,960
I have my thoughts on it. 
You don't know what they. 

714
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:28,080
Are I think because God knows 
that the American church 

715
00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:31,360
couldn't handle it. 
The American church couldn't 

716
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:34,200
handle it. 
We're free to live for Christ 

717
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,840
and we don't do it. 
Now let me just give you a 

718
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:38,280
little common sense thought 
here. 

719
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:42,720
You're never going to die for 
something that you won't first 

720
00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:46,280
live for. 
Or in this case someone. 

721
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,320
We spend most of our time in the
American church trying to 

722
00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:50,760
convince people to live for 
Christ. 

723
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:54,400
That ought to be second nature. 
That ought to be our new nature.

724
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,680
Just living for Christ, obeying 
his word, desiring to be holy, 

725
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,000
desiring to be sanctified and 
set apart from the world, that 

726
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:06,720
ought to be our nature. 
I believe that God won't allow 

727
00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:10,600
and hasn't allowed yet. 
The persecution to come upon the

728
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:12,560
American church physically 
because we're just not ready 

729
00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,280
for. 
It you know what, I pray, I pray

730
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:17,680
that we would get ready for it 
because we're not in control of 

731
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,200
that. 
In the moment that God wills it,

732
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:20,840
it's going to happen. 
You know what you're going to 

733
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:21,920
find out. 
You're going to find out just 

734
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:25,480
what we found out during COVID. 
There's a lot of people who talk

735
00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:29,600
a big game, but when their 
life's at stake, Oh no way. 

736
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:33,040
You've heard me often times talk
about this. 

737
00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:35,400
I remember our elder meeting in 
regard to COVID. 

738
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:38,880
We came together and we said, 
what are we going to do, right? 

739
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:40,680
Because when we heard it, the 
whole world was going to die, 

740
00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,480
right? 
What are we going to do? 

741
00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:47,960
And the eldest and the most 
unhealthy of all of our elders 

742
00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:50,560
said this. 
Let's meet. 

743
00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,280
Together and let's worship the 
Lord because that's what we've 

744
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:54,800
been commanded to do. 
And. 

745
00:40:55,160 --> 00:41:00,680
If one soul saved and it cost me
my life, then so be it. 

746
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,560
That's a person who's not only 
willing to live for Christ, 

747
00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,040
that's a person who's willing to
die for Christ. 

748
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:11,400
And there is a huge difference. 
There's so many in the American 

749
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:15,000
church that Christ is only just 
their free ticket to heaven. 

750
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:20,600
When the fire of affliction is 
turned up from unbelieving 

751
00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:25,440
mankind, they reject even 
knowing Christ and walk away 

752
00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,280
from Him. 
As if he's a bad habit that 

753
00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:32,280
should be dumped. 
And so there are those who will 

754
00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:36,760
unjustly defame us. 
See them for what they are. 

755
00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:43,120
They're the world and the world 
hates us and we're not to be a 

756
00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:46,360
part of the world and the reason
that we don't face. 

757
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:51,240
This persecution in our country 
is because we have made close 

758
00:41:51,240 --> 00:41:55,840
friends with the world. 
The world has become the ally to

759
00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:57,960
the church. 
I hear pastors say this all the 

760
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,360
time. 
You could lose your 5O1C3 

761
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:07,360
status. 
So I could continue to preach 

762
00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:11,160
the gospel no matter what you 
want to define me as. 

763
00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,960
I'm not going to be allies with 
the world. 

764
00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:20,920
Then I break the news to them. 
We're not 5O1C3 anyways because 

765
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,680
we don't want the government 
involved in our affairs. 

766
00:42:24,720 --> 00:42:28,520
Because we serve one true King, 
King Jesus, the one true and 

767
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,680
living God. 
And so we see that the lost 

768
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:37,760
world unjustly defames us. 
Because they hate us. 

769
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:41,080
And if they're not talking bad 
about us? 

770
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,520
It's because they like us and if
they like. 

771
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:46,960
You, you have become a friend of
the world. 

772
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:48,640
Now here's what James says about
this. 

773
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:50,600
You can get mad at him if you 
want to, but please don't get 

774
00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,520
mad at me. 
And if you do get mad at me, I'm

775
00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:55,760
not really going to care. 
I'm just going to say I didn't 

776
00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:56,800
say it. 
James did. 

777
00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,360
James says this and James 4/4. 
You adulterous people, Don't you

778
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:04,040
know that friendship with the 
world is hatred toward God? 

779
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:09,520
Yikes, he says. 
Anyone who chooses to be a 

780
00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:12,000
friend of the world becomes an 
enemy of God. 

781
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:17,480
You know why the Christian 
Church in America is not being 

782
00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:20,840
afflicted by the pagans in our. 
Society like we should be, 

783
00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:25,120
because we're not living for 
Christ like we have been 

784
00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:32,360
commanded to live. 
So it, when we do, results in 

785
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:34,640
unjust defamation. 
If you're not being defamed by 

786
00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:36,960
the lost world, you're not 
living loudly enough for Christ.

787
00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:44,920
This affliction that man brings 
results in unjust defamation of 

788
00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,440
the believer, but also it's 
resulting from utter disrespect.

789
00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:50,200
Please see these people for what
they are. 

790
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,160
I don't want to be friends with 
the world, and here's why. 

791
00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,080
I don't want to be friends with 
the world, and here's why You 

792
00:43:57,080 --> 00:43:58,240
shouldn't be friends with the 
world. 

793
00:43:58,240 --> 00:44:00,320
You say, well, what do I mean 
friends with the world? 

794
00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:02,880
If you go to the places the 
world goes, you do the things 

795
00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:05,080
that the world does. 
You speak the language that the 

796
00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:07,360
world speaks. 
You partake of the substances 

797
00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:09,720
that the world partakes of. 
You know what I'm talking about.

798
00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:14,960
If you do these things, you're 
of the world. 

799
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:19,160
You're not separate from them 
and you need to be aware of 

800
00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:21,480
this. 
They bring affliction to the 

801
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:26,080
believer because they have an 
utter disrespect #1 for God. 

802
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:34,040
They disrespect God Himself. 
In fact, in John 15 verse 18, 

803
00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:36,000
the Lord says this. 
He says if the world hates you, 

804
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:38,240
keep in mind that it hated me 
first. 

805
00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:41,360
If you belong to the world, it 
would love you as its own. 

806
00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:44,040
That's for all of you who you 
can get along with the world, 

807
00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:45,760
you can party with the world, 
and you can still walk into the 

808
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:47,960
church on a Sunday morning and 
not have a second thought about 

809
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:50,280
it. 
God's Word is telling you this 

810
00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,960
morning, you're not of the 
church, you're of the world. 

811
00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:56,040
See that? 
If the world hates you, keep in 

812
00:44:56,040 --> 00:44:57,640
mind that it hated me first. 
If you belong. 

813
00:44:57,640 --> 00:44:59,400
To the world, it would love you 
as its own. 

814
00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:03,200
As it is, you do not belong to 
the world, but I have chosen you

815
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:05,640
out of the world. 
That's why the world hates us. 

816
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,120
This God has sovereignly chosen,
chosen us out of our sin, out of

817
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,760
the darkness, brought us into 
His marvelous light. 

818
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:15,120
This is what I've chosen you out
of the world. 

819
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:18,240
That is why the world hates you.
Remember the words I spoke to 

820
00:45:18,240 --> 00:45:19,560
you. 
No servant is greater than his 

821
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:21,200
master. 
If they persecuted me, they will

822
00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:23,240
persecute you also. 
Did you get that church? 

823
00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:24,800
They persecuted Christ, did they
not? 

824
00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:27,920
And if you were reflecting 
Christ, he says you're going to 

825
00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:30,720
get the same treatment, 
affliction from man. 

826
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,520
So that they obeyed my teaching.
They would if they obeyed my 

827
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:36,000
teaching, they will obey yours 
also. 

828
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:39,320
They will treat you this way 
because of my name, for they do 

829
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:42,560
not know the one who sent me. 
If I had not come and spoken to 

830
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:44,200
them, they would not be guilty 
of sin. 

831
00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:46,840
Now, however, they have no 
excuse for their sin. 

832
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:49,040
He who hates me hates my Father 
as well. 

833
00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:51,560
He's saying they hate me, they 
hate the Father. 

834
00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:55,880
He says in verse 24, if I had 
not done among them what no one 

835
00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:58,000
else did, they would not be 
guilty of sin. 

836
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,880
But now they have seen these 
miracles and yet they they have 

837
00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:05,120
hated both me and my Father. 
But this is to fulfill what is 

838
00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:08,040
written in their law. 
They hated me without reason. 

839
00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:10,560
Why did I read all that to you? 
I read all that to show you that

840
00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:12,160
they hated Jesus without reason 
too. 

841
00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:15,840
And if you're living for Christ,
they're going to hate you 

842
00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:20,320
without reason. 
They don't know it, just as they

843
00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:21,920
didn't know it in the case of 
Jesus. 

844
00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:26,480
They hated their Creator, They 
hate His Holiness, they hate His

845
00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:30,760
attributes, they hate His word, 
and it comes out in the form of 

846
00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:34,480
hating His people. 
Now let me just help you all. 

847
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:41,640
If the world still likes you, 
you have a spiritual problem, 

848
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:46,080
and that problem could be that 
you're not truly born again, 

849
00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:49,600
because when a person is born 
again, they are brought out of 

850
00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:53,480
the darkness into the light and 
their light, just as Christ 

851
00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:57,000
light did. 
It exposes the wicked deeds of 

852
00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,960
darkness. 
They see your holy life and they

853
00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:05,360
hate the work that God has done 
in you, because they hate God. 

854
00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:10,160
They utterly disrespect him. 
They utterly disrespect his 

855
00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:12,720
word. 
They hate the truth. 

856
00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:16,360
Is that not what John says in 
John chapter 3 when he says 

857
00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:17,800
this? 
Everyone who does evil hates the

858
00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:21,240
light and will not come into the
light for fear that his deeds 

859
00:47:21,240 --> 00:47:23,080
will be exposed. 
Exposed by what? 

860
00:47:23,120 --> 00:47:25,640
Watch. 
But whoever lives by the truth 

861
00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:27,680
comes into the light exposed by 
the truth. 

862
00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:30,160
What is the truth? 
We are all sinners and we have 

863
00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:33,280
all offended a holy God, and we 
all need redemption. 

864
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,000
And apart from Jesus Christ 
there is no chance of that 

865
00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:37,760
redemption, He says. 
But what? 

866
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,720
Whoever lives by the truth comes
into the light so that it is. 

867
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:45,320
It may be seen plainly that what
he has done has been done 

868
00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:48,120
through God, He says, a person 
who is. 

869
00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:51,760
Truly in the light lives by the 
truth. 

870
00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:58,400
And that truth explains to them 
and everyone else that God has 

871
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:00,720
done a work in them. 
Now let me just help you. 

872
00:48:00,720 --> 00:48:05,040
If you're not living life in 
light of the truth of Scripture 

873
00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:07,800
and have no desire to do that, 
God's not yet done a work in 

874
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:10,640
you. 
You've not yet been born again. 

875
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,800
So what does this have to do 
with me being born again? 

876
00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:16,320
John Chapter 3, that's where he 
talks about being born again at 

877
00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:20,080
the beginning of that chapter. 
And he ends with this. 

878
00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:23,440
If you have no desire for truth 
and you have no desire to live 

879
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:30,160
in the light and God's not done 
a work in your life, I don't say

880
00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:32,520
that to upset you. 
I say that because I care about 

881
00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:33,880
you. 
I care about your soul. 

882
00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:36,440
I care about your eternal 
condition. 

883
00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:41,080
I'm not going to not tell you 
the truth as you take step after

884
00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:43,680
step closer to perishing for all
eternity. 

885
00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:47,960
I care too much about you. 
And God cares too much about 

886
00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:50,760
you, and He's revealed it in His
Word that you would hear today. 

887
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,280
So they have utter disrespect 
for God, for God's Word, and 

888
00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:56,080
then for God's people. 
That would be us. 

889
00:48:56,760 --> 00:49:00,600
The unbelievers again will hate 
you because you reflect Christ. 

890
00:49:00,600 --> 00:49:05,240
It's that they hate Christ. 
God's Word makes that very 

891
00:49:05,240 --> 00:49:07,080
clear. 
Matthew chapter 10, verse 22. 

892
00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:08,600
All men will hate you because of
me. 

893
00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:11,040
But he who stands firm to the 
end will be saved. 

894
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:12,200
Again, the doctrine of 
perseverance. 

895
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:15,440
There are true believers going 
to stand firm to the end, even 

896
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:17,720
though they're being afflicted 
by men who hate them. 

897
00:49:17,720 --> 00:49:20,200
And we've seen that through the 
course of history. 

898
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,640
Men of God, women of God, who 
stood firm when they were tested

899
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:26,920
in their faith, when they were 
afflicted by men, and they held 

900
00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:31,120
on to Christ. 
And I can tell you this, their 

901
00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:35,960
last breath on this side of 
eternity was their first breath 

902
00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:37,880
in the presence of God. 
Why? 

903
00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:40,440
Because God is faithful to 
everything that He has promised,

904
00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:44,400
and though men hated them, and 
though men afflicted them on 

905
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:49,160
this earth, it will share in the
portion of Jesus Christ for all 

906
00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:51,400
eternity. 
Matthew 24/9 He said. 

907
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:53,600
Then you will be handed over to 
be persecuted and put to death, 

908
00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:55,160
and you'll be hated by all 
nations. 

909
00:49:55,160 --> 00:49:57,560
Because of me, That's for all 
the people who are trying to get

910
00:49:57,560 --> 00:50:03,240
everyone to like you. 
I love that messed up thinking 

911
00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:06,160
in the missionary's mind, right?
I go to this country and I try 

912
00:50:06,160 --> 00:50:08,880
to get all these people to like 
me so that I can then share with

913
00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:10,720
them the gospel. 
They're not going to like you 

914
00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:13,720
until they get saved. 
They're going to hate you. 

915
00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:17,000
So you might as well just start 
at point a the gospel. 

916
00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:19,760
Because I know this, I've been 
all around the world and I can 

917
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:21,680
tell you this. 
You know what man has in common 

918
00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:23,120
all around the world. 
It's not the color of their 

919
00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:24,200
skin. 
It's not the color of their 

920
00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,760
eyes, not the language that they
speak. 

921
00:50:27,240 --> 00:50:29,120
You know what man has in common 
all around the world. 

922
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:32,360
They're all sinners and they're 
all lost apart from Jesus 

923
00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:34,680
Christ. 
So I've got common ground day 

924
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:35,920
one, right? 
I don't have to learn their 

925
00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:37,320
culture. 
Their culture is a culture of 

926
00:50:37,320 --> 00:50:40,080
sin apart from Christ. 
So I go into their culture and I

927
00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:42,520
preach the gospel just like I 
preach the gospel in this lost 

928
00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:46,080
culture that unless you repent, 
you will likewise perish. 

929
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:55,200
They hate God's people and they 
learn that you're God's people. 

930
00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:58,320
Just watch the news, right? 
When they learn that someone's a

931
00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,080
Christian, don't they just 
berate those people and just 

932
00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:06,280
come at them with tooth and 
claw, I mean immediately, and 

933
00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:08,360
try to devour them? 
It's a part of our Christian 

934
00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:10,800
life. 
God has allowed this to happen. 

935
00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:12,600
Every affliction that you face, 
whether it's affliction from God

936
00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:14,800
or whether it's affliction from 
man, no, this a sovereign God is

937
00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:16,600
in complete control of that. 
He's not out of control. 

938
00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:19,120
Going Oh no, they're being so 
mean to old Curt down there. 

939
00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:24,000
No, you know what I believe? 
I believe the Holy Spirit's 

940
00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:26,120
praying for me, just like the 
Scripture says. 

941
00:51:26,120 --> 00:51:27,560
He's interceding for me. 
You know what he's doing? 

942
00:51:27,560 --> 00:51:29,720
He's praying. 
Let him see what I'm trying to 

943
00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:31,480
teach him. 
Open his eyes. 

944
00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:34,400
Let him submit. 
Let him walk in the truth of 

945
00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:36,240
Scripture. 
Let him see what I'm trying to 

946
00:51:36,240 --> 00:51:39,720
do here. 
What a loving and faithful God 

947
00:51:39,720 --> 00:51:41,760
that we have. 
Luke 2117. 

948
00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:43,120
All men will hate you because of
me. 

949
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:47,760
Again, we we can't preach that 
gospel in our culture. 

950
00:51:48,280 --> 00:51:52,080
Come follow Jesus, be killed for
him and know that everyone's 

951
00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:52,880
going to hate you. 
But. 

952
00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:56,400
Is that not what the Word of God
says? 

953
00:51:56,400 --> 00:52:01,800
But let me tell you this for the
true believer, it's worth it if 

954
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:06,760
every person in this world hates
you and wants you to die, so 

955
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:11,000
long as you are loved by God 
because He's all that really 

956
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:14,800
matters. 
So the utterly disrespect God, 

957
00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:17,320
his Word, those who follow God's
word. 

958
00:52:18,240 --> 00:52:21,840
And so know this, being a child 
of God certainly will not 

959
00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:26,280
exclude you from affliction that
comes from other people, right? 

960
00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:28,800
I know there's some false 
doctrines and ideologies that 

961
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:31,640
get thrown around that if you're
living for Christ, you have 

962
00:52:31,640 --> 00:52:34,080
favor with all men. 
You will never have favor. 

963
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:37,880
With this world, this world 
hates you. 

964
00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:41,640
And just as they wanted Christ 
to die, they want you to die. 

965
00:52:41,640 --> 00:52:46,120
They couldn't care less. 
No, that's part of our Christian

966
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:48,040
life. 
It's a part of our Christian 

967
00:52:48,040 --> 00:52:50,080
life that if we learn the 
lessons that were being taught 

968
00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:52,600
in the midst of it, it can help 
us a great deal. 

969
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:55,120
So let's do that. 
We've seen affliction from God. 

970
00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:59,800
We've seen affliction from man. 
And I know you've all been 

971
00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:01,200
waiting. 
Apply this to my life. 

972
00:53:01,360 --> 00:53:03,320
Here it is. 
Affliction's purpose. 

973
00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:06,120
Psalmist doesn't leave us 
without application. 

974
00:53:06,120 --> 00:53:10,520
Affliction's Purpose 71 it was. 
Good for me to be afflicted. 

975
00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:14,360
What? 
It was good for me to be 

976
00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:17,520
afflicted so that I might. 
Learn your decrees. 

977
00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:22,720
The law from your mouth is more 
precious to me than thousands of

978
00:53:22,720 --> 00:53:25,960
pieces of silver and gold. 
He's as though I was afflicted 

979
00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:27,960
potentially by God. 
Though I was afflicted 

980
00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:31,000
potentially by man. 
I was afflicted nonetheless, and

981
00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:38,840
my affliction was good for me. 
What a great teacher. 

982
00:53:40,520 --> 00:53:46,760
Affliction teaching him that in 
every situation he can trust 

983
00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:51,760
God's word, that's what. 
The purpose is first is that 

984
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:54,280
affliction teaches us to trust 
God's Word. 

985
00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:59,960
It's in his affliction that he 
says, so that I might learn your

986
00:53:59,960 --> 00:54:04,400
decrees. 
God allows us to be brought low 

987
00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:07,280
so that we'll run through His 
Word. 

988
00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:12,400
I've seen this time and time and
time again, again in my pastoral

989
00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:15,960
ministry where someone goes to a
time of heartache and 

990
00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:19,320
affliction, and what do they do?
They run to me, Kirk. 

991
00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:23,640
What do I do? 
And I give them all of my 

992
00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:28,920
infinite wisdom. 
No, I have no infinite wisdom. 

993
00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:32,920
I'm finite in every fiber of my 
being. 

994
00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:35,520
But I do give them infinite 
wisdom. 

995
00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:37,440
I turn them to the word of God. 
And I say. 

996
00:54:37,640 --> 00:54:41,080
Let's look and let's see what 
the Word of God says about this.

997
00:54:41,240 --> 00:54:42,840
And they cling to the Word of 
God. 

998
00:54:42,840 --> 00:54:43,880
Why? 
Because then they're in the 

999
00:54:43,880 --> 00:54:46,320
middle of affliction. 
They're in the middle of pain, 

1000
00:54:46,440 --> 00:54:49,400
and in the Word brings comfort. 
Just as the psalmist realizes 

1001
00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:52,400
here in the midst of my 
affliction, I turn to your Word.

1002
00:54:52,400 --> 00:54:54,120
I desire to learn your decrees. 
Why? 

1003
00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:56,440
That's the only comfort that I 
had in this world. 

1004
00:54:56,560 --> 00:54:58,440
Christians, that's the only 
comfort that we have in this 

1005
00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:01,040
world. 
But you know what the sad thing 

1006
00:55:01,040 --> 00:55:03,960
is? 
Many times, as soon as that 

1007
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:08,360
affliction passes and God is 
merciful to them, they stopped 

1008
00:55:08,360 --> 00:55:12,920
clinging to His Word, only to 
travel down the road just a 

1009
00:55:12,920 --> 00:55:15,760
little bit farther to face 
affliction again. 

1010
00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:19,400
Why? 
Because God desires that they 

1011
00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:23,400
stay focused on His Word and His
will for their life, and He's 

1012
00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:25,320
not going to let them do 
anything else. 

1013
00:55:26,040 --> 00:55:28,800
So affliction has a purpose. 
It teaches us to trust God's 

1014
00:55:28,800 --> 00:55:32,240
Word. 
The trust in God's revealed 

1015
00:55:32,240 --> 00:55:35,240
goodness that we find in 
Scripture, that's what Romans 

1016
00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:40,680
828 that you all misquote is all
about Romans 828. 

1017
00:55:40,680 --> 00:55:44,200
We know it, and we know that in 
all things God works for the 

1018
00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:47,600
good of those who love Him who 
have been called according to 

1019
00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:50,240
His purpose. 
He didn't say we know that in 

1020
00:55:50,240 --> 00:55:52,720
all things for God's people 
they're good. 

1021
00:55:54,040 --> 00:55:58,560
No, He's working all things for 
the good. 

1022
00:55:59,240 --> 00:56:04,120
So what does that tell you? 
They must be bad because if they

1023
00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:07,400
were already good, he wouldn't 
have to work them to. 

1024
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:11,040
Good and affliction hurts. 
It's painful. 

1025
00:56:12,080 --> 00:56:15,280
And he's saying this, that even 
in our affliction, even in our 

1026
00:56:15,280 --> 00:56:18,520
difficulties, even in our 
trials, even in our sufferings, 

1027
00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:21,880
know this. 
The Word of God teaches us that 

1028
00:56:21,880 --> 00:56:26,240
we can trust God in the midst of
whatever darkness that we face. 

1029
00:56:26,560 --> 00:56:30,120
That we can know that his 
promises are true, that that he 

1030
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:32,560
will never leave us and he will 
never forsake us. 

1031
00:56:32,680 --> 00:56:34,720
Yeah. 
That we walk through the valley 

1032
00:56:34,720 --> 00:56:37,200
of the shadow of death. 
He is with us. 

1033
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:39,880
His rod and his staff comforts 
us. 

1034
00:56:40,880 --> 00:56:44,000
Don't just quote that at a 
funeral because it's the thing 

1035
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:47,160
to do. 
Know what it's all about. 

1036
00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:51,120
Psalm 23 is about affliction, 
and there in the valley of 

1037
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:54,200
affliction, what did he do? 
God has never forsaken me. 

1038
00:56:54,240 --> 00:56:56,720
How did He know this? 
He knew it because of God's 

1039
00:56:56,720 --> 00:57:01,000
Word, because of His promises. 
So even when we face affliction,

1040
00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:04,200
let's learn those lessons from 
Scripture. 

1041
00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:07,560
Let's go back to Daniel chapter 
3 and let's visit three young 

1042
00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:09,840
Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach 
and Abednego. 

1043
00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:14,120
Let's look at their lives as 
they are potentially about to be

1044
00:57:14,120 --> 00:57:19,080
thrown into the fiery furnace, 
heated 7 times hotter than 

1045
00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:22,320
normal. 
And they said our God will 

1046
00:57:22,320 --> 00:57:23,000
deliver. 
US. 

1047
00:57:24,440 --> 00:57:28,960
But even if he doesn't. 
We're not going to bow. 

1048
00:57:29,760 --> 00:57:32,480
Why? 
Because they trusted the word of

1049
00:57:32,480 --> 00:57:35,720
God in their affliction. 
They knew what the word of God 

1050
00:57:35,720 --> 00:57:38,200
had already stated. 
Don't have any other gods before

1051
00:57:38,200 --> 00:57:40,120
me. 
Don't make for yourself any 

1052
00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:42,320
graven images, and bow down and 
worship them. 

1053
00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:46,960
And those three Hebrew boys 
said, no, we are not going to 

1054
00:57:46,960 --> 00:57:50,800
bow. 
They focused on the Word of God.

1055
00:57:51,600 --> 00:57:54,280
Isn't that what affliction does?
You said well. 

1056
00:57:55,880 --> 00:57:57,880
They were relieved from their 
affliction. 

1057
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:02,080
We all are. 
That's a comfort that He is 

1058
00:58:02,080 --> 00:58:04,120
eventually going to relieve us 
from any affliction. 

1059
00:58:04,120 --> 00:58:06,720
They were thrown into the fire 
and God did a work. 

1060
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:10,600
We we still tell the story today
of how amazing and how wonderful

1061
00:58:10,600 --> 00:58:12,120
it is that God was their 
deliverer. 

1062
00:58:12,200 --> 00:58:15,240
Same God, same Deliverer in our 
lives. 

1063
00:58:17,920 --> 00:58:21,000
Afflictions come into our lives.
So we'll trust in His word. 

1064
00:58:21,720 --> 00:58:24,840
They were brought to this point.
They were already in captivity 

1065
00:58:25,400 --> 00:58:26,720
to Nebuchadnezzar and the 
Babylonians. 

1066
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:28,920
They were already in captivity. 
They had already been separated 

1067
00:58:28,920 --> 00:58:30,520
from their families. 
They'd already suffered 

1068
00:58:30,520 --> 00:58:31,280
affliction. 
And you know what? 

1069
00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:33,600
In their affliction, instead of 
whining and moaning and 

1070
00:58:33,600 --> 00:58:36,280
groaning, what they did is they 
focused on the Word of God. 

1071
00:58:36,440 --> 00:58:39,120
And then when the fire was 
heated up, when things were 

1072
00:58:39,120 --> 00:58:43,920
turned up, they persevered in 
their faith because they trusted

1073
00:58:43,920 --> 00:58:45,440
in the Word of God. 
Isn't that what affliction is 

1074
00:58:45,440 --> 00:58:46,760
for? 
Isn't that the purpose? 

1075
00:58:47,640 --> 00:58:51,080
So we can trust. 
What God says not what we see or

1076
00:58:51,080 --> 00:58:55,640
not what we feel. 
Thomas Manton said this. 

1077
00:58:55,640 --> 00:58:59,400
He said this good is not to be 
determined by present feeling, 

1078
00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:03,320
but by the judgement of faith. 
Affliction for the present is 

1079
00:59:03,320 --> 00:59:07,280
not pleasant to natural sense, 
nor for the present is the fruit

1080
00:59:07,280 --> 00:59:08,920
evident to spiritual. 
Sense. 

1081
00:59:09,640 --> 00:59:15,040
But it is good because in the 
issue it turneth to good. 

1082
00:59:15,440 --> 00:59:17,320
What is he saying? 
Your affliction is not good in 

1083
00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:22,600
and of itself. 
Which is painful, it's stark, 

1084
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:26,120
it's hurtful, he says. 
But you know this because of the

1085
00:59:26,120 --> 00:59:27,920
word of God. 
You know that it's being turned 

1086
00:59:28,640 --> 00:59:36,080
to the good that God in all 
things works, and He works for 

1087
00:59:36,080 --> 00:59:39,240
the good to those who love him, 
who have been a called 

1088
00:59:39,520 --> 00:59:42,520
effectually according to his 
purpose. 

1089
00:59:43,360 --> 00:59:46,080
What comfort we receive from the
Word of God in the midst of our 

1090
00:59:46,080 --> 00:59:47,880
affliction. 
How many times have we as 

1091
00:59:47,880 --> 00:59:51,320
Christians had to hold on to 
Romans 828 when affliction comes

1092
00:59:51,320 --> 00:59:56,080
to us? 
But some of you, when affliction

1093
00:59:56,080 --> 00:59:59,120
comes, you ignore the Word of 
God. 

1094
00:59:59,800 --> 01:00:00,960
Oh, don't miss this lesson 
today. 

1095
01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:04,680
Affliction comes so that you can
cling to the Word of God, so 

1096
01:00:04,680 --> 01:00:07,280
that you can know the promises 
of Scripture, so that you can 

1097
01:00:07,280 --> 01:00:10,400
know that God teaches us in His 
Word that though we face 

1098
01:00:10,400 --> 01:00:13,040
affliction and sometimes that 
affliction is horrible to us and

1099
01:00:13,040 --> 01:00:16,960
it does not make us feel good, 
He is still a good God and He is

1100
01:00:16,960 --> 01:00:20,880
still working this situation for
the good of those who love Him. 

1101
01:00:22,160 --> 01:00:24,560
Trust in His goodness. 
Trust in His goodness that has 

1102
01:00:24,560 --> 01:00:27,080
been revealed in Scripture. 
When you know the scripture 

1103
01:00:27,080 --> 01:00:28,800
enough, you will know how good 
He is. 

1104
01:00:29,520 --> 01:00:31,600
You will know that He still 
remains good even in your 

1105
01:00:31,600 --> 01:00:32,960
darkest hour, in your worst 
time. 

1106
01:00:34,560 --> 01:00:36,240
He's still good when you get 
that phone call from the 

1107
01:00:36,240 --> 01:00:38,080
hospital you didn't want. 
He's still good when you get 

1108
01:00:38,080 --> 01:00:40,040
that phone call from the 
policeman that you didn't want. 

1109
01:00:41,600 --> 01:00:44,640
Those afflictions come into your
life to teach you to cling to 

1110
01:00:44,640 --> 01:00:47,760
His word in those difficult. 
Times he knows best. 

1111
01:00:48,440 --> 01:00:50,080
Trust in God's revealed 
promises. 

1112
01:00:50,920 --> 01:00:52,960
Hebrews chapter 10. 
The author of Hebrews says this 

1113
01:00:52,960 --> 01:00:55,360
in verse 23. 
Let us hold unswervingly to the 

1114
01:00:55,360 --> 01:00:58,440
hope we profess, for he who 
promised is faithful. 

1115
01:00:58,600 --> 01:01:00,920
Take him to the bank on that. 
He's faithful. 

1116
01:01:01,320 --> 01:01:05,040
He's faithful to accomplish 
every single promise that he has

1117
01:01:05,040 --> 01:01:08,760
made to his children. 
Even in the darkest times of 

1118
01:01:08,760 --> 01:01:12,480
affliction. 
We can trust and we can cling if

1119
01:01:12,480 --> 01:01:14,600
the promises found in Scripture,
and I would encourage you to do 

1120
01:01:14,600 --> 01:01:16,440
that, perhaps you're going 
through affliction right now, 

1121
01:01:16,440 --> 01:01:18,360
whether that's affliction from 
God or that's affliction from 

1122
01:01:18,360 --> 01:01:20,720
man clinging to the Scriptures. 
If it's affliction from God 

1123
01:01:20,720 --> 01:01:22,480
because you have been 
disobedient, know what Scripture

1124
01:01:22,480 --> 01:01:24,640
says that if you confess your 
sin, He's faithful and just to 

1125
01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:26,120
forgive you your sin and to 
cleanse you from all 

1126
01:01:26,120 --> 01:01:28,440
unrighteousness. 
And today, confess that sin and 

1127
01:01:28,440 --> 01:01:30,680
have that discipline removed 
from your life, because he is a 

1128
01:01:30,680 --> 01:01:33,600
merciful and He's a good God. 
Cry out to him. 

1129
01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:37,320
Perhaps it is that discipline 
from men, from sinful men, from 

1130
01:01:37,320 --> 01:01:39,600
unbelieving men. 
They're making your life a 

1131
01:01:39,600 --> 01:01:42,800
literal hell on earth. 
Rejoice that this is not the 

1132
01:01:42,800 --> 01:01:45,720
extent of your life, that this 
is just light and momentary and 

1133
01:01:45,720 --> 01:01:47,840
one day you were sharing the. 
Glory of Christ. 

1134
01:01:49,360 --> 01:01:52,960
It'll all be worth it clinging 
to the promises that are found 

1135
01:01:52,960 --> 01:01:57,000
in Scripture because He is 
faithful to every single one of 

1136
01:01:57,000 --> 01:02:02,480
them, just as He has promised. 
Joshua 2314 says every promise 

1137
01:02:02,480 --> 01:02:05,600
has been fulfilled, not one has 
failed. 

1138
01:02:05,600 --> 01:02:08,720
Every single promise, the good 
promises of God that He makes, 

1139
01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:13,960
every single promise has been 
fulfilled, not one has failed. 

1140
01:02:15,080 --> 01:02:18,040
O child of God, rejoice in that.
When in the midst of your 

1141
01:02:18,040 --> 01:02:20,320
difficulty you think that 
somehow God has failed. 

1142
01:02:20,320 --> 01:02:24,720
God does not fail, and His Word 
teaches us that the whole 

1143
01:02:24,720 --> 01:02:26,960
purpose of your affliction is so
that you will turn your eyes, 

1144
01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:29,760
and you will turn your heart 
back to His word and find hope 

1145
01:02:29,760 --> 01:02:33,840
and find peace there. 
Numbers 2319. 

1146
01:02:36,840 --> 01:02:38,760
Moses says this. 
God is not man that he should 

1147
01:02:38,760 --> 01:02:41,800
lie, nor son of man that he 
should change his mind. 

1148
01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:45,880
Does he speak and did not act? 
Does he promise and not fulfill?

1149
01:02:46,400 --> 01:02:49,040
I don't you love that that our 
Heavenly Father is not like man.

1150
01:02:49,280 --> 01:02:52,240
He didn't make empty promises. 
He didn't say things that he's 

1151
01:02:52,240 --> 01:02:56,280
not capable of doing. 
No, when He makes a promise, it 

1152
01:02:56,280 --> 01:02:58,520
sticks. 
When He makes a promise, it's as

1153
01:02:58,520 --> 01:03:00,400
good as done. 
We have to trust Him in this. 

1154
01:03:02,040 --> 01:03:04,880
Affliction's purpose is to teach
us to trust God's Word. 

1155
01:03:04,880 --> 01:03:08,480
Not only that, it's to teach us 
to value God's Word. 

1156
01:03:08,480 --> 01:03:11,320
Look at the psalmist in the last
verse here and I'll wrap it up. 

1157
01:03:12,600 --> 01:03:14,360
He said the law. 
From your mouth is more precious

1158
01:03:14,360 --> 01:03:16,880
to me than thousands of pieces 
of silver and gold. 

1159
01:03:19,120 --> 01:03:21,760
He says it was good for me to be
afflicted so that I might learn 

1160
01:03:21,760 --> 01:03:24,080
your decrees, but it was also 
good for him to be afflicted so 

1161
01:03:24,080 --> 01:03:26,480
that he would value God's Word. 
You know what's wrong with the 

1162
01:03:26,480 --> 01:03:29,160
American church? 
We don't value God's word. 

1163
01:03:29,680 --> 01:03:32,960
You know what we want in church?
We want more of everything 

1164
01:03:32,960 --> 01:03:35,640
except preaching and teaching of
God's Word. 

1165
01:03:36,200 --> 01:03:38,120
Make that short and sweet and 
let us get out of here 

1166
01:03:38,120 --> 01:03:40,920
motivated. 
This is not about motivation. 

1167
01:03:40,920 --> 01:03:44,760
This is about transformation. 
And transformation comes when we

1168
01:03:44,760 --> 01:03:46,840
look at the entirety of the 
truth. 

1169
01:03:47,880 --> 01:03:51,400
And so we look at this, the 
psalmist, you're learning to 

1170
01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:54,400
value God's Word. 
He says the law from your mouth 

1171
01:03:54,400 --> 01:03:57,080
is more precious to me than 
thousands of pieces of silver 

1172
01:03:57,080 --> 01:04:00,720
and gold. 
Isn't it true that it's in our 

1173
01:04:00,720 --> 01:04:04,040
afflictions that we really 
learned the value of God's Word?

1174
01:04:05,760 --> 01:04:09,480
We really learned to testify? 
It was a difficult time and I 

1175
01:04:09,480 --> 01:04:13,800
didn't know what to do. 
But I trusted and what the 

1176
01:04:13,800 --> 01:04:19,960
Scriptures say, and God brought 
me through it just as He 

1177
01:04:19,960 --> 01:04:21,240
promised. 
I challenge someone. 

1178
01:04:21,400 --> 01:04:23,480
I challenge. 
Someone today, let's just do 

1179
01:04:23,480 --> 01:04:26,760
this you stand and show me one 
time where God throughout 

1180
01:04:26,760 --> 01:04:29,600
history has not been faithful to
everything that he has promised 

1181
01:04:29,640 --> 01:04:32,080
in his word. 
There will not be a person who 

1182
01:04:32,080 --> 01:04:34,800
stands, and if you stand, you 
will stand in vain because. 

1183
01:04:36,480 --> 01:04:40,320
He's not man, He's God, and He 
cannot lie. 

1184
01:04:41,080 --> 01:04:44,120
And everything that He promises 
comes to pass. 

1185
01:04:44,360 --> 01:04:49,600
And we are to value that. 
We are to value His word. 

1186
01:04:52,200 --> 01:04:59,560
Afflictions teach us to do that.
Afflictions teach us to do just 

1187
01:04:59,640 --> 01:05:02,880
that, to value His word in every
situation. 

1188
01:05:02,880 --> 01:05:06,280
When things are going good, 
things are going bad. 

1189
01:05:07,400 --> 01:05:12,600
When things are going super bad.
We learned to value His Word in 

1190
01:05:12,600 --> 01:05:17,360
the midst of our afflictions, in
the midst of suffering, in the 

1191
01:05:17,360 --> 01:05:21,160
midst of loss. 
His promises are more valuable 

1192
01:05:21,160 --> 01:05:26,320
to us than anything that this 
world could ever take from us or

1193
01:05:26,320 --> 01:05:27,840
should be. 
Shouldn't it? 

1194
01:05:28,760 --> 01:05:32,880
His Word literally a light in 
our darkness, as the psalmist 

1195
01:05:32,880 --> 01:05:36,600
said, Psalm 1/19, 1:05 That it 
is a lamp unto our feet, and 

1196
01:05:36,600 --> 01:05:41,120
light unto our path. 
Psalm 19 verse 8. 

1197
01:05:41,800 --> 01:05:44,240
The Psalmist saying this, the 
precepts of the Lord are right, 

1198
01:05:44,240 --> 01:05:46,000
giving joy to the heart. 
The commands of the Lord are 

1199
01:05:46,000 --> 01:05:47,840
radiant, giving light to the 
eyes. 

1200
01:05:48,400 --> 01:05:54,760
They are literal light in our 
darkness and affliction. 

1201
01:05:55,520 --> 01:05:57,880
Value the Scriptures for what 
they are. 

1202
01:05:57,880 --> 01:06:01,080
Value the Scriptures as the 
Psalmist did in Psalm 19, verse 

1203
01:06:01,080 --> 01:06:03,560
9, where he says the fear of the
Lord is pure, enduring forever. 

1204
01:06:03,560 --> 01:06:05,960
The ordinance of the Lord is 
sure and, and, and all together 

1205
01:06:05,960 --> 01:06:07,720
righteous. 
They're more precious than gold 

1206
01:06:08,000 --> 01:06:10,480
than much pure gold. 
They are sweeter than honey, 

1207
01:06:10,640 --> 01:06:14,280
than honey from the comb. 
He says in 1/19/14, as you 

1208
01:06:14,280 --> 01:06:17,080
remember, he said, I rejoice in 
following your statues as one 

1209
01:06:17,080 --> 01:06:20,440
rejoices in great riches. 
Why he values the Word of God 

1210
01:06:20,520 --> 01:06:23,240
and where did he learn to value 
the word of God in the midst of 

1211
01:06:23,240 --> 01:06:27,080
his affliction? 
Now I just simply believe this, 

1212
01:06:27,080 --> 01:06:29,080
that the American church is 
never really going to truly 

1213
01:06:29,080 --> 01:06:33,360
value the Word of God until we 
face that affliction, until we 

1214
01:06:33,360 --> 01:06:38,200
efface it biblically. 
Psalm One 19127 Because I love 

1215
01:06:38,200 --> 01:06:41,720
your commands more than gold, 
more than pure gold. 

1216
01:06:41,720 --> 01:06:43,960
The psalmist here seemed value 
in the word of God. 

1217
01:06:44,800 --> 01:06:48,640
You value the word of God. 
Perhaps you don't value the word

1218
01:06:48,640 --> 01:06:50,920
of God, and the reason that you 
are suffering affliction is 

1219
01:06:50,920 --> 01:06:53,520
because God is trying to teach 
you to value the word of God. 

1220
01:06:54,240 --> 01:06:56,720
Begin to value the Word of God. 
Open the pages of Scripture. 

1221
01:06:56,840 --> 01:06:59,840
Inundate yourself with it. 
Meditate upon its truths. 

1222
01:07:01,080 --> 01:07:04,600
And see if God is not faithful 
to all that he says in his Word.

1223
01:07:06,360 --> 01:07:10,760
Just as a psalmist in our lives,
it's often after affliction that

1224
01:07:10,760 --> 01:07:12,840
the Saint values the Word of God
the most. 

1225
01:07:13,600 --> 01:07:15,280
We go back and we say, you know 
what? 

1226
01:07:16,440 --> 01:07:22,360
Just as He promised, He 
delivered that. 

1227
01:07:22,360 --> 01:07:25,240
It causes us to fall on our face
again and to say, God, I praise 

1228
01:07:25,240 --> 01:07:29,920
you because you are a God who is
beyond anything we can even 

1229
01:07:29,920 --> 01:07:33,200
imagine doing, immeasurably more
than we could ever ask or 

1230
01:07:33,200 --> 01:07:37,400
imagine in Christ Jesus. 
According to your word, You 

1231
01:07:37,400 --> 01:07:40,360
won't obey the Word until you 
place the proper value on it. 

1232
01:07:40,800 --> 01:07:42,480
That's the lesson from the 
psalmist here. 

1233
01:07:42,640 --> 01:07:44,920
Affliction's purpose. 
Teach us to trust God's Word. 

1234
01:07:45,160 --> 01:07:49,040
Teach us to value God's Word. 
We live in a country where we 

1235
01:07:49,040 --> 01:07:53,760
have multiple copies of it. 
Do you know we deliver, we 

1236
01:07:53,760 --> 01:07:55,480
deliver scripture to third world
countries. 

1237
01:07:55,480 --> 01:07:59,000
And they were will literally run
as far as they have to run to 

1238
01:07:59,000 --> 01:08:01,800
get to the truck where they're 
passing out Bibles and New 

1239
01:08:01,800 --> 01:08:04,720
Testaments and Romans tracts and
gospels of John. 

1240
01:08:04,880 --> 01:08:08,920
They were literally run because 
they value truth, because they 

1241
01:08:08,920 --> 01:08:12,880
have not. 
And we so often in our culture 

1242
01:08:12,880 --> 01:08:16,840
take it for granted. 
May we not take it for granted. 

1243
01:08:16,840 --> 01:08:19,560
And may we understand God's not 
going to allow us to take it for

1244
01:08:19,560 --> 01:08:21,040
granted. 
He will bring affliction into 

1245
01:08:21,040 --> 01:08:24,840
our lives so that we can and so 
that we will value the Word of 

1246
01:08:24,840 --> 01:08:26,680
God. 
So the believer will learn to 

1247
01:08:26,680 --> 01:08:30,240
trust God and His Word when 
facing affliction one way or the

1248
01:08:30,240 --> 01:08:34,080
other, whether those afflictions
come from man or whether those 

1249
01:08:34,080 --> 01:08:36,720
afflictions come directly from 
God in the form of discipline. 

1250
01:08:38,520 --> 01:08:43,279
God desires that we turn our 
hearts to His Word that we 

1251
01:08:43,279 --> 01:08:45,080
value. 
His Word is the greatest 

1252
01:08:45,080 --> 01:08:48,279
treasure that we have on this 
earth. 

1253
01:08:48,840 --> 01:08:50,080
So let me wrap this up, 
believer. 

1254
01:08:51,920 --> 01:08:54,560
Are you seeing affliction for 
what it really is? 

1255
01:08:54,560 --> 01:08:56,040
Are you seeing affliction 
biblically? 

1256
01:08:56,040 --> 01:08:58,200
Are you mad at God because He 
let bad things happen to you? 

1257
01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:00,880
Maybe He let a bad thing happen 
to you so that better things can

1258
01:09:00,880 --> 01:09:04,000
happen to you. 
He let bad things happen to you 

1259
01:09:04,000 --> 01:09:06,439
so you can go back to His Word. 
You can cling to Him. 

1260
01:09:06,520 --> 01:09:08,160
You can cling to His. 
Promises. 

1261
01:09:09,880 --> 01:09:14,439
See them for what they are. 
Are afflictions in your life 

1262
01:09:15,520 --> 01:09:19,319
teachers and not terrors? 
Oh, we dread them. 

1263
01:09:19,319 --> 01:09:24,240
Oh no, don't bring those. 
When will we? 

1264
01:09:24,240 --> 01:09:28,240
Pray Your will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. 

1265
01:09:29,040 --> 01:09:31,479
Lord, if it be Your will to 
bring that into my life, teach 

1266
01:09:31,479 --> 01:09:34,479
me the lesson that You desire to
teach me, 'cause me to focus on 

1267
01:09:34,479 --> 01:09:36,160
Your Word and to walk in the 
truth. 

1268
01:09:37,359 --> 01:09:39,080
Are you counting affliction as 
good? 

1269
01:09:39,080 --> 01:09:42,080
That's what the psalmist said. 
I count it as good. 

1270
01:09:44,240 --> 01:09:47,040
Are you resisting the lessons 
that God is desiring to teach 

1271
01:09:47,040 --> 01:09:47,680
you? 
Let me help you. 

1272
01:09:47,680 --> 01:09:49,800
If you're a Christian, He's 
going to keep teaching you this 

1273
01:09:49,800 --> 01:09:54,320
lesson until you get it. 
I have seen people time and time

1274
01:09:54,320 --> 01:09:58,760
again suffer the same affliction
over and over and over. 

1275
01:09:58,760 --> 01:10:03,920
Just this endless cycle because 
they kick against God and they 

1276
01:10:03,920 --> 01:10:08,960
refuse to trust Him and His Word
and to receive the lesson that 

1277
01:10:08,960 --> 01:10:11,320
this teacher is trying to bring 
into their life. 

1278
01:10:12,720 --> 01:10:15,840
So to the believer, I say this, 
see affliction biblically, 

1279
01:10:16,600 --> 01:10:19,360
rejoice in it. 
Rejoice in the fact that God 

1280
01:10:19,360 --> 01:10:24,040
loves you so much that He will 
bring things into your life. 

1281
01:10:24,040 --> 01:10:27,480
The difficult in your feelings. 
These things teach you great 

1282
01:10:27,480 --> 01:10:31,520
lessons that you can learn no 
other way to the unbeliever. 

1283
01:10:31,520 --> 01:10:34,760
I say this to you as we prepare 
to depart this morning. 

1284
01:10:37,280 --> 01:10:41,680
Your concern need not be earthly
affliction because a lot of 

1285
01:10:41,680 --> 01:10:44,280
times the lost man has smooth 
sailing in this life. 

1286
01:10:46,200 --> 01:10:48,200
He has a good life while the 
Christians suffer. 

1287
01:10:48,280 --> 01:10:52,920
But let me warn you of this one 
more time before we depart this 

1288
01:10:52,920 --> 01:10:56,720
morning. 
If you do not surrender to Jesus

1289
01:10:56,720 --> 01:11:00,360
Christ as your Lord and Savior, 
believing in Him and Him alone, 

1290
01:11:00,360 --> 01:11:03,080
trusting in Him to wash you and 
to cleanse you from all of your 

1291
01:11:03,080 --> 01:11:05,560
sin and all of your 
unrighteousness while you live 

1292
01:11:05,560 --> 01:11:13,000
this life, you will face eternal
affliction in hell. 

1293
01:11:13,880 --> 01:11:19,400
The full fury of the wrath of 
God will be poured out eternally

1294
01:11:19,760 --> 01:11:23,680
upon you. 
I encourage you this morning. 

1295
01:11:24,800 --> 01:11:28,760
Flee from the wrath and the 
judgment that is to come. 

1296
01:11:29,720 --> 01:11:34,480
Flee just as Noah and his family
fled to the ark when God told 

1297
01:11:34,480 --> 01:11:37,480
them to go and God move them in 
there and he shut the door and 

1298
01:11:37,480 --> 01:11:41,240
he sealed it behind them. 
Flee to the ark of Jesus Christ 

1299
01:11:41,240 --> 01:11:44,840
this morning, because judgment 
and wrath is going to come upon 

1300
01:11:44,840 --> 01:11:48,480
all unbelieving sinners, and 
they will be afflicted with this

1301
01:11:48,480 --> 01:11:54,520
judgment forever in hell. 
Thus saith the Lord. 

1302
01:11:54,520 --> 01:11:57,680
Not my old, outdated, old 
fashioned opinion. 

1303
01:11:57,840 --> 01:12:03,000
Thus saith the Scriptures. 
So enter into the ark of Christ 

1304
01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:09,440
today, flee your sin, flee your 
wickedness, and cry out to Jesus

1305
01:12:09,440 --> 01:12:11,320
Christ to have mercy on your 
soul this morning. 

1306
01:12:11,320 --> 01:12:13,560
He is a merciful and a forgiving
God. 

1307
01:12:13,560 --> 01:12:15,240
Let's pray together. 
Father, in the name of Jesus, we

1308
01:12:15,240 --> 01:12:16,720
come to you. 
Thanking you so much for Your 

1309
01:12:16,720 --> 01:12:21,040
Word, Lord, even thanking you 
for the truths that we see 

1310
01:12:21,040 --> 01:12:24,640
concerning affliction. 
That great professor that is 

1311
01:12:24,960 --> 01:12:28,520
constantly there to teach us to 
look to You, to look to Your 

1312
01:12:28,520 --> 01:12:35,280
Word, to trust in You, to trust 
in Your Word, to make us holy, 

1313
01:12:36,400 --> 01:12:37,920
is your desire for us to be 
holy. 

1314
01:12:39,280 --> 01:12:41,280
God, we thank you for the 
lessons that we have learned, 

1315
01:12:42,280 --> 01:12:46,640
but I pray for the soul who does
not know Christ again, that You 

1316
01:12:46,640 --> 01:12:50,800
would show them mercy today so 
that they don't have to face 

1317
01:12:50,800 --> 01:12:55,040
your judgement in wrath. 
Spare them through Christ, save 

1318
01:12:55,040 --> 01:12:57,200
them. 
Give them faith to believe, 

1319
01:12:57,840 --> 01:13:02,480
regenerate their wicked heart, 
give them a new heart, a trust 

1320
01:13:02,480 --> 01:13:05,520
in you and you alone. 
We ask and we pray these things 

1321
01:13:05,520 --> 01:13:11,200
in Jesus name, Amen. 
You have been listening to Key 

1322
01:13:11,240 --> 01:13:13,880
Life Fellowships Pulpit Ministry
podcast. 

1323
01:13:14,440 --> 01:13:17,160
Join us each week for more 
teaching from God's Word. 

1324
01:13:17,760 --> 01:13:20,840
If you would like to speak with 
one of our pastors, please visit

1325
01:13:20,840 --> 01:13:23,680
us on the web at 
keylifefellow-ship.com. 

1326
01:13:24,360 --> 01:13:26,240
Thank you again for joining us 
today.