Faith Lesson 20 Week 3

All right. Well, we will go through this. We will get through this today. Lesson 20? Oh, you laugh. We will. In fact, we'll probably be far enough that Mike will be able to start Lesson 21 today. You ready for that? You ready? Oh, ye skeptics. So we're in Question 3, right? Lesson 20. Lesson 20 of the faith class, question 3.

In 2 Corinthians 3.3, how does God make us epistles of his glory? And reading the New American Standard, 2 Corinthians 2 and 3.

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested, that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts."

So what does that mean? Don't all answer at the same time now. Nobody knows what that means? We have to start breaking this down. You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ. What does that mean?

That we are an ambassador of Christ. Yeah, I think that's a great one. We're an ambassador. In time we should exhibit His nature and His attributes. We're to manifest Him. Yeah. Wouldn't it be with, it says, how does God make us epistles of His glory? Isn't it with the Holy Spirit? Because God knows us better than we know ourselves. Yeah, it's through the Holy Spirit manifesting who? Christ. Yeah. So you are a letter of Christ, cared for us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God. What does that mean? What is that a contrast to? Law? Law versus?

Spirit. Grace. Grace. You know, it was the law before, you had a cause and effect. Do this and you get this. Do this and this will happen. Do this and whatever. That was a law based system. Works. Now we are, and that was ink, that was written, that was the law. Versus now, the spirit of the living God. Versus now, you've been given everything.

You've been given every spiritual blessing, everything, and now if you respond to that, right, instead of do this, get this, it's like get this, now let's see. What did I say? What was in my prayer? What do we do under grace now? We're grateful. What is the only thing you do? Have faith. Say thanks. Thanks.

Because there's no works in it. If it's works-based, can it be work? No, no, I'm not saying it's works-based. No, no, I'm just saying that what it is, what you're getting at is, it's by grace now. There's no work, there's no law, there's no cause, there's no effect. It's just received. Right. We're in this system of grace, which is, thank you. That's the only thing we can do. There's no work. Anger's favorite word is unmerited. Grace is unmerited, which means there's nothing we can do to earn whatever he's giving to us.

So again, we're now a letter, which means people read or see. and it's by the Spirit, not by a law. That means God's glory, our Lord Jesus, proven character is seen by the world through us. And again, that's the Holy Spirit manifesting Christ through us. And I think I've used that a lot of times, that verse from a song. I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day.

And I think for us, a lot of people to be drawn is to see how we react in the world. And people will see how we react and they'll be drawn to that. I go back to that Charleston shooting when people couldn't understand that the people were forgiving. And I think a lot of people were drawn to what is with these people? How can they do that? They just had six members killed or whatever and they're forgiving this guy. I just saw reporter after reporter being, you know, what's with these people? What's different about them?

And I think that's where we're manifesting Christ. That's something different than what the world has to offer. And Wanda, like what you said, we're ambassadors. You know, we're to say what, from our country, which is heaven, we're citizens of heaven, and we're to manifest or say what who we're from in Christ, and that's who we're to manifest. And that's what it's saying here, that we're to be epistles. We're supposed to be the written or the manifestation of Christ in the world, not like the law.

So a very different contrast. I like this one too, and this is in our trials part. This is what I brought up when we were beginning this whole section on trials and why we go through them and all that. I really like this section, 2 Corinthians 1, reading 3-7.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation, or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort. which is effective in the patient enduring of the same suffering which we also suffer, and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that you are sharers of our suffering, so also sharers of our comfort."

Again, I think it's in the trials part of it, we are to we go through a trial so we can help somebody else. Or in the trials, if the world sees this, that we're comforting people and we're going through a trial, that's the manifestation of Christ and they're drawn. And I think he uses our trials also for other believers, that you go through a trial and the reason why you're going through a trial is also to help somebody who else will go through that trial in time. So again, just the Again, the manifestation of Christ is the ultimate epistle.

If you try to tie this 2 Corinthians 3 to Romans 5, 3 and 4, where we've been talking about not only that, but we also glory in tribulation. We know that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance of tried character, and character that makes us not ashamed. I think the connection is that the trials that come our way are designed to produce in us the life of the Lord Jesus, his glory.

And his glory is the thing that is the epistle. And what I've always liked about epistles is that they are non-verbal communicators. People read them. It's okay to be, you know, if the Lord would have you, like you say, comfort somebody. But it's how you live moment by moment, day by day, functioning with this tri-character, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, actually being manifested through us that has been promoted, or the precipitating cause, would be the trial. Yeah, I think in the individuals, in the comforting, how you went through it, somebody would be drawn to you, because if I go through that same trial, I'll be drawn as the manifestation of Christ. For a believer and a non-believer is what I was really trying to get at. For the world, we're an epistle, but also for others, other believers, in the comforting, that as you go through something, man, you went through that, and you're drawn.

We'll actually get to that in the next question about the ashamed. So I basically said, does that impact how you go through trials? Knowing that you're an epistle, you will be an epistle to the world or maybe to other believers? Think that should impact you? I think so. It's a different way.

It's a way to understand trials. And again, it's to manifest Christ ultimately and His glory. I think it's a fine line that once you start trying to look a certain way or to go through a trial a certain way on your own, that you're in danger of trying to be something versus keeping your eyes focused on Christ and that will be the result. Christ and the Holy Spirit is the one that's going to get you through the trial and you'll have the peace of going through the trial without trying to look like you're going through a trial well.

You said about two things that started. You go through on your own, which is wrong. Right. And number two is motive. Right. If my motive is to impress people or do anything. I'm going through this trial now. Is that the correct motive? No. No. So that's, I mean, you negated, the first two things you said negate everything that we're talking about here is selfish and motive. You know, if we're doing it for to, you know, show what a great guy I am in trials because I want to show people. No. Right. You know, the motive is wrong.

But it makes sense that, like say a girl lost, you know, a woman lost her baby, and another woman in the church who had lost a baby could come along and help her. Yeah, I mean there's so many different things that you go through. In my life, I know things that I've gone through that that have helped me or help others, and others who have gone through it who have helped me. And that's why I think there's an understanding as you go through it, to understand going through a trial, God's in control, He's allowing it To what? To manifest himself. And, ultimately, he may use you to help somebody else. It just puts a different perspective on going through a trial. If you understand that, that's where, again, the fruit of the Spirit, peace, patience, joy, you have all those things in the midst of a trial.

Because, you know, the underlying is that he's using you for his purposes. But I was thinking along with Holly, I think the minute you think, oh gosh, maybe God's going to use me, you're... I know, and that's again the motive. But again, I just think there's...

I would think this, all people suffer. As a human being, you're going to go through trials, everyone does. But as a believer, because of what the Lord has told us, we have We understand that he's at work. That's what I'm saying. It's not that I'm going to try and go through this and show what a good guy. Again, it goes to motive. But at least I understand that he's in control when you go through that trial. That's what gives me the peace. I may not understand what he's doing or why. I know why he's...

I do. And I knew you were going to say that. The method or this specific trial, I know the ultimate what he's doing. Yes, I do know that. He just told us, but in the midst of, you know, the car engine blew up on I-25, we've got five kids in the car and I'm, you know, it's like, okay, you know. You're in control. I don't know exactly what this process is.

I know what the end goal is, so that's what I'm saying. In the midst of it, I may, you know, I just, I have, but that's my underlying peace, is that, and that's not that I'm going to gut it out and this is going to show. It's just that the peace that he promised me in the Walking in the Spirit that I understand, he's still in control. I know his ultimate goal is, but right now it's like, okay, but he gives me that peace. And it's not the, boaster to do somebody, because then that's the wrong motive. But it's just for me personally, as I go through a trial, I just know, okay, you know, do what you want. I don't know where we're going with this right now, and in the process, I know the end goal, but you know, so that's kind of where I'm saying, but it goes to that motive.

It's a really fine line. See, when it becomes prideful that you're going to show people that, then it's gone. I go back to the fact that he may be using it just for that purpose. You want to work that out? Let's work that out. Again, I think in all things, he allows you to do things even when it's the wrong motive because he's working on that. He's always in control and he's allowing us to do these things. If I want to be a stubborn mule, yeah, you can do that. You can do it as long as you want. I'll work on it. So, a very fine line in that.

God's glory, our Lord Jesus Christ, proven character is seen by the world through us. The glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is manifested through us. It's seen by the world through us. And they're going to ask us because they're going to see something that they've never seen before about the wonderful hope that's within us.

And, you know, that's the epistle part. They're going to see something that the world doesn't understand, and they're drawn. And that's... If the Holy Spirit draws them. Yeah, I mean, it's ultimate. It's not like a, if you respond this way, people will respond this way. We're always that. It's, we're a vessel. The Holy Spirit's going to get them ready. We're a vessel. The salvation part's on the Holy Spirit, not us.

I also said in 2 Corinthians 2, 14-16, again thinking about the epistle, but thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one, an aroma from death to death, to the other, an aroma from life to life. And again, what I was saying, how we can be epistle both for believers and not, we're an aroma to believers and those who are perishing. Could you repeat the reference? Yeah, 2 Corinthians 2, 14 through 16. Thank you.

But again, it's, you know, we're to be a fragrance to Christ, to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. So I thought that was, again, how he uses it in trials and how we're an epistle. As Mike says, the non-written, but the world sees Christ through us. Epistle means letter? Yeah. Zooming on to question four.

In Romans 5.5, how does hope make us not ashamed?

So 5.5, I'll read Romans 5.3-5 for context. And not only this, but we exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. So how does hope make us not ashamed? How does it make us... Ashamed of our faith? Ashamed of... Basically, it doesn't disappoint. It doesn't disappoint. In the NASB, it's give...

New King James is ashamed, right? Not ashamed? Is that where that comes from? In 5, does the King James have it as ashamed? Not ashamed? I think that's where you got it from. And that's really what I went to. On the New American Standard, it has hope does not disappoint. So how does it not disappoint or make us ashamed? Disappoint's a better translation, I think. Because we know we can trust Him. Remember back to when we had this up and we've talked about hope a hundred times. What is hope in the biblical sense when we talk about hope?

It's an absolute rock solid. Certainty. So we have certainty in God. If we don't have certainty in God, we're in trouble. We're ashamed or we're disappointed. Either one, we're ashamed or disappointed. If we can't trust God, We're going to be disappointed because he's told us a whole bunch of things. If we can't trust him in what he said, we're going to be ashamed or disappointed.

What? Wouldn't that be when you're dead and then you wouldn't know anyways? What? I think what's going on here is that you're going through these trials and tribulations and you know some things that he's told us about the purpose of the trial. And the purpose of the trial is to manifest the character of the Lord Jesus Christ through us. And so when you get to this word hope, it's really His hope, which is an absolute certainty. And a lot of times in a trial, you can be disappointed because it doesn't seem like it's going to go anywhere, or there's going to be any fruitful resolution to it, that all I know is that I'm suffering.

A guy said to me one time, it all depends on whose ox is getting gored. Which is fine, except the hope, the absolute certainty, which is really important for us as believers, the absolute certainty of not only who God is, but what he's doing and how he does it, is the thing that won't disappoint you.

Because he's always going to have the same outcome. Always. It will be the same. Well, that's, you know, we get back to the initial one, Hebrews 11 1, where we, you know, the hope, faith is, faith is, and that was the certainty of the things of God, basically paraphrased. And again, that gets to the basis of it. It's all based on the certainty of him and the things of God. That's what faith is based on. So in all of this, it comes back to faith. Do you believe what he says? If you do, is it going to disappoint you? Will you be disappointed? Never.

It reminds me too of when it talks about before being a Christian, for people who remember, that it was, and he doesn't want this, but I mean it happens, is that you are ashamed of who you were before you were saved because it was not for anything. It's like what good was that stuff for you, you know? And then now it's kind of like you won't be ashamed, you won't have that because you have the hope of Christ because it's going to be for something so awesome you can't even imagine. Well it's just the hope, again the understanding, I go back to all those things, the sovereignty of God and the things of God. Is that ever going to disappoint you? Are you ever going to be ashamed of that? And that gets back to me, the intimacy with him. Enough that you know him and you know he's not going to disappoint or you'd be ashamed.

All the things he says are true. Do you believe? I was going to say everything after the because is really the Other side of the disappointment. Yeah. Because the love of God is shed upon you. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Poured out in us through the Holy Spirit. Yep. So, you know, I had, I had, can we be ashamed if the God of the universe's son and the indwelling, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they're, they're in us, with us, can we ever be disappointed or ashamed? Can we? Yeah, but is it for any good?

No. This is the first place in the book of Romans that the Holy Spirit's mentioned. And if you look at it, look what he's doing. If that's what he's doing, the Lord in his sovereignty has put us in a trial situation to produce this character in us. And here comes the first mention of the Holy Spirit, and what is he going to do?

He's going to gush forth in our hearts the love of God. Wow, that's pretty cool. Yeah, which we'll get to as we move down here about, you know, what's this, you know, the end of that is. Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through, how? The Holy Spirit. Okay? So then could you say that the Word of God transcends anything that's going on in the world? Oh, absolutely.

Because it lifts us, right? It lifts us out of the world and focuses on the Holy Spirit. Where is our position? Where are we? Right now, positionally, we're seated in the heavenlies. You know, that's why the Philippians 3.20, our citizenship's in heaven. That's why we're an ambassador. We're not from around here. And that's our reality. Yeah. Yeah. You know, that was the, you know, the other thing is I always think, you know, that the graph, having the tree upside down tree, our roots are in heaven. Never to be disturbed.

You know, down here the branches are swinging all around in the wind. But where we're from and where we're rooted can never be moved. Down here our leaves and branches are swinging in the wind, our condition. But our roots are always in heaven. That's where we're from. That's where we're positioned. That was the Colossians 3, where we're positioned in Christ, in God. How's that position for you? Not bad. Question 5.

Does going through a trial allow us to experience the love of God to a greater capacity? Does that sound really weird? In a trial, you're experiencing greater love? Not greater love, because it seems like love is just love, but yeah, maybe a greater, yeah, an expansion, a more conformed to the image of Christ. I guess if you'd say you were, in the beginning, you're less conformed to the image of Christ, then, yeah, I guess you get more.

So the key word is it allows us. Yeah. Yeah. Doesn't necessarily mean it's going to play out that way. Well, if we get into the Greek, I think a lot of times that we're involved in this. You know, it's the middle voice. So, yeah, it's not him doing thing, done facts, you know, subject. We are the middle voice and we're involved in this.

So, what do we find out in Romans 5? We exalt in the hope of the glory of God. We will boast in the certainty of God's glory. Also remember that the end result of trials is to obtain His hope or certainty. It will not disappoint. So what does it also say? It also says that after this, the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. So, in the midst of all these trials and exulting in this, we have the hope of the glory of God, which is a certainty, but then we also have that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts.

So, in the midst of a trial, do you feel his love? Not that feeling is a big thing. I know. I know. Do you understand What he has said here, the love of God will be poured out in your hearts in a trial. I go back to the fruit of the spirit. What is it? Love, joy, peace, patience. through the trial. I always stop right before there because I know you're going to add that to it. I keep saying that's why I'm here at Holly Hill, to show you guys long suffering.

So I basically said, therefore His absolute certainty never disappoints us because the Holy Spirit is revealing His love in our hearts. The love of God gush forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, so that when you go through this trial, and I go through this trial, we even know more about the love of God and about the love of Christ. He has brought us through the trial, and His love gushes forth from us by the Holy Spirit." I think that was from Hal, actually. He had that. So, do you understand that? And believe that by faith? That the love of God is by the Holy Spirit, is gushing forth. When you really start breaking these verses down, it's pretty amazing.

I was going to say that I don't think you can look at love here as a product or a commodity. You don't have the love of God poured out in your heart without the revelation of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the intimacy that we talk about, without that intimacy there's no love. Because love isn't going to get poured into you like super unleaded.

It's always person to person. The spirit of God's job is to reveal Christ to the believer. And there's a process going on here with the love of God being poured out in our hearts The Lord Jesus is that love. It's Him. And so we don't trust necessarily the law, we trust the person.

Yeah, but this one's almost in that, to me, it's poured. Yeah, precious. It is something. But what is that pouring forth? It's just Christ himself being poured. But it is like an infinite reservoir to me. It's always being poured forth. You can never exhaust it. In the Romans also it goes on about sin, grace may abound all the more. So whatever sin you have, grace super abounds beyond anything.

This is the same thing I think here in the love pouring forth. It just is beyond anything we can comprehend. And the way you comprehend it, actually, is by knowing Christ. So the more you know Him, to know Him, that's where you get to know the love. And all these different things. So, but it is kind of a more, almost not a commodity, but it's a process, it's pouring forth. You know, we're talking about tried character and hope, and whose hope is it, whose character is it? Yeah, it's all Him. Yeah. But He's pouring forth. And then, you know, you go back to your circle, too, of God is love. God first loved us. Guess what? Then he pours forth.

It all starts from him in all cases. Okay, number six. How is faith energized? Galatians 5, 6. So I did 5 and 6. Galatians 5, 5 and 6. For we through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. So how is our faith energized? Through love. And whose love is it? God. God's love.

So, you know, I think it's the love Your faith is energized because you see him pouring forth in a trial, in a suffering or anything, and he's taking you through that. My faith is energized because I understand that now. And I trust him. The faith is ultimately on him, so it's really just understanding that it's all about him, not about me. So yeah, our faith is energized by his love, which is pouring forth into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the Romans 5. Because it's poured out, His love is poured out.

That's how our faith is energized because we understand where this is all starting and ending. And the certainty, remember the hope we talked about, all those things, it all comes together. As you understand that, your faith is energized because you understand it. The Holy Spirit taking those known things and putting it, you understand it now. Question. Do you think that if I'm a believer who doesn't have this kind of experience with the Lord, is it because I don't understand what trials are for? I think there's a lot of misunderstanding. You know what I think?

I think they just keep working it myself. Until you get it. Until you get it. I mean, I say I have a flat forehead. I've hit the wall so many times before I went, Because, you know, not only my own experience, but lots of other believers, you know, they complain about the trials of the way and the suffering and the stuff, you know.

So you get to these verses and it explains why they're there. Yeah. And if you don't get to this, you're going to complain the rest of your life. Well, that's why I think between the Romans 5 and the James 1, that just puts 90% of believers on their ear. You know, and I consider it all joy, my brother. You know, and I do that to people and they go, what, you idiot?

You know, but, but so I just clipped that part out of the Bible. Exalt in your trials. Oh, where's a blackout on that? You know, let's get that out of there. That, that, that's for us. That's for some man in the White House over here. When he comes in, he'll, yeah, not me. Yeah.

There's an awful lot of that when you're in a trial, especially a physical trial, they say you're not praying hard enough, and let me pray over you, and yada yada, you know, and it's like they're expecting some wonderful miracle, which, not to say it can't happen, but still, it's like, You never give a prayer request to Mike, because that was always the... For years. For years that, you know, you've got like an amended Bible study or something. It's like, you know, pray for this.

Well, you know, it's like, no, because you're circumventing what God is doing. You know, I always pray for just strength, peace, comfort, all the things he's promised us. I don't say get out of that necessarily. I just say understand, give them peace, strength, comfort. How can I be used to help comfort them? I don't say necessarily get out of there. Because I may be circumventing what God is using in that person's life. And all the things around it. That person's going through it, maybe for them, but it may be influencing a thousand people around them.

And I'm going to say get them out so you can't do what you want. You would never grow if there was never a trial, right? Right. I think that, it says we're appointed for trials. The Thessalonians. Oh, I guess, no, we can't, that's another blackout. Let's black that one out too. Because you don't want that.

Because what, we're appointed to these, meaning we're going to have trials? Well, yeah. But it's, if you understand why he's doing it, to make you an epistle, to make you manifest Christ. It's a total reverse of the law, because in the law, if you did something, and that happened, it was the cause and effect. You didn't do this, so you got your house burned down, or your kids taken, or whatever. Just like law is the antithesis of grace. It's completely black and white. Oil and water can't mix. Exactly. Question 7.

Put Romans 5.5 together with Galatians 5.6 and explain how the Spirit energizes our faith to prepare us for the next trial. Well, it's just kind of what you said with the flat forehead, you know, you get it. You know? Right? You know, I think he's using it. Yeah, I mean, he uses it. And each time you grow. And that's the purpose of it. To grow to manifest him. But see, it's this understanding, and it comes back to faith.

I always say in my Consider it All Joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, oh yeah, but I always zipped off the last part of that, or the next part of that. Consider it All Joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that what? The testing of your faith. That's what the trial is for.

90% of these things, and that's why I've been going through all these verses, faith is the object or the testing. It's not about us, it's about, well, it's personal faith, it's the faith, and it's faith is God. So it's all this. I'm amazed as I go through more and more about how faith is what's being tested, or what is being the process. And that comes back to, again, intimacy with God, and do you believe Him? And that's really the crux of all of this. Because He's told us a myriad of wonderful things. And it's just, do we by faith believe it? That's what it comes down to. And 99 and 9 tenths of these things. I'm leaving one tenth out just because I don't want somebody to bring up an exclusion. Flat forehead group. There you go. That's right. So, putting it together.

So at the end of this trial, the love of God gushed forth from us. We sense the love of God that is being poured out from us. It energized our faith so we can go through the next trial because our faith has been energized. So it's basically the hope, the certainty, all those things, and then the love is poured out. We understand that the love of God is being poured out through this.

So that's how, you know, the next trial. And, you know, it is, as you grow, I think it becomes, you know, the trial is, I think you walk by the Spirit and you have the fruit of the Spirit. I keep going back to that. As you go through these trials, you begin to understand that more and more.

And we become an epistle to believers and unbelievers through that. I think that's a great thing. And others do that for us? Absolutely. The body concept. You know, when one part of the body hurts, the rest are to help that. Not necessarily get them out of that trial, but to comfort, to be used by God.

I've learned a lot from my daughter. whose husband has breast cancer. My oldest granddaughter has that pot syndrome. There's no cure for that. But just when I talked to her the other day for about an hour and 45 minutes, it was just very inspiring to me how she's grown spiritually. What a concept, she's going through the trials.

You know, I had a guy become a friend of ours, we've known for years. And he came up to me, he saw us in the supermarket, and he was just panicked about his daughter has just gone off the deep end. And he just caught me, and he was with me, and he was just at the panic in his eye. You know, and he's a believer, he's been a pastor, all this stuff, you know, all these, and he was just in a panic.

And, and just, you know, my daughter, and just, ah, just, just, you gotta pray, you gotta, and, and, you know, and, maybe, right thing, wrong thing, I don't know. I basically said, you know, to him, I said, do you, do you still, through this, I understand it's painful, I know all this, but is God still in control?

Did he allow this? Yeah? Good. He's allowing this. He's using it for his purposes. And there was, I don't know, I noticed a distinct change. He was with me. A distinct change that it was like, oh, okay. It's like, what do I do? God's sovereign. He's in control. He's allowing this. The process is confusing, but we know what the end game is.

If we get that, He's sovereign, He's in control, and we can't be separated from His love, we'll pray. I didn't say that we pray to get her out of the circumstances. But, you know, we'll pray. And basically to comfort him. Is that an example of what you've been explaining today in actions for you comforted? Yeah, I mean, we were there at that time when God had us meet. So, that's why I say when I take a perspective of God's in control of these things, when you go through everyday life, I just think God's using it all the time.

So we're the epistle. You know, we don't... You're not supposed to close the book up and walk around. You're an epistle all the time. To the whole world. And that's why that comfort and all that to both the believer and the unbeliever. We're to be an epistle to the world and to other believers or to help, to comfort, to do all those things.

I think too that as you go through This process we realize that there's no quick answer. And so when God has called upon us to comfort others with the same comfort that we got from Him, we have to realize that it's a process and that we walk beside them all the way. We don't give them, well if you do this, we don't give them the Job's friends deal. We'll walk with you and we'll go all the way to the end as we explain what God's doing. And that's a role that I think a lot of times if you're called to comfort, our tendency is to give them 1, 2, 3, and if you do that, it's going to be cool. That's not what he calls us to do. He calls us to walk side by side. And he's using it all. And that's for ours, for them. That's what I'm saying. The pointing fingers, it's for him. Oh wait, it's for me too. He's using it all.

And I'm not giving you any credit for what you said to that person because it's the Holy Spirit, but what a great thing for God's glory when you just said, Is God in control? That's like huge, huge testimony to God's glory. Well, yeah, I mean, it's just, and again, I just think He had us there, He had us that time, and for that reason, you know, so. Well, that's the most difficult thing to learn for me. And I thank God that I'm here and that I'm learning. I used to think I was in control. You know, and then to say, oh, well, God's in control. The whole world is falling apart, and God's in control.

I mean, okay? Peace, patience, joy, all those things, because you start to understand that. We've got to work on that one. But at least you know what? You're saying with a smile now. That's the good part. You're saying with a smile. OK, let's blast through these last ones. They're pretty easy. It would be hard for you to understand this. I think these are from our study stuff. So we'll go through it.

When the trial comes, you always find him waiting there. When the trial comes, you will always find Him faithful. And then when the trial comes, you will always find that He will never leave you or forsake you. And then when the trial comes, you will always find that He loves you. And then when the trial comes, you will always find that His purpose is to share the very glory of the Lord Jesus Christ with you. Now that last one. Yeah. To share the very glory of the Lord Jesus Christ with you. And we are done with Lesson 20. Mic's up. Yeah. Three seconds. No, we already got the second one. We're good. All right, let's close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you again that you are in control and that we have that love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering, and all those different attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. We thank you again that many of the trials of suffering or all of them are allowed by you and it's to grow and to manifest the Lord Jesus Christ to conform us to his image and ultimately to give you the glory and we realize that in trials Again, we just understand that we can't be separated from your love, even in a trial. And we realize that you're a sovereign God, that you're allowing this, that you're in control, and you're allowing it. And then we just have that peace and patience, understanding that. Again, just use us to be that epistle to believers and unbelievers to just manifest Christ to the world and manifest His comfort and love to believers. We thank you again that you have given us great truths in your word, and that you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, and we just thank you for that. We just give you great praise again for your intimate knowledge for each and every one of us. And we just pray for Vern in the next meeting again, just that you bring forth your word accurately and prepare our hearts to receive it. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.