The Position & Possessions of the Believer # 23 (Lesson 25)
Mike Doyle · Apr 1, 2007
Identification (2006-07), No. 26
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926022237663

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, from K.G. True's Lesson 25. There's a lot here in terms of verses and that kind of thing, so maybe we'll get through it all. Maybe we won't. What I thought we'd do is maybe instead of reading all the verses and have them all stuck in your mind, let's do them like Romans 5, 9, and 10 and then answer the first question. That's kind of how I set them up. So the first one is Romans 5, 9, and 10. Whoever gets there first gets to read. Much more than having now been justified by his love, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

So my question was, why do you think Paul used much more to highlight his point in Romans 5, 9 and 10? Why do you think he uses that phraseology? As a matter of fact, he uses it four times. in Romans chapter 5. Why much more? What do you think the emphasis was in highlighting the much more? Because if you look at the verse, he starts off by saying, this is so, but much more. This is so, but much more.

Because we need complete salvation. Yeah, that's right. The first part is justified by His blood. Much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him. Right. So we need complete salvation. Right. Not just justification, but we need sanctification. Yeah, and notice in the thing, he kind of sets it up this way. If God has done this, Won't he do the much more thing? Do you see the point? How he sets it up? If God has given his son to die for your sins. Isn't he going to do the rest? And the answer is obvious. Yeah. Amen. God's done the greater, the harder work. Yeah, he's done the greater, the harder thing. He's done so much here.

Isn't he going to do the easy thing? That's exactly right. That's the whole point. Isn't it true within our experience as we walk with the Lord He gives his son the most precious thing he has, and so we're looking at him like he might not be interested in my problem. And that's the point here that the apostle is making.

If he's done the harder thing, won't he do the thing that's actually easier for him? Right. If he started it, he's going to complete it. So if he gave us the risen life of Christ, Which is the harder thing. Won't he see that it's implemented? Sure he will. Because we will be saved by his life. So that's the point, part of the much more. Now, as we go through the rest of these verses, the apostle doesn't use the much more thinking, but it's there. So that's what we want to look for. The next verse is Ephesians 5, 2. Anybody?

And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a pregnant aroma. Okay, so my question was, it gives us the reason why we're to walk in love, and what is it? What's the reason? Christ loved us and gave himself for us.

Sure. Remember, and I've gone through this a couple of times with you, that grace wheel that Macaulay put out, and if you can picture this, I probably ought to print that out for everybody to have in their book, or did I? The deal is, God's grace towards us. He starts. He's the starting point. His grace moving towards us. And so He loves us first.

As you go around the wheel, if you remember, if you go around the wheel, the result of His loving us is that we love Him. And so our love for Him is as a result of His love with which He loved us. The second part of the wheel down at the bottom is that we obey Him. Why do we obey Him? Because we love Him. Why do we love Him? Because He first loved us.

So it's a result of our loving Him. So then the fourth thing, whether that be the 9 o'clock position, would be that God rewards us. God rewards us. Why does He reward us? Because we obey Him. And why did we obey Him? Because we love Him. And why do we love Him? Because we love Him.

So you've got to take in the whole circle. The problem in Christianity is that people take sections out of this pie and make a religion out of it. And if you don't put the whole thing in play, what happens is you end up... This whole thing is grace. If you take a piece out of it, you get legal. That's kind of the way it is.

So the issue is... that His grace is the motivator of love. His grace is the motivator of love, it's also the motivator of obedience. And so, I mean, in the world system, how do you find a gig like this? Where you get rewarded for everything that God does. I think the most difficult thing for believers to reconcile in their mind, is that this issue of grace is a motivator. That God's love would motivate me to be responsive.

You see what I'm saying? Because when the commands come, we think, oh, I've got to do that. Well, sure you do. The command is there. But the motivation, you have to look at the motivation. If the motivation isn't God's grace, and then he loved us first, then you're trying to imitate responses, which makes them legal because they come out of the flesh. the title of our class, if we're identified with the Lord Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection, this newness of life that we have, resurrected in Christ, God operates in a grace system only. The operating principle is only grace. He doesn't operate any other way. We want him to sometimes, but he doesn't.

And so as we enter into more and more of who we are in Christ and function and the grace in which we live, the responses are there, because the grace comes towards us, overwhelmingly, undeservedly. So my next question was, what does it mean to be the object of God's grace?

And I put in there, for salvation, Ephesians 2.8, Mike, can you read 2.8? For by grace are you saved through faith and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. So, by grace, to be the object of grace, that means what?

That salvation comes towards you, right? Would you ever come up with this plan of salvation? We're going to have a meeting this afternoon, we're going to come up with a salvation plan. It wouldn't be based on grace. So it's by grace that we are saved.

Now what role does faith have in it? Very important to understand the role that faith has. If it's all of grace, where does faith fit into the equation? Believing. Believing. Faith has to have an object beyond the feet of God. Believing what God says.

And what does faith do to the grace? In terms of subjectively? It receives it. Yeah, it receives it. Faith is the actuator. Faith is the thing that you do that puts you in. the torrent of grace. You don't get any credit for believing, but that's what, we use the word appropriation, that's what gets you in the river, so to speak. But you're believing. It actuates the grace subjectively in your environment.

The object of grace for security, Romans 5.2, Courtney. Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God. So we have access. Has the access been provided? Has the access been provided to you? Yes, it has. Again, how do you gain access? How do you put yourself in the stream of access? By faith. So, if you have access by faith, then it's interesting.

This word here, stand, I think all the translations say, wherein we stand, that's an aorist tense, permanent. It's a standing you have that absolutely cannot be taken away under any circumstances. because God is the one that gave you the standing, because you're in Christ Jesus. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Now hope is something that looks, is a certainty, but looks forward to the future. And what it says about the future here is the glory of God.

How does that fit? Is it the fact that we have access right now, we have a permanent standing right now, but we have hope about this glory? What does that glory mean, that when we all check out of here we get to go to glory? Is that what it means? What do you think? I just don't know why none of the Tracy's are here this morning. They're all tired from moving.

So the glory of God is a very interesting thing. It's the sum total of his intrinsic attributes is the way I define it. And if you were to behold the glory of God, that's what you would be beholding. You wouldn't be beholding God like Courtney and I are looking at each other, but you'd be beholding His attributes, who He is, and it radiates His glory.

And so 2 Corinthians 3.18 says, Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.

There's a hope about that that's a certainty that starts the day you're saved and continues on for all eternity. We all get to check out of here. To be absent from the body is to be home and present with the Lord. None of the guys that have ever left our fellowship to go home, they never came back. I wonder why. They don't want to. That's right. So the glory of God is something that we all have a certainty about. That's a growing thing in our life now, but a certain thing for the future. Let's talk about service.

1 Peter 1.54, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Just a supporting verse. Now, what does it mean to be the object of His grace for service?

Ephesians 2.7 is the verse that Schaefer gives us. In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness as in Christ Jesus. So we're the object of his grace for service and it says to show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us. Why would that demonstrate to us what it means to be the object of God's grace? Let's talk about service in a minute. When we talk about Christian service, what do we mean? And if you don't know, I've got a list for everybody that you can do this week. What does it mean to serve?

Well, it should be the logical outcome. of His love toward us and we love Him. You get the start, you know, that's great. Do you hear what she said? It's the logical result or the outcome of His loving us, His grace towards us and we respond in kind because we have the life and because the grace has been moved towards us and we understand so we respond. Now, but in this verse it's interesting. He's talking not so much about service immediately but show in the exceeding riches of his grace towards us in the ages to come."

What do you think he means by that? I see faith in that. What's that? Faith in that we rest in His acting and it's a matter of just responding to what's already been done to us. What's He going to do? I'll pick you. He says his brain wasn't working so we'll get it moving.

What's God going to do with you a thousand years from now? What's your makeup going to be? as you cruise around and exist. I probably wouldn't have thought any more. In a thousand years. Hopefully. I don't know. The thing is, is that you're going to be manifested by the grace of God and having been rewarded because of what he was able to do through you while you were here in your life.

And what's cool about that is that you and everybody will know that the rewards were based on what he did through you And you served Him. And like I said before, have you ever been seen a set up like that on the earth where somebody you know does all the work but He rewards you for it? Never happened? And all of creation will know that that's what God did. And you are the recipient of the grace and the gift of God for what He did through you. And what have you done? You've served Him. Not out of your flesh, but in response to the grace. And so he rewards you for that.

And it's not only now, but it's in all eternity. The manifestation of the glory of God through the believers. I don't think sometimes we recognize how important we are to God. He's determined that he's going to do with us, as the purveyors and the manifestors of the grace of God, his own very glory. He's going to project it through the head, through Christ, and us, through his body.

We had an interesting discussion in the elders meeting, Ephesians 1.10, and the issue there was the fullness of times, when everything is brought under the feet of Christ. And the discussion was, well, now is the fullness of time because the church is here. The other side of the table said, no, it's the millennial kingdom when Christ comes to rule and reign. So how would you resolve that discussion?

The answer is in the middle. Because when all things are put under Christ, are we going to be put under Christ? How many think yes? How many are too afraid to raise your hand? Get them up. Answer, no we're not. Why not? Because you should be ruling and reigning with them. Exactly right. When you think about that. But he's still, I mean, he's still the head. I mean, where's the head of the body? Yeah, I mean, that's why, I guess, raising the hand, we're still, he's still the head. We'll be ruling and reigning with him.

I mean, that's true. But I go back to 1 Corinthians 6 where it says, No you not, we'll judge angels. I think it's difficult for us to assume this lofty position that God has put us in. Peter calls us kings and priests and uses the same adjectives that describe Christ to describe us. So are we subject to him?

We have his life, absolutely. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in eternity serving each other. There's none of this, oh, I'm in charge today, and the Spirit and the Lord Jesus, your turn is tomorrow. There's none of that. Well, we're plugged into that, but we're the rulers and the reigners and we are not subjects to the King in that sense. Because we're the body of Christ. It's amazing when you spend any time thinking about service and the future, what it's going to be like. Because of our identity and our union with Christ, well, he didn't unite us with himself to make us slaves, you know, where he can give us orders.

It's not like that. He's sharing his very, all that he is, your co-heirs with Christ. Well, what is he going to inherit? I get a couple of guys from Israel and a motorcycle. What do you get? You get everything that he gets. It was so easy for me to understand it when I married Steve because he had everything that maybe a man in this world would like to have. And when I married him, I inherited everything. And not only did I inherit it, But I was put up into the position with him because I love him and we are joint heirs of the possessions that Christ has given us here in this world. And when I walked into the business, I was the boss. Not that I had earned it, but that he had given me this position. Isn't that interesting.

What a great example that is. It has been easier for me to understand, even though it's scary, to think that I could have what Christ has right now, but it's a done deal. I just have to arrive at that. That's a great example. Thank you. And the last part, what does it mean to be the object of grace for instruction? These are great verses, Titus 2, 12 and 13. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Did I find that one? That's good. Twelve and thirteen. All right. Question.

What does who does the teaching here? Well, verse 11, right above it, says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us. Who does the teaching? The grace of God. The grace does the teaching. Isn't that interesting? The grace itself is the teacher. So the grace itself is the one that instructs us in what?

To deny ungodliness? We talked about before that Most non-believers think, well, I'm pretty bad, pretty good, I've done enough, God will balance out the scale at the end. The problem is that the Bible refers to all non-believers as ungodly. Well, that means in order to be a recipient, to enter into all that God has, you have to be godly, doesn't it? Isn't that what it says? So you can't be better Anything that's of the flesh, anything that's of the world is ungodly.

Grace is the thing that teaches us to deny ungodliness. Why? Because grace is the thing that teaches us what godliness is. So we know the difference. If you work for the Secret Service and you're in counterfeiting, what do you study? The real thing. Why? Because you can spot the phony if you know the real thing.

Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. What teaches you all of that? Grace. Grace is the thing that teaches you that. Question four. Explain why power is critical in living the Christian life.

In Ephesians 1.19. And His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength. Okay, so why do we need power? Why is power critical in living the Christian life? You can't do it. You can't do it without power. You can't do one thing here. Because in weakness His power is revealed. So does the flesh have power?

Yes. Yeah. Sure does. Sin has strength. Right. Some of you guys have never sinned, so I know. Don't you think that one of the elements that you learn in spiritual growth is the strength of the sin nature? Right? You learn that. Because what do you try... I mean, you can be the most learned biblical guy in the world, and understand the concepts, until you come face to face with the power of the sin nature, you don't really realize how powerful it is. So in your mind you're thinking, my goodness, the sin nature is really way over my head, I can't deal with it. Right? You can't. So, the Christian life must be based on the principle of power. And notice how he connects here, in this verse.

What a succeeding greatness of his power towards us who believe according to the working of his mighty power. What's the greatest demonstration of power ever? The resurrection of Christ. Because Christ was identified with this powerful thing, the sin nature. And then he was separated from it and was resurrected. Now, that's the power that every believer has in the resurrected Christ to live the life.

It's no one less than the Spirit of God Himself. So, it's interesting, we don't, you know, this isn't like the force. It's a person, and the person is the Holy Spirit, God Himself, and it takes that much to live that life. You see that? Dependence on Him. When I'm weak, like Mike says, then I'm strong. When I'm weak in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrected life is strong in me. I'm delivered unto death daily. Why? What does it mean that I'm delivered unto death daily? It puts the sin nature where it belongs. Sure. The Holy Spirit applies across the good old Adam. For what reason? Death works in me. For what reason?

Right. There might be life in you. I think you might put that under the heading of service. See that? And that's the only legitimate service there is. Death working in you so that there might be life in others. Right. Philippians to 13. Actually, let's do two of 12. Gary, you get. Let's do 12 and 13.

Therefore, my dear friend, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. So it all depends on me, right?

If you look at Genesis forty nine, twenty four, you have to go there. Joseph says, the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob, even by the God of thy father. So even in the Old Testament they understood this principle. Which scriptures then? Genesis 49, 24, and 25.

So, tell me how God works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure under the understanding that I am to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. First he gives you the full salvation, and then he says, now work it out. So you've already got something. It's like a garden. If you have a garden, you've got to pull the weeds and it needs water. But you've already received it. You've already got it all.

I kind of look at it like I'm a computer geek. Okay? I know. I kind of look at it like you get a brand new computer and it's really strong. It's got all this stuff and it's yours. It's at your fingertips. But you've got to figure out how to make any of it work.

Okay. And I think that this is kind of the same thing where God gives us everything And he gives us the instruction manual here. Interesting. Fair enough. OK. We've got great I.T. support. Yeah. Great I.T. support in the Holy Spirit in your ear. You know, I think about this for a minute. Are we to read the instruction manual and imitate what it says? No. No. Then how does it work? The Holy Spirit makes it work. Dependence.

And like Mike says, we get the entire life and we're to work it out. It's getting to know what we have. First of all, you've got to know what you've got. That's the critical part in the beginning. That's what this is for. It's not so much to tell you what to do as much as it is to tell you what you are and what you've got. Now you know what you are and what you've got.

Now what? It's the next step. Rest in it. Before that. Yeah, you got to believe it. Oh yeah, I see that, I see my position, I see this, I see what God has done. I believe him. A few minutes ago, when we say faith does, in terms of grace, what is the role faith plays? It actuates it. So you find out the grace, you've got it up here in your heart, and you believe it, and it actuates it.

Now what happens? What's the next thing that happens? Oh, now I'm ready. Now you've got to get going. That's exactly right. You've got to do. But now that you know the position, and now you've got your position, and you've actuated the position in the life, now how does the doing get done? How does it get done? Not by you.

Who mentioned rest? Rest in what? You rest in the position, you rest in the facts, and you trust God to carry out both the will and to do of His good pleasure. Now I've got to tell you, Well, I shouldn't ask this question because you guys are all too holy for me.

Has there ever been a time in your life where you saw a command in the New Testament and you said, ah, I've got to do that. Ever had that experience? And then at some point in your life there wasn't any, why not? There wasn't any strain. There wasn't any resistance. You were doing the will of God and you may have even been surprised that you were. And there wasn't any resistance. How come? Because he's doing it. What's that? Because he's doing it. That's exactly right.

You've learned the lesson of rest. And you've learned the lesson that when God says something, spells it out to you, and reveals it to you by His Spirit, He doesn't need your help to implement it. He just wants you to believe Him, and to rest, and to trust Him.

Because none of you are willing to go to the cross this afternoon, are you? Maybe? The point is that the sacrificial life that we are called and commanded to live has to be implemented and carried out by the power of the Spirit of God. If it isn't, There's only one other source, and that's you, the flesh. And the flesh will do anything, but not do anything. Understand what I mean by that? The flesh doesn't buy co-crucifixion with Christ. Not for a second. And it's bound and determined to prove to you that that isn't true. That it still has some worth, some energy, some contribution to the Christian life. It has nothing. Nothing. Why do you think God is faithful to us?

In the verse that Schaeffer gives us in Hebrews 13.5. Then he wrote, I have, but I don't want to make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have. Or he himself has said, I will never deserve you. Or will I ever forsake you? So whose responsibility is this? For us to be persuaded about God's faithfulness. Whose responsibility is it for us to be persuaded about God?

He's the one that, and gee, does he work on Tuesdays? Does he ever take a couple of weeks off? What was that movie with Jim Carrey? No, Bruce Almighty. Bruce Almighty? I mean, does God in the business and in the intent to prove to you how faithful He is to you? Would he do that?

Absolutely. All the time. He never stops it. And what's interesting, what gets in the way, is me trying to prove to him how faithful I am to him. Right. Or how good I am. Yeah, how good I'm doing. And are you taking notice, God? I'm chalking it up. You just need to make a commitment, right? That's right. Gotta make a commitment. Gotta have a purpose. It's that word, I will. I will. that kind of puts me on the cross because it's not my will.

Let me read a great quote from Lewis Barry Chafer. Could it be possible that God would so love an individual as to give his son to die for him and still love him to the extent of following him with the pleadings and drawings of his grace until he has won that soul into his own family and created him anew by the impartation of his own divine nature, and then be careless as to what becomes of the one He has thus given His all to procure.

Isn't that a great statement? That's an awesome statement. That's the much more. That's the much more. And I dare say, we spend a lot of time Thinking, oh, this isn't really what God does. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. I mean, if you just think about it logically, like Chaffer did. He puts the logic where it belongs.

Would God do all this? I mean, you know, the old wind-up toy theory? Wind you up, save you, and then let you go on your own? Come on. He wouldn't do such a thing. You know? I mean, we have this theory about, my kid's 18, I'm kicking him out the door. How many of you have done that? He would raise his hand because, you know, my son, he doesn't think I'm there. He's right.

Just because your children arrive at a certain age doesn't mean you stop loving them, stop caring about them, and stop doing whatever you could that's best for them, right? So, God is the same way, He's our Father. He wouldn't have gone through, it's like, I'm doing the water table this morning, I have this great expression, that grace is free to us, but it costs God everything He has. So here God expends all that He has to procure us and to woo us, and then He would save us and say, here's the Bible, I'll see ya.

Not going to happen. Not going to happen. Now, like most children, we can be stubborn and say, well, I'm going to do it my way. Is there ever a time in the course of your spiritual growth that you have been such a turkey that God says, I'm done with that guy? Never. Now, he's taken me out the woodshed a few times. Or he'd let you go out there.

I read recently in Song of Songs, I think it's chapter 5, and J.B. Stoney was mentioning how she's asleep. She's not doing anything wrong. She's just asleep. And he comes knocking at the door. And the knocking is a circumstance. So when we walk out of here today, or maybe even here in the meeting, someone might offend us, or something might be said. But that's His knocking, to bring you back to Himself. You don't even know that you've fallen asleep. Nothing bad. You know, you're not sinning.

But He wants you so close to Him, that he will provide a circumstance. But see, that's the very thing that causes us to think that he would wind us up and throw us out. You know, the very thing that we pray against is the very thing he's using to bring us dearer to him. Okay, question six. What is the peace of God and does it operate in your life?

Philippians 4, 6 and 7. Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. The Thanksgiving lecture Let your request be made known unto God. Peace of God which passeth all understanding. So keep our hearts and minds to Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, So things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think of these things.

So, what is the peace of God? He is. He is. He is the peace. And you have peace by exercising yourself according to those verses. Because life presents to us anxiety. all kinds of anxiety and he said be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication and he reciprocates when you bring your anxiety and you bring your troubles to him it's his way of bringing you to him and trading what you are troubled with with himself with his peace that's very cool Has God made peace amongst the Godhead about man and sin? Yes. He has, hasn't he? Absolutely. Okay, so he's not upset anymore, right? He doesn't have any wrath to carry out against, especially those that are in Christ Jesus.

So that's the basis on which you have to start. And if God is settled about it, then you should be settled about it. Amen. And so, when we go to Him, like you're saying, with anxiety. And by the way, the wrath of God against sin in the world is anxiety. Have you ever met anybody outside of Christ who could deal with anxiety? No. I've never known anybody outside of Christ that had this thing called rest. Right. I've never known him.

No. And the Lord Jesus says, You come unto me, and I will give you rest for your souls. Well, if they could have gotten it down at the local Kmart, he wouldn't have said that. You see that? If they could have gotten rest any place else, he wouldn't have said, you come unto me, and I'll give you the one thing you can't get any place. Rest.

Peace. And the peace of God is God himself. Because if he said rest, you're going to be at rest, because if he's not anxious, what are you going to be anxious about? And the other issue is this, here is an invitation from the God of the universe, who is on mission, All of the things that he is saying, come to me and let all your requests be known to me. All of them. And he says, and then I'll fix them? No. What does he say? Peace. I will give you my peace and that peace passes understanding.

Now is that more valuable than an answer to whatever your anxiety happened to be? I think so. Because what could be How do I say this? What could get beyond him saying, be anxious for nothing? The only other point that is so wonderful with this little portion is that the circumstances, like you said, don't change. but the peace we're rewarded with. We get the compensation of himself, which is peace, which makes us then superior to our circumstances. So we have him in the midst of it, because he doesn't remove the circumstance, he doesn't bring the relief like Paul with the thorn, but he says that there's grace for you, so you're superior to the circumstances.

So, your pal J.B. Stone, points out the problem. What's the big problem? He says, have you gone to him about it? That's the whole issue. We started off with prayer requests and things. There's two different ends of the coin. It seems like we fall in the middle. It's too big for God to handle. Yeah. You're right. Which is a laugh, sure. The flip side is.

It's the little things. It's too small. It's too trivial. And this is all. And I think we fall into these traps where it's too small that He doesn't even care about it. Or it's too big for God. You can't even handle this. We kind of muddle in the middle. And this one is very specific. It's all. And there's anxiousness on both sides. The little thorn or the massive trauma. Even the fact that we comprehend that we know that he hears us, just that he hears us brings a rest. Yeah, it's very interesting because we don't like to admit this, but there's such a resistance I'm just going to Him with an open heart and an open mind about everything. About your sin. Oh my goodness. You're going to be mad like you didn't know.

That's why it's be anxious for nothing. We have a thing of thanks. The difference between anxiety and thankfulness is anxiety is not knowing. Thankfulness is knowing. That's a great point. Thankfulness in this item of anxiety has brought me to you. And anxiety is something that we live with and have learned to live with every hour of the day. Because it's presented to us in the morning, the newspaper, the TV, our neighbors. Every hour, anxiety is apparent. And it's creating this unrest within us.

And it's like, finally we get to the point that, Lauren, I've got to be unloaded. I've got to be delivered. I'm coming to you. I'm getting rid of this. I'm tired of this and I want you. And you are the only one. You are the only remedy to relieve me of all anxiety and give me peace.

You know what's interesting about that? You go intelligently. You go to him understanding that one, he's approachable. And that you can go, and I dare say that if you don't understand identification truths, you won't go. Right. Because you don't think you're worthy. And the fact is, we're already there. And so if we're there, we need to communicate. That's right.

And you know another thing that keeps us from receiving this piece, this wonderful person? is we always have a back door. Now if he doesn't hear me, I'm going to go to my girlfriend and I'm going to tell her, and you know what, she'll side with me. Or I'm going to just tell everybody what that person did to me. First I'll give you a tri-god. But when you go to him and there is no back door, you say, I don't want any other door, but you do. And I'm going to stay on my knees and I am going to petition you until my heart is at rest with you. thronging the gates of heaven. And she was a prayer warrior.

You know what's interesting about this? Do you see anywhere in there where it says you've got to beg God to do anything? No. You've got to be sweating and stewing and any of that? And also, do you see in there where it gives you the freedom to give him instructions on how he's supposed to respond?

Because that's what we do. You know, dear Father, Charm is sick. Fix the doctor. Do this. Get him well. Well, what if he wants to take charm home? Would we pray against such a thing? Not really. Yeah, Paul was writing this in prison. So he had anxiety. Yeah. And he had peace.

Let's talk about Ben Moniz's to read 8. Fondly, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Amen. It's well on these things. Here's one of those that were on your list. And here's something that God says to do.

And who is all of these things? Are they things? Colossians 3.1 says, Since ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. What are the things? That's what the things are. Dear Father, how we thank you for your grace, and how we thank you for your Spirit that implements that grace so we might rest in it and live in it, and that we might behold the glory of your Son. We thank you, we pray in his name. Amen.