Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast.
If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you.
Thank you for joining us today.
Good evening, everyone. On behalf of the management, I apologize that things weren't
what they should have been last week. There was a mix-up, and we will now continue on with
Chapter 22, and we'll take up where Chris left off.
Lord, we thank you tonight that you are risen, that we serve someone that is living,
someone that is intimate in our lives as we allow you to be.
We thank you for the blessings that we have received.
We thank you for the opportunity to share. We ask, Lord, as we break the bread of life
in Chapter 22, we ask, Lord, that we will receive and be edified by the things that unfold tonight.
So, Lord, we give tonight to you, and we thank you for everyone that has come.
We ask that you bless them richly, we pray. In the name of Jesus, everyone said, amen.
Amen. Joshua 22 will soon be finished with Joshua.
I actually hate to leave. I mean, it's been so good, and I don't know whether you
listen to… I mean, when I sit home, if I don't get it right on, I get it maybe like the next
evening or whatever, but there's just so much continuity and yet so much diversity in the
fellows as they share. So, it's good. All right. Let's take a look at a short outline
of the 22nd chapter of Joshua. First off, it starts off with Joshua sending the Eastern tribes
home, and those tribes were Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. So, he said, go home,
thank you for your full service, thank you for warring with us, may you be blessed. And the Lord
gave Israel rest after the war for the land that they had had was now conquered. So, he blesses
them and he exhorts them to remain faithful to the Lord. So, this is almost like a partying
benediction because as you get into family life, the herds and the sheep and all that stuff,
they weren't trooping together across the desert. They were settling down
and living their own lives. So, in the next part of the chapter in verses 9 through 20,
the Eastern tribes, which we just talked about, built a large altar near Jordan and all of a sudden
there was a situation that came about because the Western tribes believed that it was an act of
rebellion to prepare and so they prepared for war. What is this? I mean, we have one Lord,
one God. It is in a tabernacle. We transported it across the desert and here there is an
altar being built. So, Phineas, as he was a wise man, and we'll talk a little bit about him,
and the leaders begin to investigate the matter before everybody wants to go to war.
So, they found out that the purpose of the altar was then explained as an altar of witness
to what the Lord has done, not a place to bring sacrifices. So, there was a misunderstanding
and then they rectified that and it served as a shared covenant with the Lord. So, you see that
there was a misunderstanding. They remedied it and in the last part, 30, 34, the explanation then
was accepted by the rest of the tribes. The conflict was avoided and the altar is named as
a witness that the Lord he is God. So, this is a synopsis of the chapter. Those little yellow
words are important to us, so let's take a look at what this is all about. So, Israel experienced
affliction through the years of warfare. There were about seven long years of warfare between
the Israelites after crossing the Jordan and when their national conquest was finally finished,
they were then at rest, but that was a seven-year war. Now, what did that look like? What were
these afflictions that Joshua had to lead the people through? Basically, there was a lot of
misunderstanding. There was a lot of learning that still had to be done. So, Joshua's instructions
to defeat Jericho seemed foolish by human people. If I were to tell you that we're going to have
conquest and go to war, do you think that it would be that we just march around the city or what?
And blow a trumpet? You know, in the natural, it wasn't necessarily a cool thing. But anyway,
this is what God wanted and God was providing. He was, again, delegating through Joshua what to do.
So, Joshua lost the war because then there was another war because Achan
stole some garments in gold and silver. He didn't know, but he lost it. And he had to go and kill
Achan because of his disobedience. And then Joshua uses now a new form of war that was introduced,
is the ambush. This wasn't a miracle from God, but God was behind and was ambushed. That's how
he killed the remaining people. And then Joshua is deceived by the Gibeonites, and he had to make
a covenant without asking God. So, there was two errors here. He was deceived in the sense
that they came to him from afar. They had dirt on their clothes. They had bread that was hard and
crusty, and yet they were a neighboring faction of what was to be conquered. And so, he made a
covenant with them, and long behold, they were close and very close. And by virtue of that
obligation then, when they were afraid and they were going to be at war with other nations,
other tribes rather, they came to him, and he then had to defend them from the Amorite kings.
Joshua had to war against a massive coalition of 12 tribes. In seven years, he conquered.
And this is what's said about Joshua. 31 kings were defeated in the Promised Land. So,
there was victory, but these afflictions, if you look at them, were very instantaneous. Some
were planned. Some were not. God was in it. God was out of it. And so, consequently,
he dealt with problem areas. Okay. That affliction. Like the Israelites,
we, you and I, experience sessions in our life when God brings us through enormous afflictions
and delivers us from that. Have any ever been afflicted with things?
All hands go up, for sure. And, however, this does not mean that every enemy was then eliminated,
as we would read on. Many pockets of the Canaanites remained in the land.
And Israel would continue to fight local skirmishes for many, many years.
Say, the first question I might ask, well, why didn't he deliver them all? And we'll get into that.
Let's take a look as an aside. Phidias is a very interesting individual. I had shared the other
Sunday morning, statistically, without going into great detail, that the Israelites, though they
were considered now one nation, they still had what? Obstacles that prevented them from knowing God.
Idols. They had worship. They were marrying other than Israelites outside of the camp,
so to speak, the 12 tribes. And there was confusion in there. And I said in that
presentation that there was about one out of every 10 people that were Israelites that really
followed God passionately. Others were casual, others rebelled, others got killed. And so,
consequently, we have this issue that's continually before us. But Phidias,
he was a man of passion for the Lord. So, as he was placed in the scripture, he followed
God and his laws passionately. And you can read about him, but I just want to give you a couple
thoughts. Phidias became famous during Israel's wilderness journey. He kind of popped up when
there was confusion. There was many Israelites that, again, worship Baal, Peor. They committed
sexual immorality with the Moabites. And God's judgment then fell on Israel. And what happened?
They started to die. When an Israelite man openly brought a Midianite woman into the camp,
it was almost like showing off what he could do. Phidias then acted immediately. He pulled
out his sword. He ran after the guy. The guy ran into his tent, and he stabbed both
him and the Midianite woman. So, that was interesting. But his actions stopped the plague,
because there was 24 people that already were killed because of this incident.
And immorality and idolatry, as you know, is typically what we had dealt with through all
these issues with the Israelites. They were to be one nation. They were to be followers of God.
And yet, we talked about how casually they would bring their idols with them, and they would
statistically have more idols than not in their camp. And God wanted to rid them of this.
So, he stopped the plague, and God said about Phidias. He was a high priest. He was zealous
with my zeal among them, meaning many. So, you see, here is another individual that we can
put on the shelf as one of the things we had talked about. Samuel was there. He was a patriot,
but that was after the kingdom got established. There was, again, Israel had people that were
synonymous with rebellion and people that were synonymous with blessing, and he was
one with blessing. Okay, let's leave that, and let's look at, by way of example,
the differences between afflictions and skirmishes. First off, afflictions are hardships,
very, very big issues in your life. And we have skirmishes that are inconveniences.
So, let's compare those and take a look at them. Serious life-changing illness can be a
issue that you're dealing with. We personally know that in our household. Joni has MS,
and we deal with that on a daily basis. Persecution of your faith. I don't think we,
anyone in this room, we may have been made fun of for our salvation on our testimony,
but we really haven't been persecuted as those... Think about the Iranians right now,
that the underground church is suffering. And what happened yesterday?
Three people that were protesters had been brought up, and they were shot publicly, once again,
a show of, quote, unquote, strength from the IRGC. And so, consequently, we haven't had that,
but that is persecution. That is affliction. The loss of a loved one. And that inexperience
in and of itself is a great issue that people deal with day in and day out. And long-term
unemployment maybe is an issue because of health or whatever reason. And then chronic pain and
disability. So, those are afflictions. However, on the other side, when you take and look at
what skirmishes tend to be, traffic delays, anybody ever lose their temper over traffic
delays? Yes. You're talking to the guy in your front of you, and my wife says,
well, who are you talking to? The guy in the front of him. Minor disagreements,
daily frustrations, unexpected expenses, and interruptions. So, now, both of these,
and we'll talk about the dualism of these things tonight, can be used by God to mature us.
Well, we don't want to talk about that. Yeah, well, we're going to talk about that.
But afflictions are generally referring to weighty matters of life and death, perhaps,
hardship, suffering, while skirmishes tend to be daily and are more numerous small,
irritating, reoccurring challenges that also can shape our character. Both shape our character.
So, the first question that we have, why do you think God uses both major hardships
and everyday challenges to shape us?
So, is it all affliction or just small skirmishes? Yes.
Well, first of all, I've learned that in order for faith to grow, you have to go through hardship.
Yes.
Otherwise, it won't grow and you won't be any closer to be like Christ unless you've
been through a trial and a test. And isn't it sometimes true that all of us gather around
the big afflictions and we seek God and we're close and all of a sudden things are remedied
and what happened? Kind of easy, Street. Things are good. While the afflictions
tend to help us keep our eyes on Him. Any other thoughts?
Yes, Gail.
Well, there's also different levels of things that we have to learn. Some things are deeper
and some things are of our heart and some things are more of a mind over matter type of thing.
So, it just depends on the level of learning that you need to go through and God knows
what that is. We don't. So, He uses those different things.
Are we all finished learning? Anybody arrive yet? No, no hands on that one.
Okay. Agreed. All right. So, we have these differences. It's an observation that God
wants to use all of them. And again, the next question would be what disciplines help you
endure these afflictions and skirmishes? What helps you get out of the mindset
or out of the funk or out of the difficulty when you're going through it? What helps you?
What helps me is my faith. Okay. Okay. And knowing that, excuse me, that I'm not alone.
All right. That's good. That my Lord and Savior is with me. And then please walk Him
beside me and lead me through the storm. Okay. Anybody else? Any other thoughts?
I'm wondering God's word. You know that God is constantly telling you about no quarrels,
no, what do you call it? Being patient and to be like Nehemiah. You can say a quick prayer
and get through what your heart's about that moment.
You know, what's interesting, if we resort to prayer much quicker after reading the word and
being fortified with the word, the skirmishes tend to want to go away because the lesson is
learned. My prayer these days is, Lord, when you show me something, I want to learn the lesson
so I don't have to go through it again. Any other hands? Jackie?
I was just going to say thankfulness. Be thankful for everything.
Yeah. That's right. That's right. Go ahead. I'm sorry.
Okay. I was just going to say, and the word definitely helps. And I've noticed that if
I could sing a song, it speaks to my heart really, and it calms me and
brings you a little bit closer with the Lord there.
Yeah. I mean, I like to do that too, but my wife tells me I don't have a voice.
So we got…
Yes.
No, no. Same thing.
I was just going to say thankfulness, but Jackie said the same thing.
All the things that get our eyes off of ourselves and back onto the Lord. Worship, singing,
reading, meditating, knowing that our salvation has been bought with Christ's blood
and the healing that we have through the stripes that he gave on the cross.
All right. So now let's look at afflictions particularly that storm into our life.
The Bible says that afflictions broadly describe opposition, stress, and suffering.
And God says this of his people, I have surely seen the affliction of my people
who are in Egypt. He acknowledges that. And then he was sending Moses to bring them out.
So God used Israel's battles back to our premise or the afflictions,
not only to give them an inheritance, but also to teach them. And this is important
because the battles are now finished, dependence, obedience, courage, and faith.
These are the continuing things that we draw out of these battles.
Like we said, in the battle, we're righteous, we're there, we're pressing in,
and now all is good. We kind of are comfortable. But he still wants to teach us these things.
Question. How have your afflictions drawn you closer to the Lord rather than further away from him?
So you have afflictions. How has that drawn you?
Jackie.
They're giving me a shorter and shorter mic. Boy, I tell you what.
Well, I think with me, you go through these afflictions and heartaches and all,
and you learn that God's faithful, and you see how he's worked through it, through the verses,
or through other people, or through a song. So when the next one comes, you remember,
and you just trust him, and that he's going to be there, and you rely on him that way.
You can almost say repetition's the mother of learning, because if you repeat it long
enough and often enough, you begin to get the message. It's important to know that.
Okay. There's another question up here that we want to ask before we go on,
and that is, has sharing your afflictions with other people helped you to strengthen your faith?
I know in my instance, in my life, I don't so much share about what God took me through. It was a
financial issue, but in my wife's instance, sharing about her and her testimony, it has really
strengthened us to believe, even as she is disabled and she has these impediments, that we
still pray for her healing. We believe that, and it is a testimony to other people. She gets discouraged
and says, well, what's my mission? Well, your mission is to be the person you are, and many
people have said over and over again, it's a challenge to them to look at Joni, and as
nice as she is, she's not inflicted with the idea of being depressed. She's not
useless in the sense of her personality, so she's edifying people just even in the wheelchair
situation that she's in. How about anybody else? Yes.
I was just thinking I was trying to find the scripture that came to my mind is,
I think it was David that said, I was glad when I was afflicted that I may learn
of the Lord or something under that order. In other words, affliction is good because it
does draw us closer to the Lord. It really does. It does. It matures us. It sure does,
and it reveals things about ourselves. Both good and bad, right? That's for sure.
Anyone else? Thoughts? All right. Okay. So, we have afflictions. Let's go to skirmishes,
these minor things that we may be talking about here.
A skirmish, then, can be described as small, sometimes reoccurring struggles
that, again, believers face and are often and always experienced in major after major crisis
has passed. They may not change the course of your life, but they continually require faith
and obedience. It's the learning process. One of the greatest lessons from Joshua is this,
that God gives victory, but he doesn't remove every battle. He doesn't, because we are learning
through these things. Question, how have these daily skirmishes, now not great big issues,
afflictions, but skirmishes, revealed areas where God is still shaping your character?
You know, you get these things and all of a sudden, you know, I'm not such a bad guy after a while,
and all of a sudden, big, you know, the Lord shows you something. Anybody ever experienced that,
where all of a sudden you, excuse me, I just have my phone on for an emergency here. I think
I'll turn it down, but. So, how have they helped you? They remind you of, I think I can
get back to you. Every day, I mean, you know, I work with customers, I'm in their houses every day,
and really, one of the biggest things with me is, it's not skirmishes with them, but
it's, you know, talking about different things and, you know, someone riding on your tail or
whatever the case may be, but just having more patience and being able to, you know,
recognize them and not to fall in the same pattern of, you know, why is it worth getting
upset about it? You know, Lord help me to control things I can't, you know, can and can't control,
but it's, so it's just, it's a daily thing. It's every single day. There's always something.
No sense in getting your hair afire. I can attest to that because I don't have it anymore.
All right, you're good. All right. So, you know, we learn. I mean, it's less and less in your life
irritating if you can get over the fact and you walk through it. Yeah.
So, our life group a while back had watched the videos of John Bevere's book,
but he was doing a video of it, of The Bait of Satan. And I hadn't really read the book
until recently, but it was a skirmish between my husband and I that brought it out.
Because, you know, I didn't realize until I was highly offended by something he didn't said to me.
And then the Lord just said to me, you're not allowed to be offended. And I'm like, what do
you mean? And he said, you have the right, but you don't have the real reason to be offended because
if you have the Holy Spirit really living inside of you, then you're supposed to be reacting with
love and forgiveness instead of impatience and getting out of sorts. And I've just really
realized recently how much our heart is really an abyss. And we have no idea of the depths of
our heart and how still in darkness parts of it are. And the Lord has to reveal them to us gradually.
If we allow him to reveal, and that's a big issue. If you would have taken that circumstances and
just fluffed it off and say, okay, no mind, you know, then God can't get at what he wants
to get out in your life. And I think, Chris, they need counseling. No, I'm just kidding you.
All right. So another question. Does your response to life skirmishes reveal patience,
joy, and trust as we have talked about? Or does it reveal irritation, anger,
impatience, anxiety, and why? Smiling. Okay. Well, sometimes I'm like, Gail, you know,
I'll go through it. And especially my nemesis is getting behind the wheel of a car.
And like I said, you know, my wife, she kind of tones me down. And, you know, I can, I don't
fall apart, but I get angry at drivers. You know, while you're sitting there in a right turn lane
with a red light and not moving, you know, why don't you go forward? Because there's no traffic
coming. And my first inclination is to lay on the horn. Yeah. Just like you did. Right. Yeah.
Boop. So those things are challenges to me. Anybody have a have a particular nemesis that
they deal with in their life? Ah. How are you? Just recently. I mean, I had one. I used to have one
all the time. I would let like egotistical people in softball games get to me. But then
when I started playing here with the church, we were a lot more patient with stuff like that.
So that was good. And I found myself doing it again the other day, not in the church league.
This guy on another team started doing pushups after he got us out and I just started going
off on him. And then after I did, I took off my hat and looked out like normally doing solid.
It was my saddle up or fall in the Lord hat. And I was like, Oh, okay. I gotta,
I gotta be more patient here instead of just getting so angry all the time at people that
I have no control over. So out of the out of the heart. So speaks the mouth, right?
Oh my gosh. Yes, Ron.
I have to say it's patience. Now we every Wednesday we go shopping at ShopRite because we get a 5%
discount for being old. So, so we go and then we see the bus pull up from the nursing home.
And they all get out there and they get right in front of me and they go real slow and start
looking around. And I kind of want to push them out of the way. But then we get to the checkout
counter and this is the worst. The little old lady's there with 15 or 20 things in her cart.
And all of a sudden out comes the glasses out of her pocketbook, which takes time.
What's the glasses on? Then the guy checking it out says, that'll be 15 something. Well,
out comes the checkbook. And then, you know, the glasses have to go back on and she's
making out the check. And she said, now who does the check get made out to? And it's ShopRite all
over the place. I mean, so I've learned to deal with that. And I laugh at it now. And the Lord
finally spoke to me that I kind of can witness to them instead of being mad at them.
Even through your patience, you know, some people get very irritated, especially the moms that are
coming home for dinner with the bag of groceries here. It's 430 and they have to get to go home
starting dinner and at five and the kids are coming in the door. Oh, my gosh. You talk about
people being impatient. Yeah. Oh, okay. You're saying hi. All right. Okay. Yes, Chris.
I find a lot of times like these skirmishes are not really personal things. It's like
bureaucratic red tape, like with insurance coverages and just governmental stuff you have
to deal with. Yeah. And it's like there's no person. It's just things to live.
But they take time. They're aggravating. And then when you finally get somebody on the phone,
you can unleash on them because you feel like you're entitled to because of all the aggravation
you've been put through. But really, those are the things. But it's like everybody deals with them.
So it's almost I guess it's a test on how we conduct ourselves, but it's common to man.
Everybody goes through the same stuff, all that, you know. So, yeah.
What we find is the heart is dark. If you really think about it, the heart is dark. Without God,
I mean, we have a dark heart. So, yes. No, I was going to say I'm Italian and one thing I
lack very much is patience. And I knew that God is trying to build it. And one of the things I
have a problem with when you get on the phone with someone who can barely speak English.
Oh, I really do. I go and I say, is there a manager there? One day I had a lady hang up on
me and I felt I felt convicted. And I said to God, God's let me know this person needs a job.
And I'm like, okay. And you just have to sit there and try to get through the accent.
I've always lost my patience with people of access.
I think that's a common thing, especially when all that is farmed out perhaps overseas.
And, you know, you're dealing with it. You can't understand it. And then like us, when you're older,
you can't hear it. So you got two things against you. You can't hear it and you can't understand
it. It gets difficult. Yeah. So, again, these are opportunities to show what's on the inside of us
to show us that we need improvements. All right. Let's build this case that we have before us.
But why do these enemies always remain in our life? Why can't I get rid of them?
Well, in Judges 2.21 it says this, God says that He left some nations in the Promised Land after
the conquest ended. And then it says in these different verses, to test, to teach, and to
reveal whether they would continue to obey Him. So they weren't all at war. They were these minor
things that came up, but He wanted to see what their hearts were made of. God wants to see what
your hearts are made of in the people on the telephone, the bureaucratic tape, and all these
things. It's not that, it's this that we are dealing with. These remaining enemies become
opportunities for continued faith and making sure that we don't misguide ourselves that that
is God's failure. Well, why didn't God take care of this? Why does He have to have all these
things come against me? No, He's just teaching you some lessons. Example. Paul. He pleaded three
times for God to remove His thorn in the flesh. And what does 2 Corinthians 12.9 say? My grace
is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. So we can take that at heart.
Actions, or afflictions rather, test the depth of our faith. How far down do we dig when those
afflictions come to us? And on the other hand, the skirmishes test the consistency of our faith.
Will we today be kind to that person and tomorrow not? And I don't point you out as a thing,
but I'm using that as an example. You know, what is the consistency of our faith?
So we have that challenge before us. So what is the difference between God removing a trial
and God sustaining us through it? What is that difference?
Well, I'll give you some help here. When God removes a trial, He changes the circumstances.
Amen for that. And when God sustains us, He changes us within the circumstances.
So that's a difference, yes. Before you put that up even,
but now it makes more sense. Seeing it as like the difference between them would be
when He removes a trial, it's His mercy. And then when He sustains us, He's given us the grace to
live it out, Him out, and respond the way He wants us to.
And we never know what that is. It can be sustaining, it can be deliverance,
it can be immediate, it can be long range. You know, He is diverse in His character,
and He deals with us so often in different and many different ways.
So this may help you a little bit. Afflictions and skirmishes. Now we're putting them back
together. They both help us walk with God every day. We said that. Here's a helpful illustration.
Now I'm going to ask, how many have ever watched Forged in Fire?
Yeah, cool show. What happens? The iron goes right into the furnace. Afflictions.
And it gets hot. The iron comes out. Okay, all finished? No. Bang.
Bang. Thousands, hundreds of beatings on that piece of iron, it finally takes the shape of a finished
product. So when you're thinking about life tomorrow, think about Forged in Fire. Where am I?
Am I in the furnace, in the heat of desperation? Or am I out being beat up so that I can be a tool
of God? And that's kind of how I look at it sometimes. Instead of the one tremendous blow,
there are thousands and thousands of things that come up. The strike is there to sharpen,
to strengthen, and to refine. And if you know about metallurgy, why do they put it in the hot
oil to quench the atomic structure of the iron so that it is toughened and harder? So consequently,
think of that iron that's being shaped in your life. What does it look like? Is it a piece of
blob laying on the bench? Is it in the fiery furnace? Is it on the bench being hammered?
Is it being quenched in the oil? And ultimately, there is a product that comes out of that.
His choosing, who you are, what he wants you to be. God is after our character more than our
convenience. Oh, Lord, take me out of this. I'm sick of it. Well, no, you haven't learned your
lesson yet. Okay, we're still going through it. Hear in and hear out. Okay. So if every difficulty
simply disappeared through prayer, I guarantee you the following. Prayer would become less urgent.
Faith would become less necessary. Humility would be harder to obtain because I got it.
Gratitude would diminish. And finally, spiritual growth would slow and if not stop.
That's the travesty of asking God to remove these things from our lives.
Not that anyone has joy in it, but understand we're being made in a tool that God wants us to be.
Not what we think we should be. Remember, God is valuing our transformation rather than our
temporary ease. Just think about that. Now here's some food for thought, some things to support this
element that we were talking about. In Malachi 3.2 it says, for he is like a refiner's fire.
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Why is the word sit
put in there? It could read, for he is like a refiner's fire. He will be as a refiner and a
purifier. Why does he sit? Well, if you ever worked on something or you tinkered with something
and you start off in a standing position, this is my mechanical background, I tear it all apart,
things are wrong, I really have to get down. So I'm going to sit down and take a look at this
thing. Microcosm as it may be, tear it apart, look at it, and trying to develop a remedy to it.
Well, in God's case, he's sitting down and looking at the refining process,
and what he is looking at is for the purity of what that is to be. When he can see his reflection
in the molten material, you are then ready to be used of the Lord. So there is an element of
sitting which is patience, which is duration of time. The silver is ready when the refiner
sees his reflection. No sooner. Isaiah 48.10, Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver.
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Affliction is one of God's refining tools.
Not that we want it, we already said that, but we realize that. Romans 8.8,
the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us. Affliction is temporary. God's glory is eternal. Just think, we're going to
get out of this after a while. We're going to be delivered. Anybody ready? Yeah, I am.
All right. In James 1, 2-4 it says this, count it all joy. I know, I know that verse of scripture,
John. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. That's what all these
things are to be considered, is to where you're at in your maturity level. Perseverance.
Question, why is patience then an important part of the refining process? Why is that?
Well, for one, if we don't have patience, we try to get out of it. How many have prayed to
be delivered from situations? I have. Oh my gosh, Lord, take me out of this.
But in patience and understanding, there is a perfect work. If you go back to the sword
issue, like the element of surprises, people bring their out. They don't fire it up long enough.
They don't hammer it long enough. And what does it do when it goes through the test?
It breaks. So are we a one-time use Christian? I don't think so. God wants to use you and reuse
you. So you have to go through the hot furnace, the pounding of the metal, the movement of the
atomic structure of that metal, the quenching of that metal, the hammering of that metal,
all these things add up for use in the service of the Lord.
I like the illustration that I heard years ago about a butterfly coming out of his cocoon
and how somebody was watching this butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon. And so
decided to help it along. But it came out deformed and it didn't live. Because it was
the squeezing of the process of his coming out, the squeezing pushed out all the things into his
wings that he needed to live to survive. And so the same thing with us, if God doesn't put us
through those things, we're not going to learn through that. And we won't be shaped properly
and then be successful or helpful. Right. Right. Due process.
Right. I say two things that I just heard recently on a podcast, the faith is like a muscle. You
constantly have to work at it, to strengthen it. And also Hal Lindsey, I'm sure you've heard of
Hal Lindsey, he says, everything you look at, he goes, try to remember to look at it from a
divine viewpoint. He said, try every circumstance in your life, look at it from a divine viewpoint.
So I try to. Okay.
Tomorrow when I drive and on the way home, I'm going to think about that thought.
Okay. Yes. What I see there is, you know, why is patience an important part of the refining
process? Because patience is everything that has to do with the refining because if the
patients weren't there, it would be an important part of the defining process. So you'd be defined
and to be final. So I find that interesting, refining and defining.
Think about God sits down and thinks about us and looks at us and spends time with us.
And that's not a quick fix on a seat for a couple of minutes.
Sure. It sure doesn't.
Yeah. I think patience is important in the refining process just because it
takes time. But we all go through that refining process. And it reminds me of this
one saying is actually, I think it's a Russian proverb. It's the same
hammer that shatters glass, forges steel. So it also makes me think of not only do we have
to be patient, we have to have the right ingredients from God. Because if you get things
like iron ore and things like that, those are the right ingredients. So if you put it through heat
and all that stuff, you make steel. But if you take things like limestone and sand and
put them through heat, they become glass. So they can't take that, that blow.
Oh, we got good example. You know, even there is a sulfuric acid and chemical that they use.
If you've ever watched the show, they sprinkle it around and that's caustic by nature. And
so what is all that? It's another trial that we live through and another thing that we deal with.
Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say? Oh, okay. Just scratching your head.
All right. No, Donnie. Oh, okay. You're scratching your ear too.
No, you're like I am. The thought came in and I want to express it. And when I get the mic.
All right. I forgot the thought.
You know, John, I have to tell you something. When it comes to patients I learned long ago,
don't ask for it. Because you will get trials just to show you that you don't have any and
it is your flesh and to repent. But the thing is, is that God does. And he gives you all the
patients you need. You just yield to him who lives with you. And so all his patients,
his fruit of the spirit is Christ. He gives you patience.
No free ticket to heaven. When we get that free ticket in the buy and buy,
remember the songs we used to sing years ago in the sweet buy and buy? Everybody remember that one?
Oh my gosh. Yeah. What about now? Okay. All right. We've got that. Okay.
Why is an eternal perspective essential when facing trials? I'll take that one because you
look beyond yourself and your circumstances in what could be. Not my ministry, not my position,
not my thought, but Lord, I want to be what you want to be. If it takes all my life.
And you know, when we go from this life to heaven,
the refining process will have never stopped. It goes until the day of our death to refine,
to refine, to make him such that, make us that we are a mirror of his love to other people.
Okay. Some additional scripture. Romans 5.3, we glory in tribulation also, knowing that the
tribulation works patience and patience, endurance and endurance, hope, and the hope doesn't make us
ashamed. Thank you for that, Lord. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit. God uses afflictions not only to destroy us, but to mature us.
Not to destroy us, but to mature us. Romans 8. And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love the Lord. God is sovereign over all circumstances, whether we believe it or
not. And he works in every one of these circumstances to bring us to the image of Christ.
All right. 1 Peter 1, 6, and 7. On that day, you will be glad even if you must go through many
hard tribulations and trials for a while. 1 Peter 1, 6, and 7, your faith will be like gold.
There you go. Finished product that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove
that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show you that
you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. Trials are temporary
and purposeful, and the gold is being proven of a genuine faith.
Okay, now let's compare these two now. So God can remove the trial.
And we personally probably have many testimonies in this room that He has removed us from situations.
We may have asked for it. We may have been willing, and all of a sudden things turn around
and it's removed. Then on the other hand, when God sustains us through that trial.
So let's look at these. What testimony do we have? Is there a testimony in one side of the
camp only or two sides of the camp? When He removes the trial, He changes the situation.
He can do that immediately. I mean, how many have ever had that? All of a sudden things
turn and praise God, you're free. And on the other side, where He sustains us,
He changes our behavior. That is given that we're yielding to Him.
In the issue where He removes the trial, He removes that burden. We're free of it.
Isn't that wonderful? But on the other side, He gives us strength to carry it and to be His witness.
The removal ends the suffering. And sometimes grace is sufficient during the suffering.
So we have those two. Both are testimonies. One, removal displays the power over circumstances
that He has. And then by comparison, it displays His power within us. And probably that's the
greater of the two. Because He always wants to work through the church, through the people,
as a witness to the world. He can sovereignly do anything He wants to do.
He probably won't do it. He needs to work through the people because He set up this hierarchy.
One, when He removes it, often brings immediate relief. Praise God for that. We've been there.
And two, it produces long-term spiritual growth when He sustains us through it.
Now, I'm not going to tell you which is a better testimony. But you see, they're both sides of
that. And it is still a testimony to the Lord. How many of us can then testify that we have come
to know God's faithfulness most deeply during sessions of hardship? Amen. We have learned that.
Okay. And we can say, then, God carried me through the circumstances.
All right. A couple more biblical outcomes with afflictions and skirmishes. What?
Oh, sure. No, no. Take your time. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.
All right. Okay. Remember, there's no copyright to this. All right? Forget the name. Use it as you
will. All right. Outcomes. One, they teach us to depend on God, truly. We learn to trust Him
rather than ourselves. That's a long process. But the older you get, the more you begin to
realize that. And then the scripture that we put to that is, test trust in the Lord with all
of your heart. Not some of your heart. Don't exclude the dark rooms in there because they
should be light. They refine our character. How many can say that? Oh, my gosh. My character
would be much different today if it weren't for the Lord. Trials reveal what is in our hearts.
Oh, my gosh. Is that wickedness in there? You know, like I say, I'm a good man. All of
a sudden, you put me in a car in a busy intersection. You know, there I go.
James 1, 2, 4. The testing of your faith produces perseverance. So we covered that.
They prepare us for servanthood. So what's the outcome of all this is to be a servant
of the Lord, to be a doorkeeper in His house, not to aspire, but to be a doorkeeper,
to be willing to do anything. God often uses seasons of hardship to equip His people.
David fled from Saul for years. When the promise was given him, you shall be king. And yet he went
through hell to finally get there. Joseph endured slavery. He was abused. He was lifted up, and then
he was put down again. And Paul persevered through many, many, many hardships. And then
they keep us spiritually alert. We face the danger of drifting when life is comfortable.
I don't care who you are. When life gets comfortable, we kind of ease off. You know,
I talk about people in our prayer time together, Joe, and we spend a lot of time in prayer
and reading. And you know what? If there was a need there, I probably wouldn't spend as much
time, because I don't need them as much. Confession. 1 Peter 5a, be sober-minded
and be watchful. And they point us toward the ultimate hope that we have.
Someday, Christ will remove every trace of sin, suffering, and death. Hallelujah!
That's what we're waiting for. And along with that, Revelations 22-3, it says,
no longer will there be any curse over us. Now in closing. Oh, sorry.
All right. Okay.
So in closing, here's the practical application. When a new struggle appears, either as soon as
you walk out the door, behind the wheel of your car, or tomorrow morning, after a major victory,
instead of asking, why am I fighting again? Let's ask these questions.
What is God teaching me through this? Immediately, like what you said. If I can orient myself to God,
okay, Lord, what is it? What's the message? Where am I going? What deficiency in my character
you want me to deal with? Where am I to overcome? The devil made me do it.
How is he drawing me closer to himself? How? In these circumstances, how, Lord?
He will explain things to you in the inner small voice. He will dialogue with you.
What part of my character is he refining? Where am I going? It helps me personally to know
what he wants me to do, and then the process of getting to that end of things helps me.
How can this battle deepen my trust in him?
And I remember this, folks. Every new challenge is another invitation to experience God's faithfulness
in our life. It's wonderful that we have this opportunity. You know, you get into some of these
self-help groups, and I don't put that down at all. But it's the intuitive nature of what I
can do in circumstances without God, without the Lord. It doesn't go awful far. There are some
successes, but more than not. But in Christendom, there should be a greater success and revelation
because God is working in your life divinely and sovereignly, and that's what we want.
You know, we're on the good side of the story here, folks. We're not just sitting here,
well, I am an alcoholic and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you don't include God in that,
or if I am this and you don't include God in that, you don't go awful far.
So, Lord, we ask tonight for every individual in here that we see a perspective, whether it's an
affliction, whether it's a skirmish in our lives. Lord, we ask tonight largely on behalf
of your kingdom that you want to build in our hearts, that you take everyone in this room
and give them a destiny to where you want to take them, giving them a hope, Lord,
that they will reveal your nature through their lives, not even with a word that is said,
but a countenance that is coming from within, that people know that this is a person
that I want to know. And the difference that I make that you make, Lord, in our life,
we thank you so much for these opportunities. Father, we give the rest of the evening to you.
Thank you for good fellowship, good answer, good participation. We ask that as we go on our way,
that you would bless us and protect us until we see one another again. And everyone said,
Amen. God bless you.
Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss His word.
Don't forget to join us for worship live Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube.
Be blessed and have a great day!