Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Proven By Fire Pt.1

It’s good to be in his presence, amen? Janet’s been telling me for years that I need to get back to teaching from the platform so that everybody could see how good looking I am. Actually, what she said is that I need to get back on the platform because you don’t have that many years left to be good looking and people need to get a look at you. Actually, what she said was you’re not that good looking and you need to move back. So anyway, we’ll try and see what happens.

Turn the book of Revelation and let’s see what the Lord has to say to us. We’re going to be spending a little bit of time talking about the preparation for the coming of the Lord through chastisement. When I talk about chastisement, of course what happens is we begin to think that it’s just the disciplinary aspect of the scourging of the Lord. We realize that the word "chasten" the majority of the time it’s used means "to beat black and blue." Most of us don’t like to be beaten. It’s literally talking about being beaten with a whip, but it goes beyond that, too. It has to do basically with correction or direction and instruction. So when we’re talking about chastening, we’re going to also be talking about trials or tests that we’re experiencing in our lives. The one thing that we need to realize is that the trials of life are going to continue as long as we’re here. There’s just no question that we are in a constant state of purification; a constant state of flux and our lives are being changed by God’s sovereign purposes. Everything that happens to us—whether it’s apparently good or bad—is orchestrated by the Lord. That’s why James says to count it all joy when you fall into different types of tests and trials, knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience that you might be found perfect in these trials, or made perfect, lacking nothing. The Lord is preparing us for his coming.

The book of Revelation chapter 3. It’s very tempting to go through and do a teaching on the seven churches of Revelation in preparation for the Lord’s coming. We won’t do that, but we will look at church number seven, the Laodicean church. Not being an absolute dispensationalist, I don’t believe that all of the other churches were historic and the Laodicean church is the last church prior to the Lord coming. I believe that the Laodicean church is one that replicates where we are, but that all of the other churches are still manifesting those aspects today in the present church as well as the historical church. The church in Laodicea receives the rebuke of the Lord. As you know, all of these churches save one were rebuked. In fact, I like what’s said there, and it has to deal with the topic that we’re going to be dealing with—the chastening of the Lord.

How many of you know that when you respect somebody, many times there is sufficient chastisement in just a rebuke, just the displeasure being stated. If you’re a sensitive individual and you love and respect that person and they speak toward something that’s lacking in your life, it has great effect and consequence on us. If in fact you are too proud—that’s why we talked about humility Wednesday—you cannot receive chastisement as a proud individual. You will not receive, you will not subordinate yourself to the instruction of the Lord or any other person that’s over us when you think you know better, when you’re so strong-willed that you will not be molded into the purposes of God. The requisite for chastisement is humility. Humility will also be affected by the sore chastening of the Lord. If you don’t humble yourself, then what will happen? God will humble you. If you want to stay away from the sore chastisement, then it’s best to recognize where you are and humble yourself.

He said, "I know thy works," verse 15, chapter 3 of Revelation, "that thou art neither cold nor hot." Now He expresses Himself in verse 14 as "the faithful and true witness." "These things saith the Amen." "Amen" means what? "So be it," this is the way it’s going to be—the determinate counsel of God. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot." Let me tell you what the chastening of the Lord will do. It will make you cold or hot. It will turn you off on God, or it will turn you on. You will not remain neutral under the chastening of God. He said that the problem today in the church—and I think that’s the problem especially in the twentieth century American church—is this lukewarmness. He said, "I’m going to do something in your midst that will make you either cold or hot." He says that if you are lukewarm, the one thing that’s going to happen is I’m going to vomit you from Myself. Lukewarmness just speaks of an environment or an attitude that’s comfortable in either state: lukewarm can hang out with the hot people and it can hang out with the cold people and identify with both. It’s comfortable with both. It has both flowing in its veins. How many of you know some lukewarm people and maybe they’re in your chair this morning.

He said, "I would thou wert cold or hot." He’s not saying that He would just as soon have you cold as hot. He’s not saying that. What He’s saying is, I will make you cold or hot. When I’m through with you, you’re not going to be lukewarm. You will have had to make a choice. The lukewarm, the hypocrites, those who reject My chastening, I will spew from My presence. As we understand the body of Christ we realize that only one thing—what is it that makes somebody vomit? (You say, "McDonalds." Well, yeah, that’s part of it.) What we’re talking about are these things that cannot be assimilated into your body; they’re harmful to you. Whenever something is harmful, the body recognizes that and it will discharge it. I want you to understand something beloved: lukewarmness, worldliness, a lack of tenacious pursuit of God is one of the most harmful things to the body of Christ that there can be. It names the name of Jesus; it comes and sings all the songs; it keeps its devotion time; but it also is very comfortable in the off-time when we’re not gathered together singing praises, it’s very comfortable with the people at work and with the philosophy of the world and all of those different things. He said that My body will discharge this; it’s unacceptable in My sight. He goes on and He says, "Your lukewarmness has been a consequence," verse 17, "of your self-perception." You don’t know what manner of man you are, as the Scripture says. You are believing a lie. As we’ve talked about so many times in the past, you’re judging yourself by your intentions and not your fruit. "I intend to do what’s right; I agree that the word is truth, I just don’t do it." "I accept the fact that the Word says that’s how we’re to conduct our homes, but we’re the exception." "I don’t disagree with what the Bible says or what you’re saying. I admire the way you’re living, but this is the way we choose to live." All of these areas are bringing about this deception into the lives of individuals and yet you’re perceiving yourselves "rich, increased with goods, and [having] need of nothing." Beloved, this is the spirit that I want to address in these next sessions. It’s going to go on for a little while, I believe.

Many of us here have been in great pursuit of God over the last number of years. The emphasis of the ministry has been spiritual maturity and holiness. But I just want to encourage you with the fact that we never arrive. We’re not there. We’re not even close. The most mature among us isn’t even close to where we need to be. Therefore, there needs to be a continual stirring up of the gift that’s in us. There needs to be a stretching forth in our great pursuit of the likeness of Christ. There has to be an awareness that God is going to continue to move in our midst and through reproof and rebuke, and through chastisement—whether it be adversities in life or whatever it is—God is going to do whatever is necessary in our lives to make us more like Him. He’s not through with us yet. The greatest danger we have is sitting here thinking that we’re so much further down the road than others around us. Maybe we are, but we don’t compare ourselves by ourselves. There’s only one standard—Jesus.

He says that the problem that you’re having here is that you think you need nothing. How do you think you’re doing this morning—in your own eyes? How are you appearing in your own eyes this morning? You don’t know, He goes on to say, that you’re wretched and miserable. I want to tell you something beloved; this description of these people is applicable to us this morning and to you as an individual. Because in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing. Beloved, you need to be afraid of yourself this morning. You need to never stand and say, "I have need of nothing." We always have need of the grace of God. We need to grow more; we need to commit more to the pursuit of God’s presence.

As the Lord speaks to us here—remember this is Jesus speaking—He said you are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." I love this next phrase, don’t you? The statement of the Lord. He said, "I counsel thee…" There are always people saying, "Well, that’s the preacher’s opinion," or "That’s the commentator’s opinion." Let me tell you something: you want some counsel from Jesus? Here it is: "I counsel you." Here is my advice to you. You want some good advice this morning? "I counsel you to buy of me..." There are a lot of people out selling gold today. Jesus said, "Buy of me gold tried…" Proven gold. There is a lot of "gold" being distributed in churches today and by many other doctrines. Jesus says you need to buy gold that’s been tried in the fire. If any of you know anything about gold, you realize that gold is a very interesting substance. Pure gold, and one of the great things, one of the great values of gold that gives it its intrinsic value is not just that it shines. The thing that’s really cool about gold is that it’s incorruptible. Pure gold can’t be corroded. That’s what’s really cool. Pure gold is incorruptible. Pure gold—the thing that’s really neat about pure gold and the reason that gold is refined and tried—when we talk about refining or trying, what we’re really talking about is taking gold, putting it in the fire, begin to heat it, and in the furnace of adversity all of the impurities begin to rise to the top. As all of these alloys begin to arise to the top, all of these impurities, then what the refiner does is he begins to skim that from the top, displace it, and allow it to continue in this crucible, continue under the pressure, the heat. Then as it continues to be refined, there is more of the skimming of the alloys, the impurities, and this gold, then, by fire, is cleansed. The more pressure you and I get under in our lives brings all of the impurities to the top. The fire of not getting things done your way. The fire of the dreams that we may have and our aspirations falling at our feet and becoming unattainable. The individual that we feel God has spoken to us and that’s our life’s mate, and they end up attached to somebody else. The rejection on the job; the rejection of our natural families—whatever it is that begins to add some heat to our lives. Brothers and sisters who come to us with the Word of God and speak into our lives about the areas that are apparently out of order, and the way that we would respond to that kind of reproof and rebuke. The heat comes on—and I want you to understand something—when the heat comes on in your life, the trials begin to come, the pressures begin to come, it isn’t a pretty sight. All of a sudden the anger that you didn’t know was in there rises to the top. All of a sudden, when the other person gets the recognition, the jealousy that you didn’t realize was there begins to manifest itself. All of the pressures of life begin to bring these adversities, these impurities through adversity to the top.

"Buy of me [proven gold,] gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich." Anything other than the purity of God’s presence, the purity of the character of Christ, is poverty. He said that there’s only one way you can be rich and it’s to have this pure gold. For most of us here this morning any of the gold that we have on is probably either 14 or 18 carat. Some may have 10 carat. What we realize by gold being classified that way from 24 carat to the 10 carat or whatever it is, the more alloy, the harder the substance. The reason they don’t usually want to make jewelry, for instance, out of much more than 18 carat gold—these [indicating rings] are 18 carat gold—the reason is that much softer than that you get too much wear. It’s too soft and it begins to wear. So they need to put in the alloy, whatever it might be—the nickel, the iron, and the copper, whatever it is. They begin to mix it into a certain proportion and it makes it harder for wear. It’s the same thing in our lives. The more alloy we have, the more worldliness, the more self that’s in us, the harder we become. The more fire in our lives, the more pliable we become. Pure gold is soft. You can bite it. Have you ever seen the old western movies and the guy—how does he prove whether that’s real gold or not—that twenty dollar gold piece you gave him? Have you ever watched those old westerns and the guy goes "crunch!" and he bites it and you think, "If I do that, I’ll break my teeth off." That’s because there’s too much alloy in our stuff today, but pure gold, the purer the gold, the softer it is. You can bite into that and it’s a very pliable substance.

Can I ask you a question this morning? How pliable are you? How ready are you this morning to change direction? How willing are you to step down from the role you’re in to a subordinate role for the glory of God and for the good of the body? How willing are you to become the servant of all in your home as Jesus laid his life down for the church loving us and giving Himself for us. How pliable are you to the biblical requirements in your life? "I counsel of you to buy of me gold tried in the fire," a life proven through adversity. Beloved, the admonition that Jesus has given us is this: "I want you to understand something. You’re going to have to take up your cross daily, enter the crucible and be refined and purged if you’re going to be my disciples. If you’re going to walk in My counsel, it’s going to be a constant refining." He goes on in this passage and adds white raiment, that robe of righteousness that the Scripture speaks of, and salve for our eyes. The Laodicean area was known for an eye salve that was very credible in bringing about healing to the eyes. The greatest thing that we have right here—why is he telling them that they need this eye salve that the Laodicean region was so familiar with? Beloved, because so many people today are believing lies. They are seeing themselves through spiritual blindness, through the world’s standards and from their own perception. Having eyes they see not, the apostle says, and ears but they hear not. Jesus speaks to us and says that if you want to be rich then you’re going to have to be poor in this world’s perspective. There is going to have to be an absolute reliance on Me, My wisdom.

Now I have somewhat against you, He says. But the good news is this: verse 19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." So the one thing that we understand is this, and it’s very important. The purpose for chastisement is to bring about what? Repentance. The purpose of chastisement—it’s not just something that’s penal. It’s not being punished. It’s not a punitive thing. The purpose for chastisement of God is to redirect your life that there would be repentance. When we’re being chastened of God, the purpose is to redirect our lives. Most of us this morning seem to think that we’re doing pretty well; we’re on course. We’re not taking drugs; we’re not out committing adultery; we’re not involved in all of these types of heinous or lascivious-type behavior. But I want you to understand something: the course of our lives is going to continually be redirected. God loves you. He’s not going to leave you impure. He’s going to continue to refine you in his love. So here we are this morning thinking, "That’s not good news. You mean I’m doing the best I can and I’m still going to go into trials?" Yes. "You mean I’m doing everything I can to obey the Word of God and things are still going to go wrong in my life?" Yes. Why? Because God is continually bringing you into the eternal riches of purification, of Christlikeness. So He said, "I’m going to rebuke you and I’m going to chasten you."

Here’s one of the most misunderstood passages, I think, in the Scripture: verse 20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." We use that to go out soul winning and we tell somebody as we’re sharing the gospel with them, "Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Let Him in." The principle is correct; context here isn’t. Who is He speaking to here? He is speaking to people who are already believers. Who is Jesus talking to? He is talking to people and He says I’m going to rebuke you and if you’ll hear My voice of rebuke, I’ll enter in and I’ll settle with you and I’ll sup with you and I’ll abide with you and if My words abide in you and you abide in Me you can ask what you will and it will be done. So He’s speaking here of an attitude—a constant attitude—of hearing the voice of reproof and rebuke, the love of God, and inviting Him in at every occasion as He’s revealing your heart to you. As He goes on in the next verse—look at it—and says, "To him that overcometh [to him that endures the chastening] will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Jesus is going to continually be bringing us this reproof and this instruction. It’s so important that we are a people who will stand up under that and realize that this is the expression of God’s love for us. We think the expression of God’s love would be to make all of the bad things go away. God says, "The people that I love, I’m going to allow them to experience the fire of persecution, of tribulation, the fire of adversities that you might buy of Me pure gold." Where are we going to get this money to buy? It’s a gift of God. The money that buys this is faith and grace. What did the prophet say? "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat" (Isaiah 55:1). What we’re doing is purchasing this with the faith that He gives us. We’re able to take—if you want to look at it in the monetary—we’re able to take that that’s been invested and all that begins to be the dividends of this, the grace and the mercy that comes from the last trial and invest that into more pure gold, more character to be able to stand in the midst of this trial in our lives. Our lives are just going to be constant trials and tribulation and growth and reproof and rebuke. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m not saying that every moment of every day of our lives we’re going to be on the edge just wondering if we can survive another moment. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about a life full of correction, direction, reproof, instruction, all of these different things that are so necessary to bring you and me to finish this race.

Turn over to the book of Job. Since we’re going to talk about afflictions, let’s talk about Job for a moment. How many of you know Job was probably the king of affliction? One pretty cool thing about Job. The Scripture speaks toward the life of Job from the full vantage point—beginning to end. We have that luxury. When you and I are experiencing different things in our lives, we don’t have the luxury of seeing the beginning to the end. The one thing I want you to understand about Job is found in chapter 1, verse 1. "Job...was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Verse 3, "…this man was the greatest of all the men of the east." And he needed trials. Where do you think that leaves you this morning? Are you the greatest man in the east? God speaks and talks about the maturity of this man. You’ll find that when God makes these statements throughout the Scriptures, it’s interesting, there’s a phrase that is used sometimes. It talks about being the "greatest in" what? In "their generation." The fact that you’re perfect, in the Scriptures most of the times is qualified by being perfect in your generation. Maybe you’re the perfect man in this fellowship. That’s not saying much. There’s not a whole lot to boast in except to be thankful that God’s working in our lives. The point that I want to make is this: that in Job’s life, being spoken to as being perfect, still had to be what? Proven. Your perfection has to be proven that you might become perfect again. Because the fact of the matter is—and we’ve shared it many times in child rearing—the fact of the matter is that in whatever state of maturity we’re in at this moment, that aspect of maturity, we’re mature for a twelve-year-old, we’re mature for a fourteen-year-old. We may be perfect five-year-olds, but compared to the head of the church, compared to Jesus, we have a long way to go, don’t we? There’s that need of a continual purging that’s taking place in our lives.

Look over at Job, chapter 5 verse 17 for just a second. We’re beginning to see a couple of the revelations that Job is going to have to come to. When Job went into this trial, God knew what manner of man he was, but Job didn’t. Let me tell you something. It’s okay for God to call you perfect, but don’t call yourself perfect. In Job chapter 5, verse 17, he says, "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine He shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: [Ha, ha, ha.] neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth." He’s rejoicing and understanding these things—the admonition that’s being brought—that God has a purpose for this chastisement. And verse 17 is absolutely the truth of God, "Happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty." Why? Because we saw in Revelation that whom the Lord loves He does what? He rebukes and chastens. So we understand, then, that this is part of God’s program for our lives. Correction doesn’t mean that God is displeased with you. Correction means you’re on the right course; you’re a child of God, and He wants you to come to that next level of maturity.

It’s a situation. I was talking to the kids about some of the basketball for this year and the comment was made something about the girls and they didn’t seem to be playing, they were concerned that we played this team. (I didn’t get the see the game—it wasn’t that good, and we didn’t play up to the standards, etc.) The details of that aren’t important, and I told them, "Well, I wasn’t there, but I can tell you what the problem is." Isn’t it good to be able to make judgments and not even be there and see stuff? I didn’t have to be there; I’ve been there. For some of you young people, let me say that again when your parents talk to you. I don’t have to be there; I’ve been there. I already know; I’ve been there. I’ve been 17. I’ve been stupid, I mean, 17. I shared with them. "Here’s the biggest problem." I shared this with Kimberly so the coaches can listen. She’s probably already shared it with them. I said, "The problem is this: you play like you practice." The problem wasn’t the game. The problem was not that they didn’t come and play the game with enough intensity. The problem was they didn’t practice with enough intensity. And all the players said [Amen]. Practice is not an interlude between games. Practice is where you make yourself better in preparation for the next contest. Practice is not an intermission so that you can go play at the same level you played last week. If you’re not improving, if you’re not better every week, then you’re not using practice for what it’s intended for. Practice is trials. Practice is affliction. If your practice does not afflict you, you’re not going to get better. So it’s all in understanding why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’ve talked about it in the natural many times. What you’re preparing yourself for. When I was in high school and I just decided that I wanted to be able to dunk the ball. When I was in high school, at 5’9" and 218 pounds, you’re not usually known for dunking. So what did I do? I put myself on a jumping program. I’d put weights on myself and I’d begin to jump. I had marks in my garage and I would go out and jump; and I would not go in the house until I had jumped higher today than I jumped yesterday. How dare you leave the gymnasium not having shot better free throws today than you shot yesterday, not being able to leap higher than you leaped yesterday, not having a better understanding of the system than you had last week. You may be able to get away with that in sports, but you’re not going to get away with it in the pursuit of the kingdom. If you won’t discipline yourself, God will bring you under discipline. Or let’s use another word for it—discipleship. The words have the same root. "Discipline" and "discipleship" have the same root. We understand, then, what it’s all about. You say, "That sounds hard." But that’s how you learn.

One of the coaches came to me talking about a person who was having physical problems and in running all of the suicides and different things, they were having some trouble and were in pain. We’ve all been there, where you run and you’re side is hurting so bad you feel like you’re going to vomit, or you do vomit, and you feel like people are sticking pins in your side and all of these different things. The coach came and said, "One of our boys is laying there and he’s in pain and whatever. What should I do?" I said, "What do you mean what should you do?" He said, "He was hurting so bad, he didn’t finish." I said, "You’ve got to finish." "Yeah, but everybody’s already showered in the gym." I don’t care if it’s bedtime. Tell him to go get dressed, go back in the gymnasium and finish. You say, "I’m glad you’re not my coach." I am.

There’s no other way. Because those that endure until the end shall be what? Saved. Endure what? The devil? We’re not trying to endure the devil; we’re enduring the chastening of the Lord. Isn’t that what Revelation tells us? We’re not enduring the devil; we are enduring—we’re standing up under—the chastisement of God, for whom He loves He rebukes and chastens. And if you will endure that chastening, you will be saved. Can I ask you a question? Are you jumping higher today? Where are you in your spiritual life? As we begin to understand these principles, we’re allowing ourselves to be in a place where God can be glorified in our lives.

In the process of Job’s life, chapter 23 verse 10 says, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Beautiful when we see that passage. The Lord knows the path that I’m on. He knows my heart, and He’s going to try me proportionately that I would come forth as gold. What do we know is going to happen here, according to this passage? You’re going to have some heat put on you. The one thing we want to see is the proper response under the chastening of the Lord. The Lord actually just really rebuked me in this time of meditation on this teaching concerning my own physical condition right now. I’ve been having trouble with my right leg and don’t know what’s wrong with the thing, and none of the doctors know what’s wrong. They’ve run every test that I’m going to let them run for right now. It’s just ridiculous. They just keep testing and saying, "I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know." The Lord spoke to me in this time of meditation and He said, "I’m not pleased with the way you’re handling this trial in your life." And I said, "What’s the problem?" He said, "You’re only working in part of what I’m trying to accomplish in your life." I said, "What?" He said, "All you’re doing is enduring; you’re not believing. You’re more active in your endurance than you are in your deliverance, in understanding what I want to do in your life and the healing that’s available to you, or the changes that can take place whether there’s a manifestation of that healing or not." The thing that we need to understand is that in our trials, many times endurance isn’t all that God’s looking for. It’s also—you remember we talked about the definition of the word "patience"—It’s not only endurance, it’s what? Consistency. Consistency to what? The promises of God, embracing and partaking of the good gifts of God—the healing, the joy, the peace. Because the chastening of the Lord is to work in us what? The peaceable fruit of righteousness. Are you becoming better through this thing? The problem is that the affliction that I’ve been under hasn’t caused me to be worse. I haven’t noticed that it’s caused me to be in a position to where I’m more testy or where I’m in any way despising the word of God and questioning healing and God’s love for me. None of that; it’s just been a passivity. God says, "You don’t understand; it’s not enough to be passive. I want you to learn. I want you to be better through this." So I’ve determined to become better through this. I want to hear what God is saying to me. I want to know what can bring glory to his name. We see these passages and that God wants to bring about this process in our lives.

Turn over to Psalm 66 for just a second. Verse 10 says, "For thou, O God, hast proved us…" That word "proving" talks about testing or trials. "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." We see, then, that this is part of the process, the growth process, and these trials where God brings us into that place of testing our lives. What is it in your life today that as God is proving us and testing us as silver? You see throughout the Scriptures that this is the purpose of God. He deals like this in so many ways in our lives. Look over at Exodus for just a second, chapter 16.

In Exodus chapter 16—a passage that a lot of us are familiar with and yet we forget it so often in our lives—verse 4. "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they walk in my law, or no." Interesting, isn’t it? What was the reason for the manna? You say, "To feed the people." No. How many of you know that God could have sustained them without food? How many of you believe that God could sustain them without food? Did He sustain Moses without food and water? Sure. Then He could have sustained them without food and water. The reason for the manna and the reason it was distributed the way it was was to do something. What was it to do? To prove or test the people whether they would trust God or not. We all know what the whole test was, right? God said, "You can only gather this much and it will come daily." And what is natural—what is man in the flesh going to naturally do? He’s going to want to stick a little more back "just in case." How many of you think that speaks toward your nature? Yet the trials and the purpose of any trial that you and I are experiencing in our lives is this: the real trial comes to reveal in our hearts whether we’re going to believe the word of God or not, whether we’re going to accept God’s promises to us.

What kind of a trial are you in this morning? It doesn’t matter what it is, how you’re going to categorize it. If you begin to really analyze where you are, there’s a core issue: are you going to do it your way, or are you going to do it God’s way? Are you going to boast in the Lord and be thankful for what you have, or resent what you don’t have? Are you going to rejoice in the goodness of God even though you can’t see any good in it, or are you going to judge by what you can see and what you can understand; instead of judging the integrity of the Judge of all the earth who does right? Say, "Though He slay me, I’m going to love Him; I’m going to trust Him; I’m going to serve Him." These trials, these adversities come to us.

Genesis 22 verse 1 says it this way, "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [prove] Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham.... Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering." Sometime in our lives, those of us whom God loves will experience the hand of God put upon you and requesting your greatest treasure. Some of you right now, your mind goes, "Oh no, not my child! Not my spouse! Not my parent!" No, none of those things I just mentioned are the treasure of your life. You say, "I love my wife more than I love myself." No, you don’t. "I love my children more than I love myself." No, you don’t. "Yes, I do." No, you don’t. "Yes, I do." No, you don’t. "Yes, I do." No, you don’t. How do I know that? Because when the Bible categorizes these things, He speaks first toward giving up your life and then He says "mothers and fathers and houses and lands and children," etc. So the first great treasure, the first great thing that He speaks to is self-crucifixion, death. Until that’s accomplished, there can’t be the proper perspective on these others. Abraham was able to offer up Isaac because Abraham had already died. This was not proving to God the death of Abraham, this was proving to Abraham the death of Abraham; and most of us don’t know that we’re as far along as we are until we get put into the circumstances. Then you go, "Yeah, I’m spiritual." No. You go, "Wow! The grace of God. The goodness of God. I didn’t have a clue I would be able to do that in those circumstances, but his grace is sufficient. His presence is my victory." You begin to rejoice and boast in the goodness of God and you don’t know that until you’re put in the trial. So the goodness of God as He’s ordering our steps and causing these things to manifest in our lives—we need to boast in the Lord and thank Him for these opportunities. "Count it all joy, [James 1:2 says] when ye fall into [different trials;] knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be made perfect and entire, wanting nothing." All of these promises that come to us.

One other passage for this morning over in Deuteronomy chapter 8. We’re going to look at verses 2 and 16. "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness." When He finally found a compass and was able to get you guys going in the right direction. After 40 years, God found an army surplus store. They were out there for 40 years for a reason—it took 40 years for those people to begin to see what was in their hearts. They kept saying, "God brought us out here to kill us. God brought us out here to kill us. God brought us out here to kill us." He said, "This ten times you have said that. Die." So He allowed that generation to die off and took a believing generation in to inherit the land, with the exception of two old-timers. Who were they? Joshua and Caleb—men of another spirit whom wholly followed and believed God. He says, "For 40 years I brought you out here, and it was for this reason," look at verse 2, "to humble thee." The wilderness is to do something; it’s to humble you. Humble whom? The guys in the church of Laodicea that say, "We’re rich. We have need of nothing. I’m doing alright, thank you." The wilderness is to humble us and "to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, [and here it is again; to determine] whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no."

We give a lot of lip service to the commandments of God, don’t we? "Oh yeah, whatever the Lord says." Just like the children of Israel, "Whatever God says. Moses, go up the mountain and get a word. Then come down and whatever God says, we’re ready." A lot of lip service. Now let’s do it. Now let’s take up our cross and follow Him. Let’s train our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Let’s bring biblical correction the way it’s supposed to be. Wives, let’s submit to our husbands. Husbands, let’s love our wives and lay our lives down and esteem them better than ourselves, and treating them as the weaker vessel. Give them the glory for how difficult of a task it is to fulfill that subordinate role. Honor that in their lives, their obedience to God. It’s easy to give the lip service; it’s easy to say amen. What are you doing about it? All of the things that we’ve talked about in the past—we’ve made reference to the society that we’re in. We ran into it out west again and seeing some of these kids, just unruly. "I just can’t do anything with them." I’ll do something; turn them over to me. I’ll do in 15 minutes what you haven’t done in the last 15 months. How do you do it? By letting your "yea" be "yea" and your "nay" be "nay;" by being immutable, not changing. The biggest problem we’ve got today is parents have all these rules and they’re enforced until it inconveniences them. If there’s a true love, there will be a consistent discipline. Because without the trials, without the proving, the person, the object of your love—the child, yourself, whoever it is—that person is what you’ve created them to be in your mind.

You know that guy I was telling you about that could dunk? He can’t dunk anymore. I’d need an eight-foot ladder. Why? I haven’t been exercising myself in that capacity. Do you know what? We deceive ourselves. I was walking through the gym the other day and I thought, "I should be able to still do that." I jumped, slid a piece of paper under there, so I could be closer for the next one. No, it’s not quite that bad, but it’s sure pretty pitiful. But the image doesn’t change that much. I know that in a lot of the other things in my life. The way I see myself and where I am are two different things. Every once in a while I get a wake up call, like when I wake up and I’m really sore from what I did, or I look in the mirror and gravity has really affected different areas. Then you deal with reality. The wilderness is to prove where you really are. The trials are to determine where you really are. Now watch. To know what’s in your heart and to know whether you’re going to keep the word or not. "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger." God will allow us to become uncomfortable. God many times will suspend promises that were made—and this is where people get into a lot of problems. They say, "God has promised and He’s committed to having to do this." God will not feed you to your detriment. God would rather let you be hungry and know your own heart than to be content and full and fat and say, "I have need of nothing." It’s very important for us, beloved, to grab that principle.

Verse 16 of this same chapter goes on and says, "Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end." That’s the part I like in all this. God’s reason for allowing us to experience these temptations, tests and trials is to do us good in the latter end. The chastening of the Lord is to bring us into that place that we endure unto salvation. The chastisement of God works the peaceable fruit of righteousness in us.

Father, we thank You for that in the name of Jesus. We just ask that as we continue in this study that Your heart would become a reality to us. Father, we’ve fabricated in our own minds the priorities. In our mind, the priorities are peace, and comfort, and prosperity, and success. And in Your heart and mind, they are character, faithfulness, diligence, and humility. We ask, Father, that You would put salve upon our eyes that we could see and determine whether we are doing the word of God or not. To prove thee, whether they would do the word. To prove thee whether they would do the word. To prove whether they would do the word. What’s the fruit? Not our intentions, not our doctrine, not the verses we quote. What are we doing with our lives? Do we respond to a lost world the way your word demands? Do we respond to our husband, wife, and children? Do we fulfill our role to the degree that Your word demands? If not, You love us and You’ll put enough pressure on us to have to make that decision. If we continue to drag our feet and become hardhearted and the gold is ten carat instead of twenty-four, we may have to experience a Mount Moriah to where You put Your hand on the most precious thing we have, that we could get a look at our heart. Because you’re not willing that we would go to a devil’s hell. You will put us in life circumstances that will open our eyes to be able to clearly determine to serve You or reject You. To love You or to hate You. We will not be allowed lukewarmness. We will be hot or we will be cold. We thank You for that love, Father, in Jesus’ name.

Let’s stand before the Lord this morning. As Gary plays for us and the spirit of God speaks to your heart this morning. Where are you this morning? Are you jumping higher? Do we look more like Him this morning than we did last year? He won’t take the crumbs of your life—your leftover time and energy. You’ll find as we go on in the study tonight that all of the trials of God are not with adversity. Many of the trials are with prosperity and ease and comfort, because the greatest detriment to Laodicea and the greatest detriment to Sodom were their idleness and their ease, their wealth. "I’m rich. I have need of nothing. I’m doing well. God has got to be on my side. I’m healthy; I’m wealthy; I’m happy. There’s no eternal fruit, but God’s obviously blessing me. Look at all of this stuff." You’re blind and you’re naked, you wretched thing. Proven you with that great doctrine that gain is godliness. From such withdraw yourself, the admonition of the apostle. Gain is not godliness. Godliness is godliness. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Where are my treasures? What are my pursuits? Am I panting after God as the hart does the brook? Can I say with the apostle that everything else is dung that I might win Christ? If you say, "I used to be that way, but I’m not now," then God will try you and God will perfect you in the crucible of chastisement and trials and temptations. It began this morning with the reproof and the rebuke. He rebukes those that He loves. As we receive this reproof, this instruction, this rebuke of the Lord, it is the beginning of chastisement. If our hearts will be smitten with the word of God and we’re broken and we repent, then we’re free. If not, then there’s more to come because He will not let you go to a devil’s hell without extending his love to you. "I’m actually doing pretty good when I’m compared with everybody else." That’s not the issue. Have you bought from Him gold tried in the fire? Pure gold. I want to tell you something: You may be shining, but you’re not pure. Let’s let Him clean our lives this morning. Let’s sing it together.

"Change my heart, O God." Just worship Him this morning. Just thank Him for what He’s doing in your life, and rejoice in his goodness. Thank Him for the mercy of God that’s brought us where we are, and for his faithfulness that will finish the course. Revelation said that it’s He that is faithful and true that has called us. Lord, we thank You that You’re going to continue to work in us. We thank You that You are ever the same, Lord. Not only the fact that Your standards don’t change, but Your pursuit of us doesn’t change. Your love for us is immutable. You never give up on us. You don’t quit. Lord, help us to be faithful. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, we worship and declare Your majesty. We delight in Your beauty and Your holiness. Be formed in us that You might be glorified in us. We ask it, Father, in Jesus’ name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "Fire’s good for you." Go in peace. God’s love go with you.

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