Pentecost

Well, brethren, let's consider the very first countdown to Pentecost from the very first Passover. Were those 50 days filled with tests for the Israelites at that time, or were they on Easy Street? How did it go for them? What about now? Are there any tests for Christians today? Have you had any tests or trials these past 42 days leading up to Pentecost? Now, I know some of you are out of work right now, and you haven't yet obtained a job.

I know that that will test your attitude, no doubt. It will test your approach toward God. Some of you are still being tested as to your approach and attitude towards perhaps a death in the family or a life-threatening or life-changing illness that may have happened a few years ago, and it's still a trial for you. Some of you have had some severe financial trials and tests that are troubling you even now as you count down to Pentecost.

So what tests did the Israelites face on that first countdown to Pentecost, and what tests will we perhaps face ourselves? And how about the New Testament? What tests did Christ's disciples face on their countdown to Pentecost right after Christ's death? What trials again can we expect in the future? And how do we overcome our trials and pass our tests? Today's sermon is entitled Pentecost, Passing Our Tests in Life. The Holy Spirit certainly makes all the difference in the world when it comes to passing our tests in life.

If we yield to God's Holy Spirit and allow the Spirit of God to lead and guide us, we will certainly pass all of our tests in life. And I would say we will pass them with flying colors if indeed we are being led by God's Spirit and yielding to God's Holy Spirit in our lives as we go through those tests. Of course, if we fail to yield to the Spirit of God and we sin against God, what are we to do then? Will we harden our hearts and continue to defy God and sin against Him?

Or will we seek genuine repentance, which Mr. Renoso was talking quite a bit about being authentic, being genuine? Will we seek that repentance and forgiveness for our sins? Or will we allow a root of bitterness to become our largest trial? Will we yield to God's Holy Spirit and be forgiven our sins? So let's consider the trials and tests that besought the Israelites after the first Passover observance. Let's go to Exodus 14.

We know that the Egyptians pursued the Israelites with their iron chariots into the Red Sea. Of course, this was a great test. They knew that the Egyptians were coming after them, even though they had finally relented and Pharaoh allowed them to leave, Pharaoh was after them, and his armies were after them, and this was the most powerful army on earth.

So even though they saw many miracles from God, they didn't always walk by faith, did they? They walked by sight. They saw that Pharaoh was after them. They were afraid. Let's go to Exodus 14. One thing we'll see about the Israelites is there were times when they trusted in God, but it wasn't always consistent, was it? Let's look at Exodus 14, verse 31.

So this was after the Eternal had saved them, after drowning the army in the Red Sea. Verse 31 says, Thus Israel saw the great work which the Eternal had done in Egypt. So the people feared the Eternal, and they believed the Eternal and his servant Moses. So here was a time when they were yielding to God because they saw His power, His greatness.

They saw that He did deliver them, but just before that, they were wanting to go back to Egypt, some of them. And of course, we're all different, aren't we? Some people have more faith than others, and certainly some of the Israelites were extremely stiff-necked. As a people, they were all stiff-necked.

They were human, and all human beings are at times stiff-necked. Even Joshua and Caleb, I'm sure, were sometimes stiff-necked, but thankfully they were also led by God's Holy Spirit, and they were different. Moses was different. So they were certainly being tested after this first Passover. God was testing them to see how they would react. In Exodus chapter 15 in the Song of Moses, and this is a very encouraging, a very inspiring song.

If you haven't read it lately, I would encourage you to go back and read it, because it is a very encouraging song indeed, as God delivered them from the Egyptians. Verse 13 says, You in your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. So God was leading them to a holy habitation. They were going to go on from there to the Promised Land. At least, that was the plan. Eventually they did make it to the Promised Land, but there were a lot of trials before they got to the Promised Land, as we all well know.

You have guided them in your strength. Certainly God is all-powerful. God will guide us in His strength if we allow Him to, and if we're not too stiff-necked. So they went three days into the wilderness, and there was no water.

Was that a trial? Two million people? Two million people and no water? That was a huge trial. So we may think we would do better than the majority of the Israelites, but I would say that we would certainly have a trial on our hands if we'd gone three days into the wilderness and we were without water. We would begin to wonder, why hasn't God intervened yet? Why hasn't He given us water? What is He waiting on? We would certainly be tested. They came to the bitter waters of Mara.

The people complained against Moses. What are we going to drink now? They were sorely tested, and of course they did complain. They should have more patience and faith, yes, I would agree. They should, but I don't know how well I would do either. I mean, hopefully I would do well now because God's Spirit has dwelled in me for a long time, and hopefully I would be like Joshua and Caleb and just wait on God and know that God would intervene because He promised He would, that He was going to deliver them.

And we do need to place our faith in God and believe His promises. In verse 25 of Exodus, chapter 15, so the people were crying out to God, and while they were crying out against Moses, they were complaining against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? In verse 25, so He cried out to the Eternal, and the Eternal showed Him a tree. When He cast it into the waters, the waters were made to be tweaked. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them.

God tested them there, and said, If you diligently heed the voice of the Eternal, your God, and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep all of His statutes. I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Eternal who heals you. God is Yahweh Rofika. He is God our healer. He does heal His people when they turn to Him in faith, according to His will. And God does sometimes test us, doesn't He?

He doesn't always immediately answer our prayers. Verse 27, Then they came to Elam, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. Now that sounds like a lot, but for two million people, probably not too much. But they were able to drink, they were able to survive. They even had some shade. So they camped there by the waters. So again, there was a trial on their way to Pentecost. There was a trial that came upon them. God was testing them, as I've read. In Exodus 16, 1, it says here, And they journeyed from Elam, and the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, after they departed from the land of Egypt.

So they were on their way to Pentecost. Pentecost had not yet arrived. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. This time they were hungry. And two million people, not a small feat, to feed two million people in the wilderness. They were hungry, it says in verse 3. And the children of Israel said to them, Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Eternal in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Then the Eternal said to Moses, Behold, I will reign bread from heaven. For you and the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day. And God was going to test them, even with that. Someone out and gathered too much. They didn't gather what God told them together. They didn't trust that God would each day give them what they needed. They wanted to store some, put some in store. Of course, we know that it spoiled. It stank. And there were worms, and it was not a pleasant thing. Because God wanted them to learn that He will provide their daily bread, and that we must learn to trust Him and have faith in Him.

God also brought them quail in the evening. They had manna. In the mornings, they had quail in the evening. So God was providing them with food and with water, with everything that they needed to stay alive. But it was indeed a test because it was a daily test. And they had to trust that God would continue to provide for them. Verse 8, and Moses said, This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and in the morning bread to the full. For the Lord, here's your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against the eternal.

So Moses was making it clear that you may complain to me, but your real complaint is to God because I have very little power to feed two million people.

You know, Moses understood that without God, they would all perish. So he pointed them back to God, and he reminded them that when you complain, you're not really complaining to the leadership. You're not really complaining to them because their hands are somewhat tied. They can only do so much. They're only human. But God is the one that we should look to and the one that we should have faith in. In Exodus 17, it talks about how they complained and refit them, because again, there was no water, but God again provides water for them. So all of this was happening on the way to Pentecost. During those 50 days, they were being tested. They were being tried.

Some of them, I'm sure, were doing better than others in regards to how they were approaching.

Some of them complained more bitterly than others.

Some, I'm sure, had more faith. They had more patience. They trusted in God in greater ways.

Brethren, we're continually tested ourselves, aren't we, when it comes to our faith in God, our trust in Him, our belief that He will provide for us, that He will never leave us, and that He will never forsake us. In Exodus 19, it talks about the people saying, whatever you say, we will do. There were times when they had a willing heart. At least, they verbalized that they were willing to do whatever God wanted them to do. But, of course, they fell short. They were human beings. They fell short. And the fact of the matter is, we all fall short at times, don't we? Because we're flesh, we're human, and even with God's Spirit for many, many years, we still fall short. We are not yet changed to spirit. So, we should be humbled by humanity. We should be humbled by our flesh, by our carnality, by the way we are. And hopefully, we admit who we are, and we know who we are. It's believed that the law was given on Pentecost, that God thundered the Ten Commandments on the day of Pentecost. Of course, they were afraid of God. They, rather than have the kind of respect for God that they really needed, the proper type of fear and reverence toward God, they overreacted, you might say. They didn't really trust God, that God loved them, that God would take care of them, that He would keep His promises. So, they were more afraid of God than they really loved Him or trusted Him. And we know that they continued to be tested. The children of Israel continued to be tested. And you know, the Sabbath was one of the key tests, wasn't it? Exodus 31, let's see that there was actually a Sabbath covenant made between the children of Israel and God. Exodus 31, verse 12, in the Eternal spoke to Moses, this thing sticks way. It's a little difficult here, but if this was a little shorter, it would be better. I don't know if that's possible. But anyway, in Exodus 31, verse 12, in the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying, speak also to the children of Israel, saying, surely my Sabbath you shall keep, for it is a sign. So, he's not talking about just the weekly Sabbath. He's also talking about the annual Sabbath, the day of Pentecost, the days of Unleavened Bread, the day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles. He's talking about his annual, as well as his weekly Holy Days. Surely my Sabbath shall you keep, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am the Eternal who sanctifies you.

You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death, but whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest. It's holy to the Eternal. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. Thankfully, we have a weekly Sabbath to remind us every week that God is our Creator, that God sustains us, that God gives us life, that he continues to provide for us to maintain our lives. And when he had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the very finger of God. So God was very involved with the children of Israel at this point, and he would have stayed more involved had they responded to him differently throughout the years. But the people had issues. We know that it isn't long before they're bowing down, before a golden calf. They're going back to their ways in Egypt. The Egyptians were steeped in paganism.

They worshipped many different types of gods.

So the people were not looking to the great God of heaven and earth, the Creator God, but they were looking to foolishness, really, because there is no deliverance in those pagan idols, those gods, that people try to set up and try to put their faith and trust in. It's quite remarkable, really, that people are so foolish.

So let's switch gears a little bit. Let's go into the New Testament.

Well, before we do that, let's just consider the children of Israel continue to be tested from then on. The golden calf incident, the giants in the land, they had that grasshopper mentality.

We're just too puny when it comes to these other giants in the land. Of course, they had the real giant, God himself, on their side, but instead they looked to people rather than to God.

Remember the incident with the Gibeonites when they made some bad choices there. They were being tested. They were told not to make any alliances of any kind, but they were duped. They were fooled. They should not have been. They were continuing to continually tested the Amalekites, the Philistines, various nations around them. They continued in idol worship and Sabbath breaking throughout their history. In fact, all of this finally led to captivity.

We know that the house of Israel went into captivity in Assyria. The house of Judah went into captivity in Babylon. But God was still merciful, and God still loved them in spite of all their sins, in spite of turning against God and not truly yielding to God and to His Spirit.

God was always faithful to them, even though they were not faithful. So, in the Bible, we read about all of this, about unbelieving people, unfaithful people, disobedient people. Of course, some were led by God's Spirit, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Joseph, David.

Josiah, there are some good examples in the Bible that we should strive to emulate, of course, and we should take great encouragement knowing that with God's Spirit and yielding to God's Spirit, it will make a huge difference. Now, in the New Testament, let's go there for a moment.

What about between the days of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, after Christ was taken and was crucified? Actually, even before Christ was crucified, but as He was taken, we know that Peter denied Christ three times. Even though he vehemently said he would never do such a thing, he was being tested and he failed the tests. And he was afraid.

And he did not have the kind of faith and trust in God that he needed to have at that point.

And he was certainly humbled by that, and he felt horrible because of it.

We know that basically some of them lacked a lot of faith. They essentially went back to fishing rather than fishing for man and preaching the gospel boldly. They were still weak.

God's Spirit had not been poured out upon them, as it was on the day of Pentecost.

They were struggling with things. Christ was revealing Himself to them, and their faith was building, but they still doubted. Let's look at Luke 24. Luke 24. Luke 24, verse 1, Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared, but they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Yes, Christ was risen. They went in, and they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. And as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? Of course, these were actually angels. He is not here, but He is risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words, and they returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. And it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales. And they did not believe them.

They lacked faith. But Peter arose, and ran to the tomb, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves, and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. He was beginning to believe. He was beginning to have more faith.

And then it talks about the road to Emmaus, and it's surprising that they didn't know who they were talking to. But eventually they came to realize who they were talking to. Let's go to verse 28. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and he indicated that he would have gone further, but they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass as he sat at the table with them, and he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished from their sight. Now that don't make a believer out of you. That doesn't happen all that often. And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?

So they rose up that very hour, and they returned Jerusalem. And they found the eleven, and those who were with them gathered together, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon Peter. And they told about all the things that had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread. Now as they had, I'm sorry, now as they said these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, Peace be to you. But they were terrified, and they were frightened, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. Well, certainly he was a spirit, although he was composed of spirit, the power of God. He'd been changed to spirit, but he also was able to manifest himself in physical ways as well. He said to them, Why are you troubled?

Why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold, my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me, and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. But while they still did not believe for joy and marveled, he said to them, Have you any food here? So they gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and he was able to eat the fish. He took it and ate it in their presence. Then he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures. So they were gaining understanding. They were beginning to believe more faithfully.

But it took a while, didn't it? And they were still being tested. They were still being tested, and they doubted along the way, and God was being patient with them.

Only 120 followers, while thousands and thousands, had eaten the loaves of bread and the fish that they had to offer. But there were there was only 120 that were there, assembling together on the day of Pentecost, that were truly sticking with it. And really there, of course, there were a couple of thousand that were shortly baptized. So it wasn't that they didn't have some belief, because certainly they did. And on the day of Pentecost, when God's Spirit was poured out, it did make a huge difference. After Pentecost, the apostles boldly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. There truly was a remarkable, miraculous transformation. Peter began to speak with great power and courage before he was very doubtful. In fact, he had he had denied Christ, as I mentioned earlier.

But now he was given great power through God's Spirit. In Acts chapter 3, we can read about Peter and John and how he healed the crippled man, crippled from his mother's womb.

They said, Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk. That took a lot of faith to pronounce that, because Peter and John knew that of themselves, they did not have that kind of power. So they really were beginning to trust in God and believe in him. In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are thrown into prison, but they refuse to recant and they refuse to stop preaching in Jesus name, even though they were being threatened and they were tossed into prison because they said we must obey God rather than you, rather than man. In Acts chapter 4, let's turn there. Acts chapter 4, we see they pray for boldness. It didn't necessarily come naturally. They had to continue asking God for help and for strength and for boldness. Acts chapter 4 verse 29.

Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness. So God was hearing their prayers. God was answering their prayers.

God was making a huge difference between them and others who did not believe.

And so it talks about how God was adding to the church daily and God was blessing them.

Then it gives the account of Ananias and Sapphira in chapter 5.

Ananias and Sapphira were being tested, weren't they?

God always tested His people.

They were being tested as to whether they would tell the truth.

Would they be honest? Would they be authentic? Would they be genuine?

Or would they shade the truth? Would they be deceptive?

Well, we know they paid a heavy price that day because they did lie against God and against the Spirit. They died that day because of their unbelief. They truly didn't have enough faith in God. They didn't believe in Him enough. And they were yielding to their own carnal, fleshly nature more than they were to God's Holy Spirit.

So we're all tested in various ways, aren't we today? Will you gossip today? Will you gossip tomorrow? How about a week from now? You'll be tested.

Will you lose your temper for no good reason? For no godly reason?

Will you covet something that belongs to someone else? Will you be ungrateful?

Will you be selfish later today or tomorrow? Will you get angry again and take it out on someone?

Lash back. Say things that you ought not say as a Christian.

Will you be selfish? Will you let someone steal your joy? That's one of the fruits of God's Spirit is joy. Will you let someone steal your joy? Will you lust and commit adultery in your heart and in your mind? Will you steal something? Perhaps it's very small. No one will miss it.

Shouldn't matter. Will you lie? Will you allow yourself to become envious?

Will you struggle with that?

It's okay to struggle, but will you have victory through the power of God's Spirit?

Will you harbor hatred or resentment toward others? Will you be lazy? Will you refuse to serve more out of laziness than anything else? Have you become weary and well-doing? Well, God will continue to test us and try us in various ways.

Really, things aren't a lot different than they were back in the old days when people lacked faith, lacked love. Isn't that really our biggest problem today? We lack faith and we lack love.

And if we had all faith and all love, then of course we would do better than we do.

Of course, if we had all faith and all love, we would be God already, which would be nice.

But we're not quite there yet, are we? So we're going to have to continue to fight the good fight.

We're going to have to continue to struggle with all of these things. We're going to have to continue to be tested along the way. Let's talk about some scriptures that will help us in our tests. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Since we know we're going to be tested just as God has always tested his people, God doesn't tempt his people. Satan tempts his people.

God will test us. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Of course, when Satan tempts us, God is testing us.

How will we do? 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 1. Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Paul is imploring the brethren at Corinth. He says, Who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent and bold toward you?

He says, But I beg you, that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

There were problems in the church of Corinth. There were people who had attitudes against Paul, against the authority that God had given Paul. There were issues with people, many issues. Paul had a challenging job there in Corinth. He says, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. So Paul is imploring all of us to be sure that we're fighting this spiritual warfare with spiritual tools, not with physical ones. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, they're not carnal, but they're mighty and God for pulling down strongholds. All of us have to struggle against strongholds. Satan is a master at developing strongholds. He wants us to become addicted to as many things as he can possibly get us to be addicted to. There are many addictions in this life, and don't think that you don't have any addictions, because most likely you do struggle with some addiction of some sort.

Somehow, somewhere, you struggle with it. Those are strongholds that Satan has set up in our lives, and we've allowed those things to be set up.

But he says, when we fight back spiritually, we can pull down these strongholds. We can have victory over them. We know that the Scripture tells us, to he who overcomes will I grant to sit with me on my throne. So, God does expect us to be overcomers. He wants us to grow spiritually.

He wants us to do better. He doesn't expect us to be perfect in this life, but he does expect us to be moving in that direction. And we have to always be considerate of that. Are we moving in that direction, or are we backsliding? Casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, we do have to learn to control our thoughts, to bring them into captivity, to imprison those thoughts that are ungodly, that are unrighteous. And of course, first, we have to recognize them.

When we make decisions, we have to recognize if we're making a bad decision, if we're doing anything, if we're... it might even be as simple as the clothing that we wear.

Is it a wise thing to wear this dress, or would it be better to wear something more modest? Or, you know, there are many ways in which God will test us. And so, there are many daily things. Men and women, it doesn't matter. I mean, God has... Satan will tempt us all in various ways, and God will test us all in various ways. And so, we have to be circumspect. We have to consider what we do and why we do it. And we should allow it to go deep within our psyches and our souls. And we should consider, essentially, everything that we do and why do we do it? And is it the best possible example, or could we do better?

So, these are things for us to consider and things to think about, to bring those thoughts into captivity that are wrong thoughts that we really need to be able to recognize and see so that we don't go down the wrong path. In Romans chapter 13, here's a very important scripture that talks about this very thing. We're talking about learning to walk in the Spirit as we go toward Pentecost. Romans chapter 13 verse 11, and do this knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Satan is the prince of darkness. He wants us to dwell in darkness. Jesus Christ is light, and we must yield to Christ and allow him to live in us.

Verse 13, let us walk properly as in the day, not as in the darkness, doing the things of darkness, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. That's an important scripture that we should consider on a regular basis. Am I doing anything that's making provision for the flesh? Is it causing me to go down that path, that fleshly path? The things that we watch on TV, perhaps? The things that we look at? The things that we read? Are we making provision for the flesh? Are we providing for the flesh? Are we stirring up the flesh as opposed to learning to be controlled and not allow that to happen? Those are things that we should ask ourselves because Satan wants us to stir up the flesh. He wants us to desire things we ought not desire, lust for things that are forbidden.

That's what Satan wants us to dwell upon and to think about. He wants us to dwell in darkness, so we should make no provision for the flesh.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we need to do. Put on the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5. And Philippians 2 verse 8 says, Think on these things, those things which are right and good and pure and lovely. Things that have virtue. Think on those things. Don't dwell on the other things because then you're going to provide for the flesh. Then you're going to go down that fleshly path, that path that leads to destruction. So don't go down that path. Be good to yourself.

In John chapter 21, let's go there for a moment. John chapter 21, Peter had denied Christ three times.

Christ came to him after he was resurrected, and he asked him three times, Do you love me?

Let's review that for a moment.

John chapter 21 verse 15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs. So the correlation is, if you love me, take care of my lambs. Feed my lambs. He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep.

Tend the sheep. Look after them. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? Perhaps it was reminiscent of the three times that he denied Christ. Now maybe that was why it bothered him, it troubled him. Do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. Take care of my sheep. Tend my sheep. Feed them. Go above and beyond the call of duty, you might say, and just really take care of my sheep in every possible way.

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished, and when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. And this he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And we know that Peter was later crucified himself. When he had spoken this, he said to him, Follow me. And Peter did follow him. Peter was faithful to the death. Peter learned his lesson, but Jesus was a little hard on him, wasn't he? Asking him three times, Do you love me?

He's asking us the same question as his disciples, Do you love me?

John 14, 15 says, If you love me, keep my commandments. If we love God, we will strive to keep his commandments. We will strive to live by every word of God, not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of God's law. We will strive to walk in the spirit. We shall be tested to determine the strength of our faith in the years ahead and the days ahead. We shall be tested to determine the power and the depth of our love. As God's people, as his servants, as his disciples, we will be tested in regard to our faith and in regard to our love. Why do we sin?

Is it not primarily because we do lack faith and because we lack love?

Let us pray for more love. Let us pray for greater faith, stronger faith, stronger love. God is love, and he doesn't sin. God is all-powerful. He's all-faithful. He is true. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. We need to turn to him at all times. He is our refuge. He is our strength. In James 4, it talks about a spiritual mindset that we need to develop in our own lives. In James 4, this is Christ's brother.

James 4.

James 4, verse 7, Therefore submit to God and resist the devil, and know that he will flee from you. The devil has no power over you unless you allow him that power. If you resist him, he has no power. He will flee from you. Now, if you want to do what the devil wants you to do, then he has power.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts. You double-minded. And that's a problem that we all have. We are, at times, double-minded just like the Israelites were.

At times, they had faith, but at other times, they didn't have faith. They were double-minded. They were not single-minded. Their minds were not set. They did not have, at all times, a spiritual mindset at all. In fact, most of the time they didn't.

And that's why they had so many trials and tests and problems. And, you know, why they suffered so much, they brought a lot of trials upon themselves because of their sins. Be sure your sins will find you out. God does allow us to suffer for our sins. He wants us to learn lessons.

And that's one good way to learn, is to suffer.

So, He goes on to say, purify your hearts, you double-minded. So, the implication is, let's become single-minded, not double-minded. We should all strive to put on the mind of Christ. That's the single mind that we need to have. Christ was single-minded. That's why He never sinned.

He was in the flesh, yet He never sinned. God's Spirit was powerful within Him.

He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He yielded to God's Spirit.

He did not yield to the flesh. He is our example. He is our elder brother.

Lament and mourn and weep and let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. There is a time to be serious. There is a time for this kind of sermon.

Now's that time.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. God will give you victory. He will lift you up. You will pass the test. The last one. One final scripture in Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians chapter 3 verse 2.

You will pass the test if you stay faithful and never give up and never give in and continue to fight the good fight. Colossians chapter 3 verse 1.

If then you were raised with Christ, if we were baptized, we came out of our watery grave, in a sense resurrected to walk in newness of life.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. And become single-minded by setting your mind on things that are above. Lay up your treasures in heaven, not here on the earth.

Certainly, God is a forgiving and merciful God.

I know we are all truly thankful and grateful for that.

God does forgive us. He is faithful and true to forgive us.

We must strive to walk in newness of life. When we have sinned, we need to seek forgiveness.

We need to have faith that God will forgive us.

We need to be grateful for that forgiveness, and we need to strive to be more worthy in the future.

More worthy of a loving and merciful God.

So, brethren, as we continue our countdown to Pentecost, just a little over a week away now, let us face all of our trials with renewed courage.

Let's have faith that God will provide for us.

And let's gain from God the strength that we need, the strength that comes from His gift, His Holy Spirit.