Strength to Endure Trials

This past year has, I think, been a difficult year for all of us. I'd like to ask you a question. Do we spiritually have the strength to endure the trials, the tests, and the persecutions that we may be faced with here in the future? We all look around at what has happened here recently. There seems to be a lot of pressure on members of the Church and on the Church as a whole. You look at the finances in this country and the fact of so many out of work. You look at a lack of jobs. You look at just a number of difficulties, health problems. Then you drop in some of the major trials we face as a Church with the recent defections from the Church. Drop in membership, drop in income. The recent disastrous storm that we just went through, it ripped through the South. If you've been watching the news lately, you see the flooding on the Mississippi. The flooding also in the Ohio River. Both of those are reaching flood stages that seemingly are going to break records. The greatest flooding that they have had. It seems like the weather is crazy. The economy is falling apart. When you look around at what's going on, you wonder, do we have the strength or power to go through this? In fact, I think a lot of us found out last week or so what a problem it can be when you don't have electricity. Some things we just take for granted when you don't have electricity. You go to bed when the sun goes down and you get up in the morning when the sun comes up. We had all kinds of flashlights. My wife is so prepared. She's got a big box of candles. We could have probably gone a month or more with the candles. We had not kerosene lamps, but oil lamps that we had. We had light from that perspective. But when you don't have electricity, you don't have your phone service, you can't use your computer, and there are just a lot of things you better out. It makes you stop and realize what a blessing it is to have those, and yet how quickly they can be knocked out. There have been a number of articles here recently that have appeared in the paper and magazines dealing with how this nation could be put almost back in the Stone Age. That is, all you would have to do is to detonate a couple of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, up in the atmosphere. If the magnetic force radiating out from that, knock all the computers out, all the cars stop, everything that's run by a computer shuts down everything. We would really be reduced down to the 1800s again. The only problem with that, back at that time, is that you had to take care of themselves. Most people had a guard, and they could provide for themselves. We don't have that today. What would we do if we were faced with that type of situation? We are living in the time in the end that the Bible prophesies. At the time in the end, the Bible indicates that the difficulties facing the Church are not going to just go down and dissipate, but that they will increase, and that you and I will be faced with even increasing persecutions and problems. Let's go over to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 12.

We read this statement from the Apostle Paul. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Not maybe, not perhaps. It could happen to some of you, but he says that we will, all will. And evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. So it's not going to get better, it's going to get worse. Now, most of us have never really gone through persecution. Some of us here may have lost a job. Certainly, that's persecution if you lost it over the Sabbath, or because of your religion, or you were denied a job because of that. But when we talk about persecution in the first century, persecution in the first century had to do off with their heads. Our beating people, throwing them in jail, killing them. Are we ready to suffer even that type of persecution for Christ's sake? Notice in verse 11 of chapter 2 here, 2 Timothy, beginning in verse 11. It says, this is a faithful saying that if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. So you and I have to endure. We have to be willing to suffer and endure. And if we do, then eventually we will reign with Jesus Christ. We are being prepared to be rulers, but we have an enemy out there.

Most of Satan's attacks come against the church. They come quickly. They come in a manner that you don't expect. For those who have been around long enough, you know that. There are times when things occur in the church and you ask yourself, where did that come from? How did that develop? And you see situations. Let's notice what the Bible talks about when it talks about some of the conditions that will be extent at the end time. The time that we will live to in the future. Chapter 10 of the book of Matthew, beginning in verse 16. Chapter 10, verse 16.

Jesus Christ made it very clear to his disciples that they would not have a better road. Jesus Christ chose us as far as a group. That he had not called them just to sail through life without difficulty. And the same principles apply to all of us, to a greater or lesser degree.

In verse 16, Matthew 10, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.

And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, to give a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you will speak. For it will be given to you in the hour what you should speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now, as far as we know, every one of the original apostles, except John, was martyred. Paul was martyred. You go back and you read some of the write-ups, and you'll find that there were literally hundreds of true Christians who were martyred. Thousands, actually, in the first century, going on over into the second century.

And the Bible predicts and prophesies that this will occur again at the end time. Now, God promises to protect his church, and yet you find that there is a group who are not protected. There's a group who are on fire doing the work of God. They will be protected. There are those who are cold, lackadaisical, just sort of drifting, who are not on fire, who are not zealous, and they won't be protected. And then there will be those who will be converted because of the ministry of the two witnesses during that three-and-a-half-year tribulation period. But notice in verse 21, Christ said, Now a brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. So again, you find that we have to endure. And when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. Remember how the church first started? It started off in Jerusalem. There was a persecution in Jerusalem. The brethren were scattered.

They went everywhere preaching the Word. And so the truth of God was spread at that time. He says, For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Well, Christ has not yet come, and we still have a job to go to the cities of Israel.

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master. If they've called the master of the house Beelzebub, and that's what they did. Christ accused him of being demon-possessed, devil-possessed. How much more will they call those of his household?

Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed. God shows it doesn't matter what happens now, what people say, what people do. There is nothing that is covered that will not one day be revealed and hidden that will be known. Because it will be known. Wherefore, or whatever I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. He tells them to go preach. Do not fear those, in verse 28, who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

We are not to be afraid of other human beings. That's one of the things that we find as humans. There is a tendency there, and it's hard for us not to be afraid of what somebody else is. What somebody else says about us. However you want to express that. Then he goes on to say in verse 34, Do not think that I have come to bring peace. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household.

That those who will turn against him will be his own flesh and blood. So he says, He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. And so he goes on to show here that God must know our mettle.

God must know that we are willing to put him first. That it doesn't matter what or who we love, that we must love God more. When it comes down to the bottom line. So this is just some of the conditions that you find that were extent in the first century, and it would also carry on down through the ages to the end time.

Christianity is not a popular religion today. I think we're all aware of that. This is especially, I think, true of what we might call true Christianity. For those who seek to obey God and live by his law. Recent article came out concerning what the Japanese thought about Christianity. And you know what their overall summary of Christianity was in Christians?

Self-righteous. That they look upon Christians as being self-righteous. We live in a country where if you're a Christian, you can't read a Bible in school. You've got to take the Ten Commandments down from public buildings. And anything that is symbolic or religious is put down. But if you're another religion like Islam, or Eastern religions, whatever it might be, those are held up and those are taught. And we need diversity. And so the key note in most schooling today is diversity. You've got to find out about all kinds of culture. And Christianity is made fun of.

In this country, you can write books against God. You can make fun of Christ. You can paint pictures of Christ. You can make movies and say that he's a homosexual. You can put a crucified Christ in a bottle full of urine. You can do all kinds of things. Nobody bats an eye. And yet somebody published a cartoon in a paper about Islam or against the God of Islam. And immediately you have riots worldwide. You have infidels.

You'll kill the infidel. And people don't seem to think too much of that. So Christianity is not too popular even in this country that professes to be a Christian nation. We need to realize that our major enemy is Satan the Devil. He's out and he wants to destroy any semblance of Christianity, but especially God's church or the Church of God. Let's notice Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6 and verse 10, where we are given this charge. We're told in verse 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong.

How's that? Build your triceps, biceps, your legs, whatever. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. So where does our power, strength, come from spiritually? It's not something we generate ourselves. It comes from God through his Holy Spirit. Our power is spiritual, and God gives us that power. So it says, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So if we're going to be able to stand against Satan, against his attacks, against persecution, against anything that comes our way, we have to have the armor of God on.

But in order to stand, it tells us we have to do that. Verse 12, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness and heavenly places.

So our real enemy is not other human beings. Our real enemy is Satan the devil, the demons, the influence of this world, the spirit of this world, and its influence on every aspect of culture and our society. Therefore, verse 13, we're told, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.

The evil day is in front of us, as far as what's going to happen at the time of the end. And that if we take up this whole armor of God, notice, having done all, we will be able to stand. And then it goes through verses 14 and 15, talking about various elements, aspect of the armor of God. Verse 16, above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Now, I want you to notice, he states here, above all. Above all, he's mentioned so far, you have to have the shield. It's called the shield of faith. Now, why is that? Because Satan's darts, I'll tell you exactly what they are. They're doubt, they're suspicion. He wants to undermine you in every way. He wants to convince you that what you're doing is wrong.

He will try in every way to undermine your faith. So what we understand from these verses is that a key element for us to face the future, to face the evil day in the future, to go through the trials and the tests in the future, perhaps to even go through persecution or to give our lives, is faith. That the key element to endure are future trials. One of the key elements is faith. Now, with that in mind, I'd like to point out to you today, let's go back to Matthew 28, some promises that God makes to us that should be totally etched in our minds, that we never forget them, that they are there and that they are what we build on, we understand.

Matthew 28, beginning in verse 18, So Jesus Christ had all authority. Now notice verse 19, as a result of having that authority, God having given Him all authority, He says, We could say, So as a result of the fact that Christ has authority, He then charges the church and His disciples specifically back here, Go make disciples. In other words, preach the gospel. Make disciples of all the nations. He didn't just say Israel, but all nations.

Baptizing them the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And this is one reason why we have local churches, reason why we provide pastors for those local churches, simply because we have the responsibility that once a disciple has been called, been baptized, they need to be taught, instructed, in God's way. They need to constantly have that reinforced. Week in, week out. Holy Day season after Holy Day season.

And then notice what Christ said. And this is what we really want to come to. He says, Now, my question is, do we believe that? That Jesus Christ said, If you had been baptized, had hands laid on you, and had truly repented of your sins, God has given you the Holy Spirit.

And Jesus Christ is with us. And as he says here, I am with you always, not some time. And then I forget what I'm doing. He says, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.

He is with us during good times and bad times.

Now, sometimes we think, well, God's with me when things are going well. I'm making money, I've got a job, things are great. My wife loves me, my children like me. And everything just seems to be perking along. And then once trial comes, a sickness. Do we know that he's with us in the bad times? We lose a job. Do we know that he's with us? We have health problems. The economy goes down. He has promised to guide and to direct us. And so the number one element that we need to remember when it comes to having faith in believing God is that Jesus Christ said, I am with you always. We should never doubt that. It doesn't matter what's going on around us. It doesn't matter if the world is crashing around us. God is with us always. When Jesus Christ hung on the stake, was God with him?

God guided him, directed him through that whole situation. Let's notice an example. Was Jesus Christ and God the Father with Stephen in Acts 7 when he was martyred? Let's turn back to Acts 7.

We'll begin to read here in verse 51. Stephen had just been ordained as a deacon. God was with him. He was a man of faith, the Bible says. He is brought before the leaders, the counsel of the Jews, and he gives a defense to them. Instead, he starts telling them what they've done wrong, and he corrects them. Let's notice here, beginning in verse 51, he says, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did. So do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one, whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, and who has received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. And when they heard these things, notice, they were cut to the heart. Remember reading that expression before? What about Acts 2.37? When Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached an inspired sermon, it says that the people who heard him were cut to the heart, and what did they say? Men and brethren, what should we do? Peter said, repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Now these were cut to the heart, but did they repent? Did they receive the correction? No, they were cut to the heart in the sense that they were corrected and they didn't like it. And so therefore, they gnashed at him with their teeth. But let's notice verse 55, but he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Did God forsake him? Obviously not. Was Jesus Christ with him? Yes, he was. Because God actually gave him a vision of what it would be like to see the very throne room of God in heaven, the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing right next to him. And he said, look, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord. They cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling out to God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. So here we see Stephen.

He was a very powerful instrument for a short period of time. And did God forget him? Did Jesus Christ neglect him? And the answer is no, he was with him. Let's go back to chapter 6. Notice what the Bible says about Stephen. Here in chapter 6 and in verse 5. You might remember the deacons being chosen at this time. And the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Now here was a man chosen to be a deacon who was just filled with God's Spirit, and he was full of faith. And in verse 8 of this same chapter, Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Where did he get that power? Well, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and of a sound mind. He had the power of God's Holy Spirit. And so he was full of faith and power. But there arose some from what is called the synagogue of the freedmen, Saranians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia. And they disputed with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. So again, false witnesses, false charges being brought against him. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him, they seized him, and they brought him to the council. And they also set up false witnesses who said, this man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against the holy place and the law. For we've heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, change the customs which Moses delivered to us.

And all who sat on the council looked steadfastly at him. Now, I want you to notice this. And saw his face as the face of an angel.

Now, what does the face of an angel look like? Well, I'm not quite sure what this means, but probably that he glowed a little bit, had a little glory, power. But when they looked at him, it was like looking at the face of an angel. So was God with him? Obviously, God was with him. And then we read here, then the high priest said, are these things so? And you find that he begins then to speak. So here's Stephen, let's put it in context, ordained a deacon. Very shortly afterwards, performs many signs and wonders, miracles. God was with him through the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, backed him up.

When he appeared before the council, even though they were lying about him and spreading falsehood about him, his face looked like the face of an angel. He preaches an inspired sermon here. He corrects them. He shows that they're just like their fathers were. They're cut to the heart. They take him out and they stone him. And God gives him encouragement by opening the heavens. He has a vision of what heaven looked like and what was in store for him. So here's the first martyr. Did God forget him? Did God leave him? Is God with us during the good times and not the bad times? God is with us in the bad times and the good times. The evil days and the good days. God is with us. Christ said, I will be with you to the end, to the end of the age. Now, let's notice another example. Turn over to Acts 14. This is the example of the Apostle Paul, Acts 14. Now, we all know about Paul. His name was Saul back here. He was there. He gave his consent to Stephen being martyred. But now it happened in Iconium that they went together, chapter 14, verse 1. To the synagogue of the Jews. So spoke with a great multitude both of the Jews and the Greeks believed. But unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Here Paul and Barnabas preaching their group.

A lot of people believe, but those who do not believe. They come along and begin to poison the minds and the attitudes of others. Therefore, they stayed there a long time speaking boldly in the Lord, bearing witness of the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. So again, God was with them. Signs and wonders being done. One of the signs of an Apostle, Paul said over and over, he constantly said, the signs of an Apostle were wrought by me. So, healings, miracles, signs and wonders being done. The multitude of the city was divided, part sided with the Jews and part with the Apostles. So here you have a city divided. When a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it, fled to Lystra and Derby, cities of Lyconia, and the surrounding regions. They preached the Gospel there, too. So they found out they were trying to kill them, so they got out of there, trying to move on. But let's notice what happened. In Lystra, there was a certain man without strength in his feet, sitting in a cripple from his mother's womb who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul observed him intently, and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand up straight on your feet. And he leaped in the wall. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lyconian language, The gods had come down.

In the likeness of men, in Barnabas they called Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And then the high priest of Zeus brought some cattle out, and they were going to sacrifice them to them. So here they come, perform a miracle, signs and wonders, draw a crowd. Hey, this must be Zeus and Hermes. Let's offer up an offering to them. They're going to sacrifice animals. In verse 15, Paul and Barnabas, when they heard this, they tore their clothes, ripped them, ran among them, and said, We also are men, just the same as you. This isn't something that we've done. But let's notice.

One moment they're about to fall down and worship Paul and Barnabas. They're going to offer up sacrifices to them.

And then the Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there. And having persuaded the multitude, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. So in one moment, let's worship him. Next moment, they stoned him. It shows you how fickle they were. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went to the city. The next day, he departed with Barnabas to Derby. Now, you just stop and think about it. When you're stoned and left for dead, a stoning wasn't a pretty picture. They'd pick up rocks, and a whole crowd of people would throw them at your head and your body. They'd break ribs, break bones. The facial bones are very easily broken. Break your nose, knock your teeth out, cut your scalp open. All kinds of things happen. You just don't get up when you're left for dead. And the next day, you walk out of the city and go on to the next city preaching the Gospel. Obviously, God had intervened here on the behalf of Paul to help him. Otherwise, he would not have been able to do that. Now, let's notice in verse 21, when they had preached the Gospel in that city, and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, we must, through many tribulations, enter the Kingdom of God. Now, did Paul know what he was talking about? Well, sure he did. He'd just been stoned and left for dead. What did Paul say? How many times had he been beaten with 40 stripes minus one? How many times was he shipwrecked? How many times did he go without food? He said, I know how to be a beast, I know how to abound. There were times that he was naked, didn't have anything to wear. There were times that he abounded. And you go back and you read what the Apostle Paul went through. Was God with Paul during the period of time when he was stoned? Did Christ walk away from him? Christ said, I will be with you to the end of the age.

You see, our faith has to be such that it doesn't matter what we go through, what trial or test, that we know that God is with us. Now, Stephen knew this, and yet he was martyred, and God did not bring him back to life. Paul very well could have been killed here. It doesn't specifically say, it just says he was left for dead. But obviously, God intervened on his behalf and raised him up to continue. So God was with him, and God performed signs and wonders. He raised up many churches even after this. Now turn back to chapter 9, and you'll find, beginning in verse 15, why God allowed him to be stoned, but God also made sure that he was able to continue to do the work. Why? Well, notice, chapter 9 is where Paul was knocked down on the road to Damascus, and where Christ said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Verse 4. Now we know that he was struck blind, and Ananias was sent to baptize him, lay hands on him to receive the Holy Spirit, and that he might have his sight. Verse 15, the Lord said to him, Go, talking to Ananias, for he is a chosen vessel of mine, to do what? To bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Paul had not yet gone to the Gentiles the way that God wanted him to. He had only begun his ministry. He had not gone to kings yet. God brought Paul before Caesar. He had not had the opportunity to go before kings, which he later did. And so, even though he had been stoned at that point, God was not through with him. And, brethren, the principle is, if God's not through with you, he can raise you from the dead if he has to, to continue working with you. And he certainly worked with Paul. How often do we doubt that God is with us because of physical circumstances? Because of what happens to us physically? We lose a job. We have a death in the family. We have a disease that we can die of, cancer, or whatever it might be. We go through disastrous weather, like we've just gone through. You'll find that true Christians will go through more like this in the future. And so, do we believe that God will never leave us nor forsake us? You see, that's what our faith has to be built upon. Let's go back to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11, what is called the faith chapter here.

How did the men of old and the women of old endure, overcome, remain faithful? Well, you'll notice, if you read through this whole chapter as an example, by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice. How did he do it? By faith.

Verse 5, by faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death. And then verse 6 says, without faith it's impossible to please God.

By faith, verse 7, Noah was divinely warned of things not yet seen. Verse 8, Abraham, by faith, dwelt or obeyed when he was called to go out. And by faith he dwelt in the land of promise. You go through all of the different examples of the individuals who are men and women of faith. And it says, by faith, by faith, by faith, they did this. So it took faith. They believed God. But I want you to notice Abel had faith, and yet Abel was killed. Enoch walked with God, and yet God took him because they were trying to kill him. And his lifespan was cut short prematurely. Let's notice over in verse 35 of this chapter. Chapter 11, verse 35, picking up the story. Women received their dead, raised to life again. However, let's notice, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of maulkings and scourgings, yay, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute and afflicted and tormented. Of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. All of these have obtained a good testimony through faith and did not receive the promise. But having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. So they have not yet received their reward, and we will both receive it at the time of the resurrection. Two groups are mentioned here. Those who were delivered by faith and those who were not delivered, but they still had faith. You can go through a trial, such as a sickness, a health problem, whatever it might be. It takes as much faith, if not more, to go through a severe trial than it does to have faith during the good times. Because when you're going through a trial and a test like that, it tests you. Is God really with me? This is when Satan can work on us and place doubts in our mind. Begin to get us to feel that God isn't really with us. What we must always realize is, I will be with you to the end. Christ said, to the end of the age. Galatians 2, verse 20.

We read what the apostle Paul writes here.

He said, I've been crucified with Christ. That's talking about what all of us go through before being baptized, killing the old man, the old way of life. But he said, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, brethren, there's a second principle that we need to realize. Christ will not leave us, but Christ also lives in us. He is in us. Again, if you have the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ and the Father are in us. So, it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. So, notice, I live by the faith of the Son of God. It's not just our faith, but it's Christ living in us and through him, through the Holy Spirit, we have faith imparted. So, the Holy Spirit is given to guide us, to lead us, to direct us. So, Jesus Christ, another principle that we must never forget if we're going to have faith. Faith is built on the foundation of knowing that God is in us, that he's with us. And if he's in us, then he will be with us. Turn over to 2 Timothy 1.7. I referred to this earlier. 2 Timothy 1, verse 7 says, God has not given us a spirit of fear. The spirit of God is not a spirit of fear or doubt, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So, if Christ is in us and the Holy Spirit dwells there, and through that Spirit, Christ comes. And then, if Christ is in us and dwells within us, then we don't have a spirit of fear. We have a spirit of power. Power to overcome. Power to resist. Power to do whatever God gives us to do as far as the work. And it is the spirit of love of a sound mind. The word sound mind here means self-control. That you and I have a mind where we control our thoughts, we're able to rule over ourselves. And so, therefore, we have a soundness of mind. So, brethren, Jesus Christ lives in us. And we find that He laid down His life for us. Let's go back to John 15, verse 12. Book of John, chapter 15, verse 12. We read this on the Passover night. Notice what Christ says here.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I've loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. So there's no greater love than that you and I should lay down our life for our friends. And He says, you are my friends if you do whatever I commanded you.

So we are the friends of God, the friends of Christ, if we obey Him. No longer do I call you a servant, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my Father, I've made known to you. You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. So, brethren, you find that Jesus Christ calls us friends. Now, there are many different analogies in the Bible. We are the children of God. We are the sons and daughters of God. Jesus Christ also refers to us as His brothers. We are His brothers and sisters. We are also referred to here as the friends of God.

When you get married, for any who are not married, and for those who are, hopefully, your wife is your greatest friend. My wife is. When you get married, you want to pick a person that is your friend, that you're going to spend the rest of your life with.

And you find that this is what Jesus Christ is doing with us. We are going to be His bride. And as such, we are also His friend.

But there is that relationship there also. Do we believe that Jesus Christ is our friend? You see, these are principles you need to think about. And when a trial comes up, you stop and you say, Hey, Christ is in me. He will never leave me. He said He'd be with me always. He's my friend. He's my brother. God's my father. You know, what I have to be afraid of. And then you can put your trust and your faith in God. You see, God wants us in His kingdom, and He's done everything possible to help us to be there. As Colossians 1, verse 13 tells us, let's go back to Colossians 1.

Colossians 1.

We find that with Christ, and with God here, it says He has delivered us from the power of darkness. So we're no longer under the sway and the influence and the power of darkness of Satan. And He's delivered us from that power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven, that are on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones, dominions, or principalities or power, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. So God used Christ, the second member of the God family, the Word, to create all things. By them they consist or exist. And as a result, remember Christ said, all authority has been given to Me. He is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, then in all things He may have preeminence. We need to understand Jesus Christ's responsibility. He has always been delegated by the Father, the responsibility of dealing with mankind. He created all things. He created the earth. That included Adam and Eve. He was the one who got down and breathed into Adam's nostrils, the breath of life. Who was it who talked to Adam, Abel, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets? It's the one who became Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He trained the disciples. He has guided the apostles. He guides us today. He guides the Church. He is the living head of the Church. And that's a principle too often that people forget. The head of the Church is Jesus Christ. He's never gone away. He is not shirking that responsibility.

Who is it who will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the millennium to help set up the government of God on the earth? Well, Jesus Christ. He will come back King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will also do the same in the Great White Throne Judgment. When will the Father Himself finally have contact with man? Well, let's go back to Revelation 21.

Now, when I say contact, God is there. We have access to the Father and His throne in heaven. But He's not come down to the earth to personally deal with mankind. That's been Christ's responsibility. And He was also the God of the Old Testament. Notice here the time of the new heavens and the new earth are being spoken of.

This is after the White Throne Judgment. All human beings who have lived, have had an opportunity for salvation. Those who have accepted God, complied with His way, have been made immortal. Part of His family, those who haven't, have become dust, been burned up, destroyed. Now, it says, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the Holy Sitting, your Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He, God, will dwell with them. So God is going to dwell with mankind, made immortal. Not on the human level, but made immortal. And they shall be His people. So we find that we will be, and are, the people of God. And God Himself will be with them, and be their God. So God will be with us, and He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And so, you can go on and read the rest of that chapter.

The word Jesus means Savior. Christ is the Anointed One. Jesus Christ, today, has a position. He's not like the Vice President of the United States, where He's a figurehead. God has given all authority to Him. He sustains the whole universe. He's the head of the Church. He's actively involved in all of our lives through living in us. He is with us to guide and lead us, and to help bring us into the very family of God.

He died for us. He triumphed over Satan the Devil. And He is a merciful High Priest.

It is, I think, sad. Here, recently, we've been talking more about re-instituting, or refocusing in the Church, on what used to be called Christ-centered leadership. We've rephrased it as serving as Christ served. You and I need to serve like He did. He's our example. We've been accused of being Protestant, because we're talking more about Christ. We're going to become like the Protestants. I did this this morning, but just take my book of the Bible, Book of Acts. Type in the name Jesus. Type in the name Christ. See how many times it's used. How often the apostles referred to the name. You and I are the sons of God. Let's notice Hebrews 2 and verse 10. Hebrews 2 and verse 10. I want you to notice that the plan of God is summarized here, that it's fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons to glory. That is the keynote statement, or the vision statement, of the United Church of God. That's what we have written in our legal documents, that our job is to help assist Jesus Christ in bringing many sons to glory. Our specific purpose statement is to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, of Jesus Christ to the world, make disciples, and to care for those disciples. Here it talks about bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified, are all of one. For which reason he's not ashamed to call them brethren. I referred to this earlier, but we are brothers of Jesus Christ. He's not ashamed to call us his brother or his sister. Say, notice, verse 12, I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will sing praise to you. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, here I am, and the children whom God has given me. Inasmuch then, as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy, the word means annulled, set aside him who had the power of death, that is the devil. So he conquered death. And then it goes on to say, verse 17, All things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful, faithful high priest, and all things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people, for that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. So Jesus Christ and God the Father want us in their kingdom. And to refer to Christ is not a Protestant concept. Obviously, the Protestants, when they refer to Christ, use sort of a seraphie and that type of an approach, which is not what we're talking about. You find that the apostles healed, cast out demons, and did many wonderful works through the name of Christ. He is the living, dynamic head of the Church, and the one that God has delegated the responsibility to deal with. He's called chosen ones. Let's just read a couple of final scriptures here. Hebrews 2 and verse 1.

Hebrews 12 and verse 1 says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. So we are in an endurance race. It's not a sprint. Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, He begins it, He finishes it. Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. And, brethren, it's easy for us. It's easy as you're running an endurance race. A hundred yards you run flat out as fast as you can, take a breath, hold it, and you run. You run a mile, two miles, five miles, marathon. Most of us are in a marathon. We've been around for 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 years. It's easy to become weary, to want to give up, to say, I've had it. Why are we going through all these problems? And become discouraged. I would dare say there's not a one of us here. But one time or another hasn't become discouraged. And just want to quit, or give up, or just feel down. We need to build ourselves back up. But we must endure and run the race that God has selected for us. And that race is different for each one of us. And then finally, in Hebrews 13, verse 5, sort of a summary of everything we've been talking about here concerning faith and belief. Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Now that's an absolute promise. Not only will he be with us to the very end, to the end of the age, but he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. We might leave him, or we might forsake him, but he does not leave us or forsake us. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. So who is our helper? Who is our guide? Who is the one who is there to help us? It's Christ. I will not fear what man then can do to me. We don't have to be afraid of man, but we put our faith, our trust, our confidence in God. So rather than let's realize that we're entering a period of time here in the future where some of the events that we see transpiring around us today may get worse. The natural disasters may increase and intensify. The Bible predicts that that will happen. Persecution against the church may increase. There may be more loss of jobs. Who knows what we may be faced with here in the future? But yet, if we have the confidence and the faith, and our faith has to be built upon the fact that we believe God, His promises, that He will never forsake us or leave us. He's our helper. He's in us. He lives His life over again within us. He's given His Spirit of power to overcome, to resist, to sound mind. He gives His love for each other. And that He will never leave us. He will always be with us to the end of the age. So, again, God is our helper, and never doubt that God is with us.