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  PROVING RESTORES GOD'S CHARACTER
  by Duane Troyer
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of faith, grace, and
perseverance in restoring the peace of God in our lives. It explores the
concept of being justified by faith and obtaining peace with God through
Jesus Christ. The message delves into the idea of tribulations leading
to proven character and ultimately hope, highlighting the love of God
poured out through the Holy Spirit.

Topics: "Faith", "Perseverance"
Scripture References: Romans 5:1, Habakkuk 2:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Deuteronomy 8:2, Psalm 62:7, Romans 5:3, Galatians 5:22

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of faith, grace, and perseverance
in restoring the peace of God in our lives. It explores the concept of
being justified by faith and obtaining peace with God through Jesus
Christ. The message delves into the idea of tribulations leading to
proven character and ultimately hope, highlighting the love of God
poured out through the Holy Spirit.

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CONTENT
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Grace be with you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's been good to be here and I appreciate both the thoughts and
verses that were shared in the opening. Rob said they're reminders and I
just agree with that.

A lot of what we talk about is reminding each other and I don't have
anything different today than to remind us of things that we already
know. But we have to do that. That's what we gather together for, to
remind us.

To remind us what we're here for, to remind us what's essential, to
remind us that life is short, to remind us that there's a judgment and
the list goes on and on. Let's stand for prayer. Oh God in heaven we
thank you and praise you for your goodness, your mercies and all your
love to us.

We thank you for the sunshine, we thank you for all the rain we've been
getting, we thank you for this day and this place and these people to
gather with. We pray for your blessing on this meeting and on this
message. I pray for oh sound thoughts in your spirit.

I pray that we all could have ears to hear and hearts to understand. I
pray that your kingdom would come and your will be done here on earth as
it is in heaven in Jesus name amen. The text that I have that has
inspired most of what I or was the beginning of the inspirations I'd
like to share today is in Romans chapter 5. I had a years ago I heard an
old preacher once say that he he thinks Romans 5 verses 1 to 5 have have
in them in them is the nutshell in that nutshell in those five verses in
a nutshell is I can't remember if he said the plan of salvation or the
message of salvation.

And I think there's at least some truth to that. I've come across those
little passages in both the old and the new testament where the prophet
or the apostle or somebody just kind of just kind of puts down a few
thoughts and if you really think on just those few thoughts you're like
wow right there right there in a little nutshell there's there's one in
Jeremiah I I gave a message on one time but here's another one.
Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult in
the hope of glory of the glory of God and not only this but we also
exult in our tribulations knowing that the tribulation 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 ever ever since sin entered into the world there's been there's
been a conflict between God and man there's been there's there's been
something that was had before before the fall before sin that that got
severed and ever since that between God and man there's there's some
kind of there's some kind of discord there's some kind of variance um
it's it's it's what makes man do a lot of what he does it's what made
Adam and Eve sow themselves fig leaves and go into hiding there was some
kind of conflict between them and God and I think I think it is also why
there is there is within all men some kind of deep yearning for
something like I think men sense sense of void and a yearning for
something and it's it's why they do a lot of what they do whether they
recognize it or not I think I think that yearning that they have is to
be at peace with God I think I would I would maybe have a hard time
putting into words what this feeling is like a loneliness perhaps but
but something deeper than just just loneliness it's a but but that's
maybe the best I can that's maybe the best I can do some kind of some
kind of loneliness that has a real deep yearning for something and I
think out of every culture and out out of every tribe and language and
lands and and and even in those cultures and tribes out of every class
of people from from the poor to the rich from the from the from the from
the the smart to the knots of smart like in in in all of these people
there's something there's something some kind of emptiness some kind of
loneliness that that and some people ignore it some people sear it some
people um fulfill it in in in other ways besides getting peace with God
but but there's that something there it's it's what drives men to to try
to find the purpose in life it's it's it's what drives people to um to
try to figure out our existence to try to try to find out what's truth
it's what makes people philosophize it's what it's what uh it's what
drives people to find something better there's there's something in us
that longs to have that peace with God restored many people may not
realize that that's what it is but I but I think that's what it is a lot
of what people do stem from that longing for for that peace with God you
know Adam was created in the image of God now that might raise a whole
bunch of questions God is the spirit how he he has no visible form how
how how do we say he was made in the image of God God is omnipotent that
means he's all he has all power Adam wasn't created that way he didn't
have all power God is omnipresent he's he's everywhere always he's he's
at all times everywhere Adam wasn't created that way God doesn't grow
old God doesn't mature God doesn't develop God doesn't increase in
understanding Adam wasn't created that way so so what do you what do we
think he means when he says that that Adam was created in God's image I
think I think he was created with the character of God I think he had he
had the things that man can have that God has and that is the character
of God he had he had the characteristics of God he was kind he was he
was caring if you could have if you could have seen Adam before the fall
you would have seen the expression of God you if you would have seen how
he took care of Eve you would have seen how God would take care of a
woman if you would have seen how he takes care of the animals you would
have seen how God takes care of animals if you would have seen how he
takes care of the plants you would have seen how God takes care of the
plants you would have you would have seen an expression of God's
character I think that's what it means But that all changed.

When sin came, when they sinned, when they went against God, that full
harmony between God and man was lost, and instead this conflict came.
This harmony that had been there was severed, and now there's this
conflict. And I think ever since that, God's plea is, Adam, where are
you? I want to be back with you.

I want that peace restored, and we know that there's something missing,
or there is something missing. We can feel it whether we know it or
recognize it or not. It's that peace with God that has been lost.

And here in Romans 5, in the first verse, it says, Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. The prophet Habakkuk had already said that the just shall live
by faith, and the apostles quote this. The just shall live by faith.

We are justified by faith, and this peace of God can be restored. It is
the beginning of this thing that was lost and this emptiness that is
within us to be restored again and filled up. In verse 2, it goes on to
say, 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.

Grace is our means for salvation. For by grace are ye saved through
faith. And I know we all know how a lot of these words have been
hijacked of their true meanings.

But still, we know this. If it were not for the grace of God, we could
not be saved. It's that simple.

And here he's saying that faith is our introduction into this grace.
It's our faith to believe, is to be introduced to this thing that the
end of it is restoration with God. It's salvation for us.

It's that paradise lost to be paradise restored. That is the end of it
and the beginning of it, the introduction of it, almost like the preface
of a book that will tell you, okay, here's what you're going to find in
this book. That's like the preface.

It's the introduction to the book. That's what faith is. It's the
initial introduction into this thing where we can have salvation and be
restored again with Christ, with God.

While Jesus walked here, He was usually surrounded by a throng of
people. People from all walks of life. Again, it was the poor and it was
the rich.

It was the smart and the not so smart. It was all classes of people
thronged around to hear Jesus. So I want you to get this.

I'll try to create this little picture of how I think it often was. Like
Jesus walked through a town and there were throngs of people following
Him. Or He went up on the mount to teach and there were throngs of
people.

Or He stood on the seashore and there were throngs of people. And while
the religious people and the intellectual people and the educated
people, people who kind of had everything together in life, while they
stood there scratching their heads and stroking their beards and
figuring out if, can any good man come out of Nazareth? Isn't this just
the carpenter's son? Why is this man a friend to sinners? Can we really
believe He is who He says He is? If He was who He claimed to be, He'd
know these people He's hanging out with are so sinful. And while they
stood around doubtful and skeptical and real careful not to give an
ordinary looking man like this too much credit, the poor and the blind
and the deaf and the lame and the cripples came shoving through the
crowd.

They came pressing in. They came tearing off roofs to get there. If only
they could make one little request of Him, if they could touch Him, if
they could even touch the hem of His garment, that's how desperate they
were.

That was faith, right? That was the beginning. It was the introduction,
the beginning of them to get to a point where they can receive some kind
of grace imparted from the Lord. The others, smart as they were, just
couldn't, they couldn't get that.

They never got, they never received that thing that these men with this
faith, maybe a poor reputation but faith, got. So that's how the scene
often looked. They believed, they had faith.

And those poor and those blind and cripples, it was their introduction
and their beginning to receive grace and in return glorify God. And
that's what this verse two says here in Romans five, through whom also
we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we
stand and we exult in the hope of the glory of God. Now, we know at
least some of how things went.

When the lame got healed, they leapt around for joy. They started
kicking up their heels and skipping and jumping. What do you think that
the blind man did when he got his sight back? Do you think he laid down
on bed right away and went to sleep? I mean, he probably just looked and
looked and looked.

There was so much to see. It was such a joyful thing. What do you think
the deaf man did? He probably just kept listening and listening to all
the sounds that he could hear.

The mute man, when he got his voice back, probably for the next few
days, he just made all kinds of sounds that he never could make before.
The thing that had been lost for them, the sight, the hearing, the
sound, those things that had been lost were restored and they rejoiced
with great joy. They were so exulted in this glory of God that these
things had been restored.

And so it is when the peace of God gets restored to man. When that
emptiness that we had felt, that loneliness, when that's restored and
the peace of God is restored, it's really, really joyful. It brings us
great joy.

And we exult, as it says, in the hope of the glory of God. But it
doesn't end there. Verse three and four say this, and not only this, but
we also exult in our tribulations.

Knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance,
proven character and proven character, hope. Hope, exult in tribulation.
So when we go through severe trials and temptations and persecutions, we
do the same thing that the blind man does when he receives his sight and
the cripple when he gains his strength.

We just rejoice with all kinds of joy. And we're not talking about the
things that happened 10 years ago that were trials and we can now look
back with some kind of fond memory. No, the things that want to make us
grumble, the things that want to make us complain and lash out and cuss
and swear and retaliate and get depressed and anxious and fly off the
handle and lose our temper, those things, the things that want to make
us do that.

Can we be triumphantly joyful, exulting God for them? The Apostle Paul
tells us here to exult in the tribulation because it has a purpose. At
the end, it will prove our character and proven character brings us
hope. I confess to you that I fail in this.

If we could just remember, if we could always remember that that's
actually what God is doing. And the things and the trials that we face,
that's, you know what he's doing? He's proving our character. That's his
purpose.

He's testing to see what we're made of. You know, in 1 Thessalonians 5,
21, he says, prove all things. And this is an instruction to us.

He's telling us to like, the things that we hear or encounter, he says,
prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good. That's his
instruction to us.

But God himself follows the same principle. He's proving us and he's
wanting to hold to those which are good, right? The Amplified Bible
says, but test and prove all things until you recognize what is good.
That's what God's doing with us.

He's testing us and proving us until he figures out which ones are good,
which ones are keepers, which ones fit into his kingdom. God's been
doing this all along. In Deuteronomy 8, 2, Moses said, remember how the
Lord your God led, this is to the children of Israel, remember how the
Lord your God led you through the wilderness these 40 years, humbling
you and testing you to prove your character and to find out whether you
would obey his commands.

Think about that. When the children of Israel went without water for
three days, why? It was to prove their character. When God kept Moses up
on Mount Sinai for 40 days and the children of Israel down there without
him, why? He was testing their character.

When he provided a double portion of man on the day before the Sabbath
and none on the Sabbath, why? He was proving their character. When he
sent an overabundance of quail, why? To prove their character. When he
revealed to them the giants and the strong cities and big walls of
Canaan, why did he reveal that to them? To test their character, to
prove them, to see what they're made of.

Why do you think God told Abraham to sacrifice his son? He was proving
his character. Why do you think Job suffered all the loss that he did?
God was proving his character. Why do you think Joseph went from being
sold by his brothers to falsely accused by Potiphar's wife to being
forgotten by the butler in jail, why? God was proving his character.

He was testing him. He was seeing what he is made of. Why do you think
Moses spent 40 years caring for the sheep in the wilderness? God was
proving his character.

You know, Moses had the reputation before that, long before that. Moses
had the reputation of a man who could lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses
was a powerful man in Egypt and scripture really doesn't, if you've ever
read Josephus, Josephus gives this, a lot of detail about Moses in Egypt
before he left that scripture is silent about.

He was powerful. He had an army behind him and he fought wars, but you
could kind of tell that he was always favoring Israel in some way or
another. In a lot of ways, he was fighting wars that would favor the
Israelites more than the Egyptians.

That's why he thought the Israelites knew, I'm for you guys. Once the
time comes, we'll get out of here. But God couldn't use him.

He had a good reputation, but his character was not tested yet. His
character was not proven yet. It was not until he had lost all of that,
all his fame, all his power, all his political influence, he had no army
to back him, not even a sword.

All he had was a staff in his hand and a flock of sheep and a
recognition in himself that he was a very needy man. Then God could use
him. He had tested his character.

He had proven him. Why do you think David was hunted by Saul and hid in
the caves and in the wilderness? It was to prove his character. Why do
you think David had multiple opportunities to easily kill Saul and end
this ridiculous pursuit? It was to prove his character.

So don't shun these trials. You know, as a husband, I wish my wife would
never make things hard for me. I wish she'd always be exactly what I'd
want her to be.

As a father, I wish my children would always behave. I wish they'd just
get it and stop their foolishness always and just always do the right
thing. As a servant in the church, I wish the brothers and sisters would
always get along.

I wish they could always see and fix their own problems. I wish they
could just always get ahold of the vision and never cause problems. At
work, I wish every customer was easy to work with.

I wish my concrete would never dry too fast or too slow. If that would
always happen, I'd probably have a really good reputation, but there's
nothing sure that I would have good character. Character is the
particular qualities of a person which distinguish him from others.

And a reputation is the character by report, especially by the community
or general public. And though they're similar, they're also very
different because that report almost always is never completely
accurate. To put it simply, our character is how God sees us and our
reputation is how man sees us.

It's when our reputation is at stake, we tend to come out at it
swinging, but Jesus didn't. He made himself of no reputation. He opened
not his mouth and thereby he proved his character.

To have a good reputation is honorable, but to have good character is
imperative. While David was fleeing from Saul, he mostly had a poor
reputation. I recently came across that account in 1 Samuel 20 or 22,
where he fled from Saul in his pursuits and he went out to the cave of
Adullam.

And this is what it says, it says, everyone that was in distress and
everyone that was in debt and everyone that was grieved and discontented
gathered to him and he became captain over them. What a pitiful,
deplorable bunch of guys. And everybody that was just in miserable
straits gathered themselves to David and he was their captain.

Not a very reputable group of people. And even among those, there was a
time or two when they wanted to kill David. But David proved himself to
have excellent character.

One time, they had been staying in Ziglag, he and his men and their
wives and children and they had left, all the men had left for three
days and when they came back, the Amalekites had attacked Ziglag, taken
all the goods, taken the wives and children and left. And David and his
men came back to Ziglag and saw what happened and they just grieved and
they mourned. It was just, they were at wit's end.

They thought of stoning David. But David strengthened himself and he
said, we're gonna pursue these men. And they started pursuing them and
it seemed, if I understand the account right, they didn't go very long
when 200 of the men were too weary to go on.

They said, we're not going. And so they stayed there and took care of
the stuff and the other 400 men pursued the Amalekites and they overtook
them and made a great victory. Received every last woman and child back
without harm and all the plunder, they basically set the Amalekites to
flight and got everything back again.

And now they come back, they start coming back and they meet these 200
men who had stayed with the stuff and they were coming back and David
greeted them. He was joyful about the victory but it says the ill-
disposed and worthless men who fought, who went with him, thought that
we shouldn't give these 200 men any plunder because they didn't go with
us. And this is what David said, my brethren, this you shall not do with
what the Lord has given us for they are not inferior to you.

Instead, they shall share alike each according to the portion that went
down to battle as being the same portion as him who stayed with the
supplies. That's proven character, it's God-like character. It can only
be produced through hardships, through trials, through tribulations and
through temptations.

The character of God, it's the image of God that we were created to be
but it was lost. Let's not blame God when we go through these things.
He's trying to restore us.

He's trying to restore what was lost. If when God restores the sight of
the blind and the voice of the mute and the strength of the lame, if
that causes so much joy, how much more if he's trying to restore his own
character into us? That should cause us joy and that's the purpose of
anything and every trial that we go through is to prove our character.
I'll just read verses three to five again and we'll close.

And not only this, but we also 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. Let's pray. Father, we ask you to help us to be able to
see that all that your hand does to us is meant for good.

And to prove us and we pray, Lord, that we can be found accepting these
things with joy.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/w3-SGLmcZLM.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/duane-troyer/proving-restores-gods-character/
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