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I don't think we're being 
persecuted yet. 

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I think we've been 
inconvenienced, but what happens

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if we are going to be persecuted
for our faith? 

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What are we going to do? 
And how we going to respond? 

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Will we ever be persecuted by 
the law who stands outside the 

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building and keeps us from 
entering to assemble? 

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The worship? 
Will there ever be a time that 

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that will happen? 
How many times have we prayed 

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over the years? 
And we've said that God would 

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never allow a law to come in. 
That would keep us from 

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worshipping according to the 
Divine pattern. 

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And then we have always said but
if there is such a law to give 

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us the courage and the strength 
and the conviction to do what 

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God has said and nothing else. 
Well, you know, there's been a 

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great discussion throughout the 
Brotherhood this last week and 

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it's been over. 
What do you do? 

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If the law says you cannot 
assemble, what do you do? 

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Some people have said, well, if 
the law says that you can't 

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assemble, we have to obey the 
laws of the land. 

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So, therefore, we will not 
assemble and it's not true. 

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We obeyed God, instead of man. 
If man's laws interfere with 

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what God has instructed us to 
do, now, there are things that 

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we can do. 
We can assemble at a different 

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location. 
There are other things that we 

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can do. 
We can assemble at a different 

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time. 
Somebody even said, you know, we

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could meet even earlier and I 
know that 8 a.m. is awfully 

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early, but we could meet earlier
than that. 

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There are things that we can do 
and I don't have time to go into

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that. 
In fact, I wanted to preach a 

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sermon on these scriptural 
assembly. 

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And what are the rules for 
assembly? 

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And what would we do if we 
couldn't all gather together in 

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one place but I don't have time 
to go into that and 10 minutes 

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maybe that's coming soon but I 
want to talk about being 

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persecuted for just a little bit
you know the Hebrew Brethren 

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that were found in written to 
and the book of Hebrews they 

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were undergoing. 
Going such persecution. 

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They were going undergoing, 
great persecution. 

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In fact, as they were looking 
toward, are nearing the 

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destruction of Jerusalem, there 
were great persecutions around 

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them and that's why the Hebrew 
writer. 

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And I believe that to be Paul 
said, not forsaking the 

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assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is, but 

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exhorting, one another and so 
much, the more as you see the 

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day, approaching historically 
speaking those Jewish Christians

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were The going such persecution 
that many had turned their back 

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on Jesus and had gone back to 
the ways of the Old Law. 

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They said, listen, it's easier 
just to go back to Judaism and 

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not be persecuted anymore. 
And Paul said no, don't forsake 

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the assembly as some are doing. 
So, but you encourage one 

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another, as the day is 
approaching that day there, I 

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believe to be the destruction of
Jerusalem because they were 

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going through great persecution.
What did Jesus say though about 

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person? 
Duchenne in the Beatitudes, in 

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Matthew chapter 5. 
Jesus said, these amazing things

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in verse 10. 
Blessed are those who are 

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persecuted for righteousness 
sake? 

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For theirs is the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

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Blessed? 
Are you, when they revile and 

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persecute you and say all kinds 
of evil against you falsely for 

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my sake rejoice and be 
exceedingly? 

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Glad for great is your reward in
heaven for. 

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So they persecuted the prophets 
who were before you. 

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Well, very briefly. 
Now I want to talk about three 

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things. 
There's Reasons that the child 

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of God can have Victorious 
optimism in the face of 

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persecution. 
Number one, because of the 

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Christians relationship to God. 
Number two because of the 

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reality of Truth. 
And number three because of the 

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reward of the righteous, these 
are things that we can have 

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Victorious. 
Optimism through the 

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persecutions that come our way. 
Number one though, because of 

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our Christian, because of the 
Christians relationship with God

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when Jesus talked about the be E
Attitudes. 

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By the way, the Beatitudes the 
Latin form of that word means 

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blessed. 
The Greek form of that word 

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means happy or content. 
So when you look at the very 

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idea, Jesus is saying, is happy 
or content are you when you're 

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persecuted for righteousness 
sake? 

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And it wasn't saying that you'd 
be happy for the physical trial 

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or the outward persecution. 
But he's talking about the 

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spiritual blessings that you get
when you endure. 

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So, the first thing that we want
to notice is the Christians 

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Relationship with God happiness 
is knowing that God is on our 

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side. 
I don't think there's enough 

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said about that. 
God knows where you are. 

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Today, God knows that you've 
assembled with the Lord's Church

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to worship God. 
He knows that God is on our 

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side. 
When we pray to God, and we ask 

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God, that there would be no 
nothing that would come our way 

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by way of persecutions, but give
us the strength to endure. 

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He is on our side in Romans 
chapter 8, and verse 31. 

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Paul said if God be for us, who 
can be against us? 

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Psalm 46, 1 through 3, God. 
It is our refuge and our 

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strength, in Jeremiah 20:11. 
The Lord is with me as an 

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awesome mighty one. 
In First John 3 and verse 1 

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behold? 
What manner of love? 

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The father has bestowed on us 
that we should be called the 

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children of God. 
God is on our side, and we have 

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Victorious optimism. 
Now, I'm just going to say 

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something about faith briefly, 
if you're going to have faith, 

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and you're going to have 
increased Faith, you have to 

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either have faith or Not and 
you've heard me preach a sermon 

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about fear and I said a person 
is either fear-driven or they 

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are faith-driven. 
If you're going to be 

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faith-driven you literally and 
you got to make good decisions 

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on our part. 
Absolutely. 

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But we have to put our faith in 
our trust in God, that God is in

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control and both Time. 
And Eternity. 

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God is on our side. 
So if we are at some point in 

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time persecuted for 
righteousness sake, there's 

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Victorious. 
ISM and happiness, being 

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contentment because God is on 
our side. 

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Number two, Because of the 
reality of truth, that's a 

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really interesting concept, the 
reality of Truth, you know, 

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sometimes when we undergo a 
persecution or we suffer in some

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way or another, sometimes when 
we go through a suffering, we 

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met in our mind set on mine 
might say wait a minute now, is 

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it my fault? 
Have I done something that's 

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caused me to be in the 
predicament that I'm in and to 

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suffer what I'm suffering? 
So happiness comes in the 

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persecution knowing it's not our
fault, knowing the reality of 

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truth and truth does not change.
Happiness comes from knowing 

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that that truth will never 
change. 

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If we are persecuted for our 
faith, we know it's not our 

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fault because truth doesn't 
change, Hebrews 13, and 8, Jesus

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Christ. 
The same yesterday and today, 

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and forever in Malachi 3 and 
verse 6. 

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For I am the Lord, I do not 
Change. 

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If we follow the word of God, we
understand. 

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It is the standard. 
It does not change and happiness

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or contentment. 
Is this to know that God what 

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God has said is right? 
It is true and regardless of the

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circumstances in our life, God 
is ultimately in control. 

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In First Peter chapter 1 verses 
22 and 23. 

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The Bible talks about the idea 
that the word of God lives and 

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abides forever. 
Or and truth will ultimately 

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Prevail in Romans Chapter 2 and 
verse 2. 

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The Bible says we know that the 
Judgment of God is according to 

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truth. 
You know, something about that. 

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Something about that. 
We talk about God's word is 

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according to truth and God's 
judgment is according to truth. 

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Sometimes people ask the 
question, would God do so, and 

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so, and such and such, well, 
here's the point, it's not for 

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me to say what God will do or 
God will not do God is the 

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ultimate judge, but I will tell 
you this, whatever God's 

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judgment is. 
It will be right. 

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It will be just, his judgment is
always right number 3. 

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And finally, and then I'm 
finished. 

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We have Victorious optimism 
because the reward that will 

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have in heaven one day, but 
there's so much more to than 

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that, though. 
There are things that we're 

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going to have in our life that 
we understand. 

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There are challenges that come 
our way, but let's talk about 

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briefly, the Practical benefit 
of challenges, the Practical 

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benefit of trials, that come our
way. 

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The Apostle Paul said in second 
Corinthians chapter 4, these 

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things are called light 
Affliction. 

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And these light afflictions, 
they do something. 

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The more, the Affliction, the 
heavier weight of Glory, that's 

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an amazing concept. 
And by the way, Glory there in 

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that passage means this, it's 
talking about a person's 

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capacity to praise serve and 
honor God. 

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So, the greater the challenge 
that's in your life, as you may 

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suffer some day and you're 
persecuted for righteousness 

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sake, the heavier, the trial, 
the heavier, the weight, the 

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heavier, the persecution, the 
greater, the weight of eternal 

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glory, Your Capacity to serve 
God. 

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In other words, we can be better
on the other side of the 

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challenge than we ever were 
before for the cause of Christ. 

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What else? 
It gives us something else. 

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It gives us patience practical 
benefit. 

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It gives Us patience and first 
Peter, 16 and 7 in this, you 

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greatly Rejoice that for a time,
you may have these manifold 

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things that come our way. 
These various things that come 

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our way, but they're light. 
They're momentary and one day, 

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they'll be gone. 
God gets the praise when we 

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stand up for him now and we get 
the reward in heaven one day. 

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So, Happiness comes from 
understanding our reward in 

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heaven. 
Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5 

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for great, is your reward in 
heaven. 

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So, are we being persecuted 
right now? 

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I don't think so yet, but there 
may come a time when that's 

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exactly what we'll have to 
endure. 

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And if that is the case, will we
stand for? 

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What's right now? 
I'll just say this in closing, 

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if they came the authorities 
came and they said you must 

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disband, we would disband And 
then we'll meet an hour later 

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somewhere else. 
But we don't just stand there 

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and say, throw me in jail, we 
take the bullseye off the Lord 

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and we say, OK and then we just 
go assemble somewhere else. 

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That's what we do. 
There may come a time when we're

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not able to assemble, what are 
we going to do? 

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We're going to keep assembling 
and as those Hebrew Christians, 

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underwent all that persecution, 
because of their faith will do 

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the same thing if that is the 
case. 

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So, pray hard, pray hard that we
won't have such a circumstance. 

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But also pray for the Courage, 
the conviction and the strength 

200
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to do. 
What's right in conclusion, 

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Christians can be happy when 
persecuted if that is the case 

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because of our relationship with
God, he is our refuge and our 

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strength realizing the reality 
of Truth. 

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It does not change and it's not 
our fault. 

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We're following the pattern that
God has given. 

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And number three, because of the
reward of the righteous one day 

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in heaven. 
We thank you for listening to 

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00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:48,000
our podcast, put on by the 
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

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00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,500
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