He used to let me get through
this message this morning. If not, I'll finish it tonight. I write a lot bigger than I used
to. So what used to make four pages of notes now makes eight.
That's the way Jack Shanks would write a letter. He'd only write
three sentences. But letters, you know, he'd write
that big. So when he writes you a letter,
you could read it in three minutes. Of course, he didn't make you
think he wrote you a whole big letter. Only, you know, he wrote
it like that. But I hope that the Lord will
be pleased to let me get through this. Look what it says here
now in 1 Peter 1, in verse 7. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than
of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might
be found under praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of
Jesus Christ." Now, James is the book back to your left, and
I want you to look in James chapter 1, and look at this with me, verses
2 and 3. I want to talk today about trying
of faith. James tells his Writers, those
he's writing to, he calls them his brethren. My brethren, count
it all joy when you fall into divers or different kinds of
temptations. And the reason you do this, knowing,
knowing, you know this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience, worketh patience. And so you see, there's a reason
for the trying of our faith. And that's what I want to talk
about, the trial of your faith. Our Lord actually had opened
the blind man's eyes in John chapter 9. And the Pharisees
were very upset about it because our Lord did it on the Sabbath
day. And they cast him out of the synagogue. And our Lord Jesus
found him and asked him, said, "'Dost thou believe on the Son
of God?' And he said, "'Who is he, Lord, that I might believe?'
He said, "'I that stand before you am he. He that speaketh to
you, and you see now, I am he.' He said, "'Lord, I believe.'"
And I ask you that question today. Dost thou believe on the Son
of God? Do you believe on the Son of
God? Huh? I'm not asking if you are
a proficient Christian. Most here are. I'm not asking
you if you're a student of Scripture, or what your position is on Calvinism
or Arminianism. Doest thou believe on the Son
of God, Jesus Christ? Do you believe? Now, I'm not
talking about believing on an historical figure named Jesus. Documentary after documentary
has been made about searching for the historical Jesus, searching
for Jesus. I'm not talking about a historical
figure named Jesus Christ, or named Jesus, or a reformer, or one who was an occupier, or
one who was a great prophet, or even who was a martyr. But
do you in your heart, in your heart, in your very soul, believe
on Jesus Christ. Do you cast your lock with Him?
Lock, stock and barrel. Do you have a saving interest
in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you have a saving interest
in Him? And I know this, that wherever saving faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ is found, it is an evidence It's a token of
the favor of God. It's a token of the grace of
God. It's not evidence, if you've
got saving faith in Christ, it's not evidence of a soul winner.
It's not evidence of some power or some preacher who had great
gifts and talked you into something. If you have saving faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, it's not the evidence of a great church or
a token of your intelligence, or because your mother prayed
for you. How many people have said, preachers
have told people that, God, I know God's going to save you because
your mother prayed for you so much. I tell you what it is, if you've
got saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a token of
God's blessed favor. It's a gift of God. All saving
faith is a gift of God itself. In fact, every spiritual, everything
that's spiritual comes from God. Love comes from God. Grace comes from God. Mercy comes
from God. And it's faith that's a gift
of God. And if you got it, if you have
a saving interest in Jesus Christ, God gave you that faith. When
our Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples, who do men say that
I, the Son of Man, am? They said, well, some say you're
John the Baptist, some say you're Jeremiah, some say you're Elijah,
some say you're one of the prophets. But He said, who do you say that
I am? Simon Peter says, without the Christ, you're the son of
the living God. And our Lord Jesus Christ answered
him and said, you're so blessed, Simon, Oh, how God has blessed
you. Flesh and blood didn't make you
to understand this and know this, but my Father, which is in heaven,
revealed that to you, gave you that knowledge, gave you that
gift that you see and know who I am. And I also know this, that
where saving faith is found, it's a mark of God's electing
grace. If you have saving faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, it's a mark, it's a token, an evidence of
God's electing grace. Now you teach this and turn back
over to Titus. Titus is the first, that little
book right before you get to Hebrews. You go to Hebrews and
go right back to your left and look here. I know that saving
faith, if you believe on Christ and you have an interest in Christ,
it's a mark of God's electing grace. If you believe on the
Son of God, it's evidence of your election. Look what Paul
said here in Titus chapter 1 and verse 1. Paul, a servant of God
and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect. And what is the faith of God's
elect? They acknowledge the truth according to what God says. And
they do this because He gives them a hope of eternal life that
God in Christ promised before the world ever began, and He
cannot lie. So you see, beloved, if you have
saving faith, it's evidence of your election of God. God's elected
grace. Now, I'll tell you something.
We're not chosen because we believe. That's not the reason God chose
us. That's not the reason God elected us. Not because we believe. We believe because we were chosen. That's what the scriptures tell
us. In Acts 13, 48, as many as were ordained to eternal life,
they believed. They believed. For whom he did
foreknow, them he also did predestinate. Them he did predestinate, them
he also called. Whom he called, he also justified. And so, brethren, beloved, save
in faith. It's an evidence of the election.
It's an evidence of God's gift of faith to you. And I'll tell
you this, if you believe on the Son of God, Where saving faith
is found, it's evidence that you've got a spiritual life,
that you've got a life from the dead, that God has given you
life. If you have saving faith, a saving
interest in Christ, then you've got life. Where'd you get that
life at, huh? Well, look with me over here
at 1 John, right back over to your right. It's the next book
right after 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John chapter 5. And I tell you, when that life
comes, you know you've got life. We know we've passed from death
unto life. We know that. We're saving faith that's found,
it's evidence of spiritual life. It's said here in 1 John chapter
5 and verse 10, look what it says. He that believeth on the
Son of God. That's what our Lord asked, dost
thou believe? Dost thou believe on the Son
of God? He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself. How does he have the witness
in himself? The Holy Ghost gives him witness. The Spirit himself
bears witness with our spirit that we're the children of God.
The Scriptures bear witness to us. Our conscience bears witness
to us. Our understanding bears witness
to us. The Holy Spirit bears witness to us. He that believeth
on the Son of God, he hath that witness in himself. I can't give
you that witness. Only God can give you that witness.
And he that believeth not God maketh him a liar, because he
believeth not the record." And what is the record that God gave
of His son? Right here. Right here. God's blessed book. That's the
record. And this is the record that God
gave us in this blessed book, that God hath given us, hath
given us, that's in the eternal life. And where's this life at?
In His Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
right now. And he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. And watch what He says now. These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God. Doest thou believe on the Son
of God? These things have I written unto you that believe on the
Son of God, and here's what I want you to know, that you may know
that you have eternal life, that you may believe on the Son of
God. Know that you got it. Do you
know you got it? Spiritual life? To as many as
received Him, to them gave He the power to become sons of God. Even to them which believed on
His name, which were born, Not of blood, nor of the will of
flesh, nor of the will of man, but we're born of God. Born of
God. And I tell you, beloved, if we're
saving faith that's found in its evidence that you've been
born of God, you've got spiritual life. Doest thou believe on the
name of the Son of God? If we're saving faith that's
found, where that saving interest in Christ is found, there's obedience
to God. A man cannot believe on the Son
of God, a man cannot believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
not obey God. He can't do it. Men who know
God, obey God. Men who love Christ, obey Christ. Let me show you what I mean.
Back over here in Hebrews chapter 11. Look at this with me. Hebrews chapter 11. God has no rebels in His kingdom. He has some people who fall.
He has some people who are weak. He has some people who sometimes
stumble, and if you saw them at a particular time, you'd say,
oh no, they couldn't be a believer. If you saw Simon Peter denying
Christ, you'd say, no, no, no, no. But look what he said here. This
is what I'm talking about. It says in verse 6, Hebrews 11,
6. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. For he that cometh
to God, here's the first thing that he has to do, believe that
he is. What does that mean? That he is as he says he is.
Not a god of your imagination. You know, you look at creation,
you go out here and make you a god out of a tree. You believe
in creation, you go out here and make you a god out of stone.
No, creation don't reveal God, this reveals His glory, but it
don't reveal salvation in Christ. It don't reveal blood redemption.
It don't reveal faith. It don't make Christ known to
you. It don't reveal the cross and what took place at the cross.
And so it says, he that cometh to God must believe that He is
who He says He is. And that He will give you just
exactly what He said He'd give you. What did He say He'd give
you? He that believeth on the Son of God has what? He lifted up that serpent in
the wilderness and whosoever looks hath life. You want to come to the Father?
He said, Christ said, I'm on the way. So he said he'd give you what
he said, and look what he said. Here's what I'm talking about,
where saving faith is, there shall be. By faith, Lord, being
warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, started
preparing an ark, what for? So his house would be saved.
He obeyed God. Look what it says about Abraham.
By faith, Abraham, when he is called to go out into a place
he should have to receive for inheritance, what did he do?
He obeyed. Where you going Abraham? I don't know. God told me to
go. And out I come. And look down here in verse 24. Talking about obeying God. By
faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What did he do? He chose rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God, to enjoy the pleasures
of sin just for a season. Huh? Look down at verse 31. By faith, the harlots of Rahab
perished not with them that believed not when she received the spies
with these. They all obeyed God. So doest
thou believe on the Son of God? So you see, beloved, a man can't
know God and believe God. And I know this also about where
saving faith is found. Where do you find faith in Christ?
You'll find a faithful witness. You'll find someone who will
speak of Jesus Christ as He is. David says this, As I have therefore
believed, therefore have I spoken. And Paul said the same thing.
He said, As in his reading, as I believe, therefore have I spoken.
You know, whatever a man believes, that's what's coming out of his
mouth. Whatever he believes in his heart, if he believes on
Christ, he's going to talk about Christ. If he believes the Bible,
he's going to admit to believing the Bible. A man, beloved, believes
what he believes, that's what he tells. And men preach what
they believe. And that's why we're not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. We're not ashamed of God's sovereignty.
We're not ashamed of God's electing grace. I was talking the other
day to a fellow, and he's this guy's real religious. And he
talks all the time about things, but he'll come and ask me a question,
and something came up the other day. I got talking about trusting
Christ, believing on Christ. He says, yeah, but he said, you
know, if you don't obey, you'll be lost again. I said, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I said, now listen, salvation's
of grace. If it's of works, you'd have
something to brag about. He got real quiet. I said, you
know also this, that a man's regenerated. He's born again
by the Spirit of God. He had nothing to do with his
new birth. So he can't undo that new birth. And the Holy Spirit
puts us in Christ and you put yourself, could you put yourself
in Christ so you can't get out? Shut his mouth just like that. But he wants to talk about obeying,
doing the work. I got some photos the other day
about all these church signs. I believe France did a few. And
there was one in there. I thought I'd print it out and
bring it to you. You know what the name of the church was? The
Church of Awesome Works. That's the name of the big old
beautiful building that had the sign, The Church of Awesome Works. God got a church. And it's saved by works, but
it's saved by the work of one man, one person, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And whatever a man believes in
his heart, that's what he's going to speak. That's what's coming
out of his mouth. And therefore, believe, that's
what we say. And I know this, beloved, that we're there as
saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ if you have true, genuine,
saving faith. If you believe on the Son of
God, you've been highly, highly favored of God. Blessed is the
man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee, that he
may dwell in thy courts." Faith has great blessings to it. Justification
is one of them, being justified before God, being accepted of
God himself, and being able to approach God, to meet God and
say, that's my son. And to know that one day we shall
be with the Lord Jesus Christ and reign with Him throughout
eternity. Oh, do us not believe on the
Son of God. Now, now, let's change subjects
just a moment. I said we were going to talk
about a trial of faith. If you have this faith that I've
talked about, this genuine saving faith, That faith is going to
be tried. Ain't that what it says there
in verse 7 of 1 Peter? Now, you're God's elect. He doesn't
talk about that. Verse 2. He talked about how
you've been begotten again according to Christ's abundant mercy unto
a living hope. Talked about the inheritance
that you have. Talked about being kept through the power of God.
And all these wonderful things I talked about. But he says that
the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold.
Now, beloved, let's talk now about the trial of faith. Not
the blessings, but the trial. Now, we talked about faith, and
you can't have faith without it being tried. It just can't
happen. Faith and trial cannot be separated. It can be done. Ain't that what
he says? Now, the trying of your faith,
count it all joy when you fall into temptations. Now listen to me. Trials do not
produce faith. Trials does not produce faith. What it does is it reveals faith. If it's there, it'll make it
manifest. When a man crumbles under God's trials, it just proves
that he never had true faith. If a man quits when God tries
him, it proves that he never had true faith. He says for us,
you know, John said it this way. They went out from us. Why'd
they go out from us, John? Because they were not of us.
They were not of this electing grace. They were not of this
saving faith. They did not believe on the Son of God. For if they
were of us, no doubt they would have kept on keeping on with
us. But they went out from us. And that's what our Lord said.
He says, you notice that when the Word of God is preached,
He said, it's seen some of the false on good ground, thorny
ground, Thorny ground, hard ground, and he says, some thoughts among
rocks. Thorny ground. He said, and then it comes up.
Immediately it comes up. And that's the way a person is.
He receives the Word of God and he receives it with joy. But
when persecution comes by and by because of the Word, what
happens? He withers away. He dies. Some people can't stand
it. Now, men don't receive faith
or life by enduring trials, but they endure trials because they
have life. They have life. And that's what
Peter said here in 1 Peter 1, verse 7, that's the trial of
your faith. Now, you keep 1 Peter, look at
Matthew 7 with me just a moment. Matthew chapter 7, verse 23.
Let's look at this together. Oh my! You know, there's two
men, two men in the same church, profess to believe the same thing.
Love Christ. Both claim to be saved. Both
are tried. One is strengthened under trial. One is made stronger. And they
show a dedication. They show a commitment. They
show a perseverance. They show a purpose. But the
other, two men, the same place, hearing the same preacher. But
the other, he crumbles, he crashes, he falls. He quits the gospel. You say, well, that trial turned
him against God. No, it didn't. He was already
against God. It just proved that he was against
God. Trials just proved what he already was, an unbeliever. When a man crumbles under trials,
crumbles when God puts him in the fire, and he can't stand
the fire and he quits, that proves that he never was really real
to begin with. Trials reveal faith that doesn't
produce it. It doesn't produce it. And look
what he said over here. Well, let's go back to our text.
I'll get to that later. Let's go back over here. Let's
go back over here. I'll get to that later. Now that's
what I'm talking about. Trials refill faith. It doesn't
produce it. If you've got it, it's going
to be manifested. Now let me ask you two questions. Two questions. It says here that the trial of
your faith, being much more precious than a gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found under praise, honor,
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Two questions.
Whose faith is tried? And then how is faith tried?
Whose faith is tried, and how is it tried? Well, whose faith
is tried? It says there, your faith. Just
put your name there. Your faith. Your faith. Huh? Your faith. Now, beloved,
I'll tell you, God only had one Son without sin, but He didn't
have any without trial. None without trial. Though he
were a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
And beloved, God only had one Son without sin, but none without
trial. And you say to yourself, and
I feel this way myself. I feel this way. I'm nobody. I'm nobody in the great scheme
of things of God's church. I'm nothing. Why in the world
would God single me out for trial? Why would He do that? Well, God's
going to try your faith no matter who you are. No matter who you
are. And here's the thing, how He
tries your faith. God will try the reality of your faith. You
know what trial does? Trial leaves only the real thing. Though your trial, what did it
say there, being much precious than gold? Your faith is more
precious than gold. And that's all you hear on television.
Buy gold, buy gold, buy gold, buy gold. On the radio, everybody's
saying, wake up, we'll buy you gold, we'll buy you gold. Gold's
a precious thing. Everybody wants to buy it. Everybody
wants to own something. John and Peter said here that
your faith is more precious than all the gold in the world. Would
you trade your faith for all the gold in the world? You see what happens is trial
leaves only the real thing. Trial is the fire. that burns
out the wood, that burns out the hay, that burns out the dross,
that burns out the sham, that burns out the put on. Oh my,
it burns out everything but the real thing. Don't let all of
it leave. All of it leave is what God himself put down. That's
all it'll leave. Now let's go over to Matthew
chapter 7. Now we'll get over there. Oh,
listen, that's what the fire's for. It'll burn out everything
that's shamed, the draws, the put off. It'll only leave the
gold. What God put there. Oh, my, look what he said here.
Our Lord Jesus said in verse 22, Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not preached in your name, cast out
devils in your name, done many wonderful works in your name?
And then I'll profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from
me, ye workers of iniquity." Now watch what he says here.
He's going to show us an illustration between those who know Christ
and those who don't. And how they're manifested to
be one that's real and one that's false. He said, Therefore, whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them. That's what we're
talking about, obey. Not just hearing them, but doing
them. I will liken him unto a wise
man which is built his house on a rock. Now watch what happens
here now. And the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew,
and beat upon that house, and it didn't fall, for it was found
on a rock. And everyone who hears these
sayings of mine, they both hear the same thing, and does it do
them, shall be likened to a foolish man which built his house on
the stake. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew,
beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall
of it. Now what happened? Everything happened here to these
people exactly the same. Two men, they started building
my house. And after they got those houses,
here comes the rain. I mean the rain comes falling
in floods. And that rain came falling down.
That's in trials that God sends our way. That rain comes down
and beats on you and beats on you and beats on you. And that
rain comes down, the water starts coming up. You say, oh my, my
house is going to get washed away. And then floods come. And then floods come. That comes
from beneath. That comes from the earth. And
then the winds blew. And these winds, they're mysterious
things. They're unaccountable for. You
get up one day, and you're tired, and your heart's heavy. A dark
cloud's over you. You just can't stay still all
day. You feel that weight on your
chest. And all this happens. And, oh, beloved, both of them
went through the same thing. One of them stood. They were
able to stand that wind, the rain, the storm, and everything
that came. That other went, well, damn!
They crashed! What was the difference? Hearing
and believing. Hearing and not believing. Do
you know who the rock you build on is? God said, I lay in Zion
for a foundation of stone, a pride stone, a sure foundation. Whosoever
believeth on him shall not make faith, shall not be confounded.
Oh my! Beloved, listen. The trying of
your faith It's going to be tried, the reality of it. When them
storms come, they're coming. And, oh, beloved, and trial not
only proves the reality of your faith, but it proves the sincerity
of your faith. Is your faith sincere? Not only
is it real, but we sing, oh, and I love this, I love the chorus,
I love the whole song. Oh, how I love Jesus. I do, I
love that song. It tells me of a Savior's love
who died to set me free. Oh, I love to sing it. And then
I know I love Him because He first loved me. But here comes
God. And God said, Abraham, take your
son, the one I promised you, the one you waited for all your
life. Take Him, take your son, your
only son, go up that mountainside with Him. And when you get up
there, I want you to sacrifice Him. I want you to give Him over
to me." And when something like that happens, we say, oh, I thought
I loved Jesus. I thought I loved Him. I thought I loved Him. Oh, listen, I'm glad God tries
our faith. I'm glad I do. I want to find
out. I want to find out whether I'm
real or not. I'm not glad in the trial, but
I'm glad for the trials. I'm glad for them. And not only
does the trial prove the reality of your faith, the sincerity
of your faith, but God sends these trials to prove the purity
of your faith. The purity of it. Turn with me
over to Job chapter 1. We're talking about the purity
of it, the power of it, the purity of it. Job, look with me in Job.
Job. That's before the book of Psalms.
That's where Job's at. Look with me in Job chapter 1. Oh, my, trial proves the reality
of it, the sincerity of it. Oh, how many times you say, Lord,
If I'm not real, I want to find out. Search me. Try me. Know
me. Trial proves the purity of your faith. Look what happens
here in Job chapter 1 and verse 8. And the Lord said to Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job? There is nobody like him
in this earth. A perfect and an upright man,
one that fears God and he just eschews evil, don't want nothing
to do with evil. Then Satan answers, Lord, does
Job fear you for nothing? There's a reason Job fears you.
Well, I'll tell you why, because you put a hedge around him about
his house and about everything that he has on every side. And
you've blessed the work of his hands and his substance has increased
in the land. He's only serving you for what
you've given him. But he says, now you put forth
your hand, touch him with all that he has, and he'll curse
you to your faith. Satan accused God of that. He
says, you put forth your hand, and I'll guarantee you this man
will curse you to your faith. He said, try him. Try him. Say, you think he's something.
You put him to the test, and I'll show you that he ain't got
nothing. That's what Satan said to the Lord. And look what the
Lord said to him. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath in your power, only upon himself put
not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord to do what? To try Job. What happened to
Job? Well, turn over to chapter 13. Oh, my. What happened to old
Job? Oh, I see him right now. Oh,
Lord, oh, Lord, oh, Lord, what are you doing to me? You're killing
me. You're trying to put me through these four. I've been so dedicated.
I've been so committed. Oh, no, look what he says in
verse 15, chapter 13. Though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him. Go ahead and take my life. That's all right. Oh, that's
what he says. And then look over in chapter
23. Why do you reckon Job's going to quit? He said, God said he's
going to prove the sincerity of your faith. Job 23 and verse 10, look what
it says here. And oh, Scott Richardson read
this to me here just not very long before the Lord carried
him home. Talking on the phone, he read this to me. He says,
but he knoweth, he knows the way that I take. God himself
knows the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held His way, His
steps, His ways, have I not kept? And neither, and not declined."
Oh, will He prove the sincerity of your faith, the purity of
your faith? Oh, my. And let me tell you something
else. Not only will He prove the reality of it, the sincerity of it, the
purity of it, but He will Try the perseverance of your faith.
Now, what do I mean by that? The perseverance of your faith.
When we get old, as we get older, trials don't get weak, don't
get any less. We think when we get old, we'll
be over, that they'll be done. You know, one of these days,
God will try us and say, I'm just not going to try you anymore.
You've done proof. You know, I've seen that you've
got faith. I've tried your faith. I've put you through the fire.
And you've come out alright. We think when we get old, it'll
stop. Get less. But Abraham, when he
was old, that's when he had his greatest trial. When he was old. I remember asking Scott Richardson
years and years ago. We was walking one day. And I asked Scott, I said, Scott,
you know you've been on the way a long time. Been on the way
a long time. Does it get any easier? Does
the way get any easier? Does the burdens get any lighter? And you know what he said? He
said, they have it for me. They have it for me. But I've seen Him put in the
fire time and time again. This day is arrived. How you doing, Scott? All right. I'm all right. John, the beloved
disciple whom Jesus loved. You know what happened to him
when he was in his nineties? put him over on an island by
his self-exile. Paul, when he got to be an old
man, you know what happened to him? They put him in prison. Our Lord Jesus said it this way,
in the world you have tribulation. It's through much tribulation
that we enter into the kingdom of God. God's going to prove
your faith if it's real or not. He's going to prove it. He's
going to prove it. Well, how in the world then does
He try your faith? How does He try it? I know this. Trial doesn't come to all men
the same way. God has no set way of trying
people. No pattern. No pattern. He tries
every man differently according to them. But the first thing
I know that He tries our faith with is by His blessed word.
He tries us, He tries our faith by this right here. This is the
test of all tests. If they speak not according to
the law of the testimony, it's because there's no light in them.
You see, beloved, this is the test of all tests. Faith cometh
by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Let me tell you something
about true faith. This is how our faith is tried.
True faith bows to, submits to, it honors, it obeys, it believes,
it receives, it respects, it defends the literal Word of God. People say, God said it and that
settles it. I believe and that settles it.
No, God settles it whether anybody believes because God said it
and it settles whether you believe or anybody. But I do know where
there's faith. Bow to it. Honor it. Respect
it. Defend it. Believe it. Receive it. And I know this,
that when you put a question mark on any part of the Scriptures, question mark on it, God's showing
you you don't have faith. I don't believe in election.
I don't think that's right. Well, wait a minute. Does the
Bible teach it? I remember Ethel saying this
so many times. She is a very simple woman. She
said this, oh, I don't know how many times her, she said, I don't
know very much about the Bible at all, very, very little, but
there's not any part in it I don't believe. Just tell me about it,
I'll believe it. That's the way we are. There's
a lot I don't understand and a whole lot I don't know, but
there's not a part of it I don't believe. And I believe that if
the scripture says that Jonah swallowed the whale instead of
the whale swallowing Jonah, if that's what the Bible said, that's
what I believe. That's how much I believe this blessed book.
Because this book, this precious word, makes Christ known to us. It makes ourself known to us.
It makes God known to us. It makes salvation known to us.
It makes sin known to us. It makes everything that's necessary
for us to believe in this world, in this book, everything for
us how we're to live in this world, is in this precious Bible.
And so we believe it. We bow to it. Do you do that?
That's how our faith is tried, by the Word. When you hear the
Word, you say, I believe that. I receive that. I'm going to
God that. I will honor that. I will obey that. Yes, that's
true. And then I'll tell you another
thing. how our faith is tried, not only by the Word, but it's
tried by the wisdom of men. What do I mean by that? Well,
the Scriptures tells us that human reason and logic, we don't,
faith don't enter, you know, Paul says, if I believe therefore
I have spoken. And the Lord Jesus Christ said,
Thou shalt arise false Christs and false prophets. And if it
were possible, they would deceive the very elect. And human wisdom
comes along, and they bring up things that they say it's just
impossible to believe. Take God's sovereignty and responsibilities
together. Now, we know that God's absolutely
sovereign. He's got everything that happens in time was predestinated
before eternity ever, before ever, before there's ever a star
put in the heaven, God predestinated everything that's gonna happen.
He predestinated how many hairs that I have on, He knows the
hairs on my head. He knows who's going to be saved, who's going
to believe. I mean, He knows the day. He's got the day set
for you to die and the means by which you're going to leave
this world. I find great comfort in that. I find great... And yet, at the same time, it
says over here that man is held responsible for every action
he does. How are you going to reconcile them two? You don't
reconcile them. You reconcile enemies, not friends. I know
this that our Lord has said, except you believe that I'm he.
What'll happen to you? You'll die in your sins. And, oh, beloved, that's why
Paul says we preach Christ crucified in the power of the Spirit. Why? That your faith Might stand not
in man's wisdom, not in somebody talking you into something, not
in somebody convincing you of something, not in somebody winning
your soul, not in somebody getting you on an altar, somebody not
talking you into being a Calvinist, or an Arminian, or something
else, or Presbyterian, but your faith should not stand in the
wisdom of this, but in the very power of God itself, who came
and gave you that faith, and produced that faith, and keeps
you in that faith. If a man can talk you into something,
you know what? They'll come along and talk you
out of it. Huh? And that's why, and I tell you
what, not only we're tried by human wisdom, but let me hurry
up. We're often tried by anger and persecution of the flesh.
Oh, you remember? Have any of y'all ever had anybody,
your friends or family or your neighbors getting mad at you
because of what you believe? Ridicule you for it? Get mad
at you for it. Say, oh, just don't mention it
to me again. I don't want to hear what you've got to say about
it. Just keep your faith to yourself. I don't believe what you believe,
so just keep it to yourself. One day they cry, hosanna. The
next day they cry, crucify you. And family members who don't
know or love the Lord Jesus Christ, let me ask you this. If your
wife quit, would you quit? If your husband quit, would you
quit? If your mother quit, would you quit? When blood is thicker
than a love for Christ, then you're in trouble. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, if you love your father, your mother, your brother, your
sister, houses and lands more than me, don't even think about
it. Ain't that what He said? And then we're all contrived
by affliction. Oh my, pain. Some of you are
in pain right now. I know y'all. You have pain. You have sickness, cancer, heart
trouble, afflictions in your body. But we know this when we're
tried by our afflictions, by this pain and sickness and cancer
and heart trouble, children's trouble. Oh, beloved, everything,
we know this, everything sent by the will of God, it's not
sent by the devil. If God couldn't keep the devil
from afflicting you, well, then what we need to do is worship
the devil, because he's going to win out anyway. But you know
what David said before I was afflicted? I went astray. But now I keep thy word. And David said this, he said,
it's good for me that I have been afflicted. that I might
learn by statute. Now, beloved, I know this. When we're afflicted, you know
what happens to us? I mean, we seek God with all our heart.
And then a lot of other people start seeking God for us, too,
when they're afflicted. We hear this news, you've got
cancer. We start praying. You start praying like you've
never prayed before. That's what I'm talking about.
God sends these afflictions that we might Learn his statutes. And I'll tell you, me and Mary's
talked about this so many times. There's lots of things I don't
want to face. Lots of things in this world I don't want to
face. I don't want to face losing a
child. I don't want to face losing a grandchild. I don't want to
face losing my wife. I don't want to face going to
a doctor and telling me that, you know, you've got lung cancer
and you're not going to last but, you know, six or eight more
months. And I have to say goodbye to so many of you. I don't want
to. There are a lot of things I don't want to face. But if
I do, I must believe that they come by the will of God. I must
believe that. And I'm not a fatalist. That's
not being fatalistic. That's being a believer. That's
being a believer. And then oftentimes he trials
us by poverty and prosperity. Poverty and prosperity. You know,
the anchor said it this way, Lord, make me not poor, lest
I still take your name in vain. And make me not rich, lest I
boast and forget you. Give me what's convenient for
me. And because a man is poor doesn't mean he's under the curse
of God. Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate and the dogs licked
his sores. But guess where he's at now? And all because he's prosperous,
that doesn't mean he's under the blessings of God. That fella
said, oh boy, I've got it made. I've got my retirement, I've
got my 401, I've got enough money to last me the rest of my life,
and more than that, so let's just turn down these barns and
build some more, because I've got more stuff than I want to
do with. God came to him that night and said, you fool, you're
a fool. I want your soul. It's required
tonight. Now who's going to listen? And then God tries men with change. I don't mean take too long. But
we need to get through this. God tries men with change. What
do I mean by that? God tries us with changes in
our life. We often have a change in our
situation. Sometimes you get up in a day
and your whole situation changes that day. Sometimes we have a
change in our position. Things have to happen. Sometimes
we have a change in our health. Oh, things happen. If God takes
your husband, or God takes your wife, would you quit God? How would you handle it? Or are we, when change does come,
we going to get angry, going to get miserable? Going to suck? Going to get a martyr's complex?
Have our feelings hurt? Our old selfish ego take over? Make everybody miserable. Say,
yes, it's the Lord. Let Him do what's in it to us. Floyd used to say something.
I've heard him say this at least a hundred times. He said, anybody
can be a Daniel when he's not in the lion's den. When you get
in that lion's den, it makes a big difference. Anybody can
have faith when everything goes our way. But it takes real faith,
real faith to be a follower, to be a learner, to be alone
with God, and to be alone and left alone
when God brings these things for their trials and they took
them. Being tried with fire. But it's good, it's good for
me to be tried. You know why? To find out if
I'm a hypocrite, if I'm a sham, or I'm a put-on. Or is my faith
real? Is it real? Well, I'm here for
the glory of God. Well, where's the glory of God
when your interest is at stake? Huh? And believe me, a change
is going to come. It's going to come. And then
last of all, how's your faith tried? We're all going to be
tried by death. Death. It's on its way. It's
right here on my left, it's on my right, right in front of me.
We're all going to be tried by death. Not only our death, but
those we love. People we love so much. We love
so much. Why in the world do you talk
about death so much? Talk about something else. No,
no, no, we can't do that. How many of you all, when you
go someplace, you're prepared to go? You're going to go on
a vacation for a week? You go through a lot of preparation,
don't you? You get all these things together, you're prepared
to go on a trip, you're going to go out of town, you've got
to prepare to go out of town. Well, we're going to a long,
long haul one of these days. And we've got to be prepared
to go. Ain't that right? If you're prepared to go on just
a little old simple journey here, what about going to that long
haul? Don't you want to be prepared to go there? Huh? And it's not this old thing that
people used to say, well, I'm packed up and ready to go. No,
no, no, no. That's not the way it happens. I'm coming to get your mother.
Even so, come Lord Jesus. I'm going to come get your wife. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. I'm
going to come get your husband. Come on, Lord Jesus. I'm going
to come get you. Come, Lord Jesus. Can we handle
it? If God give us faith, we can. Do we have faith? You know how
many people I've seen who don't? Do you know how many people have
passed through this congregation in 30 years that was here for
as high as a year, six months, and are gone? Years and are gone? Will you be next? Will I? Will the next trial God sends
my way, will that be the end of me? Would it be the end of me? Hebrews 3.17, and I'm done. Hebrews
3.17. O Lord Jesus, blessed Savior, pray for us that our faith fail
not. Pray for us that our faith fail not. Hebrews 3.17, But with whom was
he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
did he swear that they should not enter into rest, but them
that believed not? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief. Oh, my. Oh. Psalm and Peter.