The Contentment With God

Without faith you cannot do that. But where does faith come from? Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. Faith is something that you are responding to the Word, and you're hearing the Word of God and you say amen to it, and you respond and seek to obey it and pursue it.

And God in heaven is blessed by that. He doesn't get blessing by your responding to the Word of men, but he gets a blessing out of your responding to his Word. And so that's why it's important in church life to preach the Word and share the Word of the Lord so that people can in their hearts respond.

And it's always a blessing through the week to hear that people respond to the Word and they're doing things, and they're saying amen to it, and I need to adjust, or I need to do this, that, and the other thing. And so that's a blessing for the Lord to see his children saying amen to his Word. So we're going to look again here at 2 Corinthians this morning.

For some of you who are visiting, we are preaching through the book of 2 Corinthians, teaching through the book of 2 Corinthians. We're in chapter number 6. Just to give you a review, we've been looking at for a while this new covenant and the beauty of the new covenant, the glory of the new covenant, and how the new covenant is an internal covenant. It's not an external.

The old covenant was an external covenant. There was a tabernacle. There was an animal offered up as a sacrifice.

There was a priest. There were all kinds of instruments in the house made of gold and silver. There were canopies and robes and all the things that were external.

But in the new covenant, we are dealing with an internal covenant. We spent some time the last probably two months talking about some of those internal things. But today I want to also mention some of the things that are internal and how we internally are to relate to the outside world or to relate to the lost.

And here in chapter number 6, Paul is kind of adjusting things and he's going to show us here how this internal covenant lets your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. And those good works aren't defined there. But Paul mentions them, some of them here.

See your good works. See the glory coming out of you in a very real way internally. Seeing it shine out of you.

And so he's going to address the subject of how the new covenant in us affects an outside world. Jump down to verse 14 of chapter 6, he's going to talk about not being unequally yoked together with unbelievers and addressing the outside world. But I want to start here in verse number 1 again.

We left off in verse 2, but I want to reread verses 1, 2, and then we're going to go down through verse number 5. I'm sorry we're going so slow, but there's a list of things here in these next number of verses that I just couldn't get them all into one sermon. So we're going to take a few of them and try to get through some of them here this morning. Starting in verse number 1 of chapter 6, we then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.

That all that God has done in the new covenant, his death, burial, and resurrection, his forgiveness, his blessing of the Holy Spirit, his grace, his gifts, all of this would come to you like water on a duck's back, and nothing would happen, nothing would change in your life. I trust that the grace of God has moved you a long way from the way you used to be, and the grace of God has not been received in vain. Verse 2, for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee or helped thee.

Behold now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation, and that's what we talked about last week. The importance of now in God's economy, the importance of today.

What you need to do for the Lord, or what you need to do to get your heart in the right place needs to be done today. It needs to be done now, because God does not promise tomorrow. So we're not to boast of tomorrow.

Even Jesus said, take no thought for tomorrow. That's an interesting concept. I've been meditating on that some this week.

Take no thought for tomorrow. You know why? He goes on to say this, for the evil of tomorrow is sufficient, or excuse me, the evil of today is sufficient. In other words, God wants all of our faculties focused on today, now, because it's sufficient for all your energies today to deal with what you're dealing with today and to overcome.

Maybe many of us don't overcome day to day because our minds are in tomorrow and next week and next month and next year, and we're preoccupied with so many things out in the future. Or maybe some of you are in the past, you're living in the past, and you're thinking about the past, and the devil's just walloping you on the day to day basis. And so grace is for now, and the focus is on now, and the focus today is till midnight tonight per se, and let's overcome, and everything you've been given is for today, amen.

So now is the accepted time. Now starting in verse number three, I'll read there, and we're going to talk about verse three down through verse number five. Giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in affliction, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, and in fastings.

We're going to talk about those three here. I know some of us haven't experienced some of those things. Like Paul, he's experienced stripes, he's experienced imprisonments, and if you want to experience some tumults, you can do that, and some places there's some real uprising.

Our country may face some of those tumults here soon enough, but let's pray. And then I want to talk about these three verses here this morning, and I want to encourage you to respond to them by faith, and please God, Lord, I need to respond. And by faith, do something.

Heavenly Father, we come to you, Lord, and we don't want to just pray to pray. We want to pray and and communicate with you. And so, Lord, we acknowledge that we're your children.

We sit here in this building and we've come together into one place to sing of your praises, to lift up our voice in prayer, to open our hearts to the word of God, that we can respond to you and bring praise or bring pleasing, please you, Lord, in your sight. And so, Lord, I just talked to you here this morning, and I thank you for the mercies of God that's upon each one of us here and for the grace of God and thinking about if we when we were enemies, we were reconciled to you by the death of your son, much more being now reconciled, we shall be saved by your life. And, Lord, may you teach us today as we open up your word and we're told that the Holy Spirit is able to guide us into all truth.

And I pray for that this morning. May the spirit of God move around here in this place with these 80 or 90 people here and teach them and cause them to be motivated to live according to faith and to respond to your word as you give it. Lord, teach us now, we pray in Jesus name.

Amen. All right, so as I've been thinking about this passage here, you know, the the apostle has been dealing with our internals the last month or two, we've been talking about this inward covenant that was not written on stones, tables of stones, but is written on the heart and how the glory is not to be in Moses face as he stood before the presence of God. But the glory is to come up out of us from our internal being out of our belly shall flow rivers of living water and and this wonderful glory.

But this glory is seen also by the world and it's seen by the unbeliever. And so Paul is going to address this here in verse three on down through verse number 13. But I'm only going to cover the first three verses.

Notice what he says here in verse three, giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed, giving no offense. Now, an offense is something that causes others to stumble. It causes others to stumble.

Have you ever heard people say this? That church down there is full of a bunch of hypocrites. Now, that may not be true, but it may be true. And it's causing the testimony is causing people to stumble.

I don't want to be a Christian if that's how Christians live. I don't want to be a Christian if that's how Christians talk. I don't want to be a Christian if that's how Christians dress.

I don't want to be a Christian if that's how Christians treat each other. And so life can sometimes, if we're not careful, cause people to stumble. There's no love down in that church.

They even call themselves charity or they call themselves holiness. But but there's no love there. And I know many of those accusations are are simply a protection for the individual who's lost.

They want to make accusations. But oftentimes it's true. Oftentimes it's true.

And Paul's burden here and the Holy Spirit's burden through Paul is giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed. Now, I know many of you in your mind, because of your background, immediately when you think of that word ministry, you think of the elders here up here, up front. Yeah, Jerry, you better be careful.

Don't give an offense out there. But you and I have been learning the last few months that it's the ministry, it's all of us. We all are in this ministry.

If you go back to chapter five, verse 18, just in review, we're told here and all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation. So you can't just kind of check off this one and say, well, that's for the preacher or that's for the deacon. No, no, it's for us.

This is the ministry, that the ministry be not blamed. And of course, we're to follow the example of Jesus. And I love this thought, you know, in the Old Testament, when you brought a lamb down to the high priest to offer it up for a sacrifice for sin, you'd check it out, you'd look it over and you'd make sure that your lamb was without spot, without blemish, and you make sure it was a male of the best quality and you would bring it up as an offering.

And the high priest would look at it, if the high priest was a good high priest, and say we can accept it. It's a good offering. It's a spotless lamb.

You know, when the lamb of God came into the world, there was a lot of people looked him over. And the high priest and all the Jews looked him over. And, you know, Pilate at the end, Pilate said, I find no fault.

I find no fault in him. He is blameless. There is no way we can blame him for anything.

Even though false accusers came, there was nothing that could be laid at his charge. So the Lord says, follow me. Amen.

That doesn't mean you're perfect, as I've shared, as elders to be blameless. But it does mean that when you make mistakes, you get them right or you make them right. And so no one has any blame.

Verse 4 says this, but in all things, approving ourselves as the ministers of God, approving ourselves, not being blamed, not being an offense, but approving ourselves. And I love the idea of people looking at us. And my goal down there in Columbus for three years was those people look at us and say, there's the real deal.

There's the real deal. You want to talk about a Christian. Here's the real deal.

And I trust when people look at your life and our lives, they can approve it. This this is the real deal. And that's the way it ought to be.

And that's here the burden that Paul has. Now he goes and gives us a list of things. And this is a long list.

There's a number of ins. There's a number of buys. And there's a number of asses.

And I couldn't get through them all. I tried to think of some way to get through them all. But I'm just going to give us here today some of these ins.

And then next time we'll address the buys and the asses. But here's how we are to approve ourselves before the world. Now, I like to throw this out because many of you have in your minds thoughts.

And I'd like to get our minds to think more in a biblical way. But many people have the idea that we approve ourselves before the world because of this, this, this and this. And a lot of it has to do with the way you were brought up.

A lot of it has to do with your background. If you were brought up in a Pentecostal church, you might say, we approve ourselves before the world because we speak in tongues or we have these gifts of the spirit. Or if you were brought up as a Seventh-day Adventist, you might say, well, you approve yourself before the world because you keep the Sabbath on Saturday.

And there are many ways that we think that we approve ourselves before the world. I was at an event over here at Melita for our children. And an individual, an English person, came, was talking to me and looked around and saw all these homes, godly homes.

And families were together and everyone dressed well. And I could read kind of what was happening. And this individual was trying to approve themselves and try to deal with this group here.

And the individual said, do they follow a King James Bible? And I said, yeah, yeah, they do. And it's like they were discouraged. They're trying to find something that these people are not approved like I am, you know.

And they had a good testimony there. But we all struggle sometimes with that, you know. And especially as the world looks at us, what do you think the world is looking for? And, you know, we might have ideas about what is the world really looking for that they would say, there's the real deal.

There's the real deal. And you might have ideas about what they're looking for. But God has in here in his word how we are to approve ourselves before the world.

So, let's look at it here in verse number four. But in all things, approving ourselves as the minister of God in much patience, and I'm going to read this this way, I believe it's written this way, in much patience in afflictions, in much patience in necessities, in much patience in distresses, in much patience in stripes, in much patience in imprisonments, in much patience in tumults, in much patience in labors, in much patience in watchings, and in much patience in fasting. Yes.

How many of you would ever have thought that beginning this idea of approving yourselves before that world out there, that the Lord would say, let's start off with patience. Patience. Patience is a wonderful virtue that we don't talk a whole lot about.

But patience defined as this, it is the grace to endure hardship with hope and cheerfulness. The grace to endure hardship with hope and cheerfulness. You know, you find people like that, amazing people.

I've seen people over the years, maybe ones who have great physical difficulties. I remember a young lady, my wife probably remembers her up here in Mansfield, and we were at the churches in Belleville at the time, and she was confined to a bed. She was probably 35 years old, maybe, and she was maybe 80 pounds, but she had a rare disease, and we would go and visit her at times, and she was confined to this bed.

And she couldn't move, she was just laying there. But she was so happy, and she was smiling, and she was praising God. And I know oftentimes I would leave that place like it makes me look so bad as a child of God, and I'm so needy.

Here's this person who has basically nothing but a bed, and yet they're grateful. They're giving God praise and glory, and they seem to be so happy in their condition. And I would say, and anyone would say this, there's a grace of God there.

You know, forget all the clothing stuff, forget all the King James Bible, forget all this stuff that people try to improve themselves. You can't deny that. That's real.

When the grace of God brings patience out of hardship with an attitude of hope and cheerfulness, and you find this throughout the Bible, when the grace of God is truly upon people. You know, Paul and Silas, as they're sitting in the inner prison, and their feet are fast in the stalks, and the conditions are probably not the best, and yet the grace of God is able to cause them to pray and sing praises to God. And I have no doubt that that jailer sits there, and he's probably thinking, these guys are the real deal, because he comes running in when the earthquake happens, and he falls down and says, what must I do to get what you've got? What must I do to be saved? And that inner testimony, this new covenant grace that allows for you to live a life of patience.

Not like Peter, for example, who, in his moment of trial and affliction, takes his little knife out and starts to wield it, because he's frustrated they've come to get his Lord, and he cuts the ear off of the servant. One of the servants there, I think his name is Malchus. He just kind of gets, he loses his temper, and he lashes out.

I think of Job, you know, we're going to talk about Job in just a little bit, but Job is a man of patience. And boy, I tell you what, talk about grace. Here's a guy that, as the Lord says, look at this guy, this is nothing like him at all here.

I'm going to put some heavy things on him. And I don't think I could bear any of that stuff, but he got some heavy loads. And then his wife comes along, and she asks him to do the natural thing, which most of us would respond to this like the natural way, just curse God and die, you know, lash out at God.

It's his fault, just curse him and die. But you know, Job doesn't do that. He says, no, I'll just wait it out patiently, and I'll be grateful and thankful.

I'd like you to turn with me to Job here. I'd like to read this, an account here, an amazing account of Job, and the patience of Job. James mentions it later on in Job chapter number 2, starting in verse number 1. I want to read 10 verses here, but notice what happens here.

This word integrity comes up twice. In Job chapter 2, that's right before the Psalms. Job chapter 2, verse 1 says, Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Now, here you got God and Satan, and there's going to be a test. And the test is going to deal with patience.

What's the big deal about patience? Isn't God more concerned about, you know, these things I'm concerned about? Patience. Verse 3, And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity. Now, keep in mind, chapter 2 is after chapter 1, and chapter 1 is where he loses his whole family.

He loses all his flocks, his servants, his cattle, and his house collapses. It's been a bad day. And yet, it says, God says, He holds fast his integrity.

Although thou movest me against him to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that the man hath he will give for his life. Yeah, you touched his things, but touch his body.

See how patient he is when you touch his body. A bit of a Mary there. You learn about patience, aren't you? The body.

Yeah. Verse 5, But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. He'll lash out against you.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. So went Satan from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his feet unto his crown, and he took him a pot sure to scrape himself withal. I can't imagine that.

I had a boil one time. I went to the doctor. I used to get boils there for a period of like a year.

My wife remembers it. And I had a boil on my backside. I sat on the donut for like a week or two.

I had a doctor take it out. It was the most dreadful thing. You ladies talk about childbirth.

I'm sure it wasn't the best. But this was awful. I mean, the guy had no mercy on me.

And that was just one. If I had a bullet, I would have bit the bullet. That was just one.

I can't imagine scraping him. Awful. But notice what happens here.

Verse 8. He took him a pot sure to scrape himself withal, and he sat down among the ashes, then said his wife unto him, Dost thou retain thine integrity? How do you remain so patient and gracious and cheerful in the midst of all this trash that's happening? How do you keep your integrity? Amen. You know, we need some of that integrity. Curse God and die.

Just lash out against God. Just let your flesh fly. Verse 10.

But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speakest. What shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Now here's a man that's considered in the New Testament a man of great patience.

Patience. Enduring difficult times and afflictions with hope and with grace. And truly, Job had hope.

He said, you know, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. And I don't care if these worms, if they destroy my body, yet in my flesh some day I'm going to stand and I'm going to see God on the face of this earth. So he's a man of integrity.

Job did not sin with his lips. Let me read to you the New Testament account here, just what James says here of Job in James 5. Take my brethren the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. There's that word patience.

Suffering, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job.

I don't know if you think of patience when you think of Job. Job was a patient man. He went through great difficulty, but he never lashed out.

He never gave up. He never threw in the towel. He just patiently endured.

And we have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of a tender mercy. What a testimony it is to see people go through great hardship with grace. Holding integrity.

Integrity. You know what integrity is. You can do all kinds of things with that guy.

He looks at you and smiles. Since the Bible says when people curse you, what are you supposed to do? Have some integrity and bless them. Amen? Bless them.

Bless them to curse you. Do good unto them that hate you and despise you. Show some integrity.

Show some grace. And the world, when they see this kind of patience and integrity, they say, that's the real deal. That's the real deal.

So, patience is one of the things, or actually the first thing, that Paul brings out here in 2 Corinthians. This new covenant. Yeah, you want to show the world you've got something real? This is how you do it.

You do it like Jesus. You know up there on the cross, and you've got big nails in your hands and in your feet, and you're hanging there, and you've been there for a few hours, and the people are laughing and mocking and ridiculing you, and show them a little integrity. And you say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

And I've often said this. We're not told why that thief on the cross was converted, but I have no doubt that thief on the cross looked over and said, there's a man of integrity. Here's a man who is innocent.

He ought to be lashing out. He ought to be blaming. He ought to be moaning and groaning against God for putting him in this situation.

None of it. He has integrity. He's patiently waiting for deliverance.

And he's going to get it after much time. Self-control over your own spirit. Responding with grace and kindness.

Oh, kindness. Being kind to people who are very unkind to you. Now let's go down through this list.

We understand a little bit about patience here. And there's a list of things where we're supposed to be patient in. Verse 4, But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience in afflictions.

Patience in afflictions. And I'm going to add the third one there if you jump necessities. I'm going to put distresses in there too.

Afflictions and distresses. There are people here this morning who are going through great affliction and distress. And whether it be mental, maybe physical, but there's affliction.

There's distresses. That's what the Bible talks about here. Affliction and distresses.

But having patience. Boy, I haven't learned how to have patience. But our boys, they're helping me.

It's so easy for me to just, why shout at them? You know? Instead of enduring. Patient. I'd like you to turn again to James here once.

And then I'm going to ask, where's Matthias? There he is. Ask him to come up here in just a minute. He's going to be my volunteer.

Yes. James chapter 1. Afflictions. Distresses.

Here in James chapter 1. Starting right off the bat after introducing himself in the first verse of James chapter 1. He says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations or testings. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Now there is that word again.

We're focusing on this patience. Patience in testings. Patience in afflictions.

Patience in distresses. Verse 4. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Now just remember this.

One of the greatest qualities you can have in your character as a Christian, and one that God wants to build in us, is patience. Patience. If you don't have patience, you're not going to go anywhere in the Christian life.

Amen. As a matter of fact, we're going to read a verse a little bit. They bring forth fruit with patience.

You say, I want to be a fruitful Christian. And I want to have my fruit tomorrow. It doesn't work that way.

Fruit is something that is brought forth with much patience over time. James 1, 2 says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Matthias, come here. You like to open presents, don't you? I thought you did.

I have a present for you to open here. I just want to illustrate this. This is affliction.

You notice it's not wrapped very nice. And usually affliction is not something that looks very good when it comes. It's just not a good thing.

Maybe it's a physical situation. Maybe it's a mental situation. It's a financial situation.

Even God's chastening. It's rough. It has some negative connotations to it.

But it says, Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Now, how can you count it all joy? The only way you can do that is to look at this thing by faith. That God has something good in it for me.

Isn't that what it says? Knowing this. Okay. Open that up for me once.

It's painful. Now, when I was a kid your age, I had that thing open already. Just tear into it.

Ah, there's something in there. Why don't you get that out and show us what that is. That's looking a little better, isn't it? Now look.

Faith. It says, Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this.

Those testings are to produce something in us. And it looks a lot better here with the balloons and everything. But God has something in it.

And most people look at this thing right here. And they say, Bad. Painful.

Difficult. I don't want it. And what they do is they throw out this one too.

On the inside. But that's not it. It says here, Knowing this is a trying of your faith works patience.

But let patience have her perfect work. Open her up. That you may be perfect and entire.

Wanting nothing. Now I don't think you can get to that place where you're perfect and complete. Wanting nothing.

Until you pass through this lesson on patience. Because inside of patience is maturity. And you know there's some people in this room.

Thank you. You can keep maturity for yourself. You know there's some people in this room.

Who have gone a long way down the road. In patience. And because they've endured.

And joyfully accepted what God has brought down their path. They have matured. And I'll tell you what.

Those are the kind of people you like to be around. Especially when things are going tough. A mature individual.

Who has been down the road. And not like the Israelites. Who when they went three days without water.

And without food. They panicked. And they began to murmur and complain.

And God was trying to teach them. No, no, no. You need some patience.

I want you to learn. Oh, they are willing to say whatever it takes. Lord, will you slay me? Yeah, well I trust you.

We're going down this road. And God says He'll give you the grace of patience. And that patience opens the door then to maturity.

And that's why I say if you ever want to mature as a Christian. You better be willing to learn how to be patient. Patient.

Maturity does not come. It never comes in nature overnight. Maturity takes time.

And so only by faith. Only by looking at our trials and afflictions. Can we embrace that affliction.

Knowing by faith. That there's a greater good in it. And that greater good is patience.

I'm going to learn patience. We ought to say this when we have trials. Lord, I want to learn to be patient in this affliction.

To not panic. To not just jump up and give up and run. But to endure patiently this affliction.

Maybe some of you are being chastened. Chastened. If you endure chastening.

God deal with you as with sons. I'm going to endure this hard time. Thank you.

Praise you. Teach me, Lord. Help me go through it.

Because at the end of it. I'm going to be a mature individual. Spiritually.

Maturity takes time. Everything good and with quality comes over time. You know our society.

Young people is mitigating against it. You all are getting. This whole thing right here.

Patience is trying to be thrown out the window. You run through the McDonald's. To get a quick meal.

You know if you get to your phone. And it doesn't do anything in five seconds. You get upset.

Why won't this thing work? You know. And so many things in this society. All these conveniences.

We're able to run to and fro. And get what we want quickly. Are mitigating against this quality of patience.

We want things. And we want them right now. But we won't be spiritually mature that way.

Amen. You're going to have to learn. Luke 18.

Excuse me. You don't have to turn there. But that on the good ground.

Remember the seeds here. Are they which in an honest and a good heart. Having heard the word.

Keep it. And bring forth fruit. With patience.

So try this out. Next spring. Go out in the garden.

Plant a seed in the ground. And say okay. Ten minutes.

I want to see fruit. Wait ten minutes. And you're not going to have any fruit.

As you know. But then. Really be patient.

And say I'll be here for an hour. I'm going to stand out here in the hot sun. And I'm going to wait for that thing to grow.

And give me a strawberry. You're going to be there for an hour. And you're going to be hot and sweaty.

Then really be patient. And say I'm going to stay the night. Get my sleeping bag.

Bring it out here. And I'm going to sleep the night. Right beside where I planted that seed.

And I'll sacrifice the whole night. And waiting for my fruit. You get up the next morning.

Nothing changed. Right? You know the only way that you're going to have fruit. And enjoy fruit.

Is patience. Most people give up. Ah this is no good.

I don't want to do this. I can't get anything out of this. So I'm just going to leave.

You know. Two months later. They had this beautiful fruit.

They missed it. And so nature teaches us that fruit does not come overnight. Some of you young people.

You want a lot of fruit. You want to bear fruit. You're going to have to labor.

You're going to have to work. You're going to have to pray. You're going to have to seek God.

And in time. In 10, 15, 20, 25 years. You're going to begin to see fruit.

Patience and affliction. Now, here's some words for us. As we approach some more difficult times.

I want to read to you Jesus' words. Regarding the end. When he says this.

In Luke chapter 21. I can just see it now. People.

We're going to kick you out of our family. We're going to kick you out of our friends. We're going to kick you out of our society.

Oh, this ain't worth it. This is too hard. I'm going to give up on Christianity.

I'm being betrayed by my friends and my family and my kinsfolk. And I'm giving up. In your patience possess ye your souls.

I have to endure. I have to go through great difficulty. Patience.

In affliction. The Bible says in Romans 12.12. Be patient in tribulation. So some of you who are going through great affliction.

What God is trying to teach you is just to learn. To be patient. To abide in it.

And to be cheerful and patient in it. Amen. And the grace of God is sufficient for you.

I believe that. The next thing here in 2 Corinthians is patient in necessities. And I like this subject here.

I could preach on it for a long time, but I won't. But patient. In verse 4. But in all things approving ourselves as ministers of God in much patience.

In afflictions. In necessities. In other words, I have needs.

I have needs. I have financial needs. I have physical needs.

There's many needs I have. There's many necessities. I just can't get those needs.

And God says be patient in necessities. By the way, that's the word contentment. Godliness with what? Contentment is great gain.

Great gain. That's maturity. Godliness with contentment.

You know what, Lord? I don't have hardly anything. I mean, we have nothing. But you know what? I'm going to abide under this.

And just thank you. And push through. And wait on you, Lord.

That doesn't mean you're supposed to be lazy. But be content. Contentment.

Paul said it this way. I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound.

You know, here's how you approve yourselves as ministers of God. Patient in afflictions and patient in necessities. The world looks at you and says, wow, that's real Christianity there.

That's the real deal. You don't get ruffled and agitated when you have nothing. But you learn to be grateful in the little that you have.

And you know, I think God does this for all of us. We all go through periods of being of want and of plenty. I have learned in whatsoever state I am, whether it's to be abased or to be abounding.

Sometimes we're in abounding period. And we need to learn how to abound. Amen.

Not spend it all on ourselves and live a luxurious lifestyle, but we need to learn how to abound. God wants to bless us and cause us to abound, but he wants us to use the money wisely. He also wants to teach you how to be abased.

And we have nothing. A story is told of a king who was suffering from a mysterious malady and was advised by a counselor that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man was brought to him to wear. People went out to all parts of the kingdom looking for such a person.

And after a long search, they found a man who was truly content and happy. But he didn't possess a shirt. How do we approve ourselves to the world that we are his ministers? By having patience in necessities.

I think people watch Paul and say, this guy's amazing. When God blesses him and he abounds, he's content. When God takes everything from him, he has nothing, he's content.

I mean, he's the same, whether he's abased or whether he's abounding. He's learned a few things. He's mature.

He's the real deal. A poor widow not having bedding to shelter her boy from the snow which was blown through the cracks of her miserable house, and there's some of those down in Honduras, but they don't have snow down there, covered him with old boards. One night he said to her, smiling, Mom, what do poor folks do these cold nights that haven't any boards to put on their children? That's learning how to be content.

Patient in necessities. The next one here is in stripes. I'm going to combine these in stripes and imprisonments.

Now, most of us haven't been striped. Most of us haven't been put in prison. Paul experienced these things.

As a matter of fact, in chapter 11, he's going to talk about some of these things. He says this of the Jews. He says, are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool.

I am more in labors, more abundant in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often of the Jews. Five times received I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned.

I can just see it now. He probably didn't respond the way Brother Sean Hulls did. Maybe he was telling the story.

Some guy came and hit him in the back of the head. He turned around and said, you hit like a girl. Remember that? I don't think Paul said that to those scourging him.

Like, hit a little harder. But I have no doubt that Paul, in his stripes, was gracious. He wasn't, you wicked person, why are you doing that to me? I don't deserve it.

Well, you're not a Christian. You don't have any faith. But I'm sure he was gracious.

Took the beating. What happens when people stripe you with words? And they revile you? Say, well, I haven't been striped with a cat and eintails. What about someone just lies about you and stripes you with words? I get them.

So we do face some of those things. But Paul, he had oftentimes stripes and imprisonment. What a great testimony it is when someone stripes you with words and slanders and lies about you, that you act graciously in response.

God bless you. You know, Jesus, when they lied about him, didn't say a word. So much so that the governor marveled.

This is the real deal. Right here, I've never seen someone lied about and he doesn't say anything. He doesn't defend himself.

This is Christianity. Yeah. Let's turn once here again to Revelation chapter 13.

I want to read a couple of verses here. Revelation 13. Getting us ready for the end here.

As we approach the time when... You know, nowadays, these young people, they take those phones, they're at the airport, they're doing them now. I get those pieces of paper when I go to my airplane. I have to do the old-fashioned way these young people get these phones.

It's got these boxes, a bunch of things with jigs in it. They read it. And we're just close to... You know? Or somebody has a gun.

Doot. I got you. Let's read here what happens in the end.

Revelation 13. This is in the context of the Antichrist. In verse 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

And power was given unto him over all kindreds and tongues and nations. So, the enemy, the devil, has the power over us to overcome us, to kill us, to burn us at a stake, to imprison us, to torment us. Verse 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If any man have ear to hear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with a sword must be killed with a sword.

Don't bring out a sword like Peter. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Yeah, James.

Put the knife away, James. Let's just go as a lamb to the slaughter. Singing as we go.

Sharing the Word of God as we go. And those people look at you and say, You've got something we don't have. You're not afraid.

You're not angry. You're not vengeful. Maybe some of them will stop and say, Hey, can we have what you have? So, how do we approve ourselves? Is it with the kind of Bible we carry around? Or is it how we dress? Or all these things? No, you approve yourselves, first of all, with much patience.

The next one here in 2 Corinthians, if you want to turn back there, is tumults and we don't face a lot of that yet. Uprisings. Uprisings of the masses.

You know, in Ephesus there was a great tumult and the whole city was in an uproar and people are panicking and there's rioting. You know, our country is going to face that someday. We're going to end up breaking down as a society.

And there's going to be tumults. There's going to be riots. People are going to start panicking.

There's going to be people shooting and things will happen. Every nation crumbles. And you know what you're going to look for? Somebody who's at peace.

It's alright. You know, somebody who's sleeping in the back of the boat when everybody else is panicking. Right? Lord, save us! We perish! And Jesus is asleep in the boat.

That's grace. And yes, the country is going to go down just like that ship and it's going to be a lot of people in tumult and panic and running all over the place. People are going to be shooting and you and I are going to be the ones who are going to say, just calm down.

We can go through this. And if we lose our life, that's okay. Yes, isn't it? Amen? And so people will see you're calm in the midst of their panic and they'll say, there's the real deal.

The next one he mentions, and I'll just go through these briefly here for the sake of time, is labors. Patient in labors. And again, you don't see fruit right away, so don't give up.

Young people, in your ministry, you may not see fruit right away, don't give up. The Bible says this, be not weary in well-doing. Why would you be weary in well-doing? Because I'm doing good and I'm doing the Lord's work, but I'm not seeing anything come out of it.

It's wearisome to me. The Lord says, don't be weary in well-doing because in due season, you'll reap if you faint not. I don't believe people stay at their labors long enough to be fruitful.

So he says, patient in your labor. Labor. I know you don't see anything.

Just labor. Patiently endure. And then, watchings here.

I'm going to combine watchings and fastings. These are watching for other people's souls. Fasting and praying for others.

That takes a lot of patience. I've been fasting and praying. I've been watching for people and it seems like not a lot is going on here.

And you know, Paul had the same thing. I'm watching and I'm fasting, but it's difficult. It doesn't seem like it's going places, but I need to be patient.

Patient. Oh, if I just fast one time for someone, that will cure the problem. I just pray.

Watchings and fastings. We're going to get to this, and I read a little bit already, but there in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul's approving his ministry as an apostle. He mentions all these things he's just talked about.

All these things he's gone through. But in verse 27 of chapter 11, he says this, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. So, patience, in watching and fasting.

Brother Anthony gave us our memory verse here this morning. Praying always, with all prayer and supplication of the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all... What's the next word? Perseverance and supplication. Supplication is much begging.

Persevering. You remember that widow who cried out to the unjust judge, and the judge avenged me of my adversary, and the unjust judge would not hear her, and she kept crying and crying and crying until finally the judge said, Enough of this woman! I'm going to avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And then the lesson was, so also your heavenly Father.

He wants you to come, and come, and don't be weary. And so, watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And I know Paul, when he writes this, he's thinking, you know, I've been fasting and praying, and yes, I've seen some fruit, but I want to see more, and it takes a lot of patience for me to continue down this road.

So someone comes and sees, You're praying and fasting again? Yeah, yeah. Wow. No answers.

Not yet. Be patient. That's our word here this morning.

Patience. I'm 65, going to be 66. I can't say I've been patient as I ought to, but I've learned a lot of patience.

There have been times in my life where I've went through very deep valleys that I just tried to buckle up and hold on. And I've learned that after every valley comes a mountain. And you don't have to stay in the valley.

Just continue to thank God through the valley. Have hope that the mountain will come and you'll be brought out in time. But it needs patience.

What approves you and I as ministers of Christ to this world is not tongues. It's not KJVs, although I'm a KJV person. It's not modesty.

It's not all these things that we maybe lift up, but the real deal, the Bible says, starts out with patience. And we're going to talk about a couple other things, but patience in affliction. Patience in necessities.

Patience in tumults, in strife, in imprisonments, in fastings, in watchings. And so, brothers and sisters, be patient. And I think when I look at you moms and dads, and I'm one again, but child training takes a lot of patience.

Are we ever going to get through this? Patience. It's probably not going to be an overnight dramatic. It's just a patient continuance in prayer, fasting, and discipline.

Crying out to God. And not only is it good for the children, it's good for us, but it's also good for people who see that life. And they say, these are the real people.

I don't care what you call them. You call them Pentecostals. You call them Baptists.

You call them Mennonites. I don't care what you call them, but their testimony, and that's what we want. That's what Paul was talking about here.

How do you approve yourselves as ministers? We'll talk about some other things here a little bit later, but that's the real deal. Alright, let's have a word of prayer. Maybe we can go to our niece here and just ask the Lord to help us.

Maybe I can have... I won't ask for volunteers. How about if two brothers can pray for us here this morning, and then I'll close us in a word of prayer. Feel free, any brothers, to just two of you lift up your voice.

Let's close in a word of prayer. I do pray for the grace of God to abound on each one of us here in this building. Oh Lord, that we can deal with life and honor You and express faith, believing that the trial has greater purpose and that we can patiently endure.

And even as Job, see the end of the Lord, that He is pitiful, tender, merciful. Lord, mature us up. And I know some are going through difficulties even now.

Lord, may this be an encouragement to them to endure hardness, to go forth patiently. I pray You'll bless us as a congregation. Bring forth fruit, Lord, in Your good time here.

We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. Alright, you can be seated.