I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill, Sila. I lay down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves against me all around. Arise! O Lord, save me, O my God, for you have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone. You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon your people." Selah. And he says, I lay down and slept, I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. It reminds me of our Bible study. It reminds me, it should remind us that even when we are Physically, he's describing something that's spiritual through a physical analogy. He's saying, even when I am physically asleep and completely, as far as my senses are concerned, unaware of any danger around me and cannot defend myself absolutely and utterly. by any means of my physical being. When I am asleep, isn't it interesting that we sleep one third of our lives and we are absolutely unable to defend ourselves. He uses that analogy to say, I awoke for the Lord sustained me. I lay down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me. Turn with me to Zechariah chapter 13. We read this recently. during Bible study. I want to read it again. It's very appropriate to the idea of being blameless, which Paul brings up again to Timothy as he describes the deacons. He uses that word twice in the description of the men who would be recognized as deacons. And I want to expand upon that again, coming at it from a slightly, I don't know if it's a different angle than we did originally, but it certainly is a primary meaning of the word blameless but Zechariah 13 speaks of the life of the church and how the truth is valued over all other relationships over all other natural affections that can and do in the lives of believers at times blur our reasoning or affect us in times of testing in a way that can be sinful and definitely have been in our own experiences and yet It is the case that the Lord preserves us. He sustains us. And even the natural relationships, even the natural desires, even things that are of this earth that would distract us and that would, you could say, naturally pull us away, the Lord preserves us. And this is spoken of here in this chapter as well. Zachariah, in that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. It shall be in that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, prophesies lies, that's what it implies, then his father and his mother who begot him will say to him, you shall not live because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord. And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. They will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive, but he will say, I am no prophet. I am a farmer, for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And one will say to him, what are these wounds between your arms? Then he will answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my companion, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Then I will turn my hand against the little ones, and it shall come to pass in all the land, says the Lord. that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it. In other words, a remnant will be preserved. I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, this is my people. And each one will say, the Lord is my God. And then let's turn together to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12, I want to read the passage really all the way through to verse 9 of chapter Read the chapter all the way through verse 9 of chapter 13. In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, he began to say to his disciples, first of all, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him, who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows also I say to you whoever confesses me before men him the son of man will also confess before the angels of God but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God and anyone who speaks a word against the son of man it will be forgiven him but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven. Now, when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, who made me judge or an arbiter over you? And he said to them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Then he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whom will those things, or then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Then he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? If you, then, are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek, what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old. A treasure in the heavens that does not fail. Where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you, that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Then Peter said to Him, Lord, do you speak this parable only to us or to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward? whom his master will make ruler over his household to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, my master is delaying his coming and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat, and drink, and be drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two, and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself, or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. And to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. I came to send fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed I am till it is accomplished. Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided. three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son, and son against father. Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother. Mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Then he also said to the multitudes, Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, a shower is coming. And so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, there will be hot weather. And there is. Hypocrites. You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth. But how is it you do not discern this time? Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite. They were present at that season some who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. He also spoke this parable. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, sir, Let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that, you can cut it down. And then lastly, I want to read from Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two and beginning at verse five through verse 24. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all, for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly." So on a different occasion he writes to Timothy, Paul does. It's remarkable what he says there about, for I have none other like minded. He's talking about his present circumstances and even those who appeared to be like-minded with him and serving with him were not seeking the things of Christ but were seeking the things for themselves. This comes up quite a bit in the letters to the churches both in warning and also in Paul's own testimony that many times it was the case that pretenders were either with Paul or around the churches or among the churches and Paul would marvel, I think, as we mentioned earlier, he would marvel at the power of the lie to imitate and duplicate the very ministry of the gospel. And that people could have on their lips the very propositions of truth while at the time serving themselves. Jesus Christ warned about this hypocrisy. when he talked about the most religious of his day when he called out the Pharisees as we read there in the Gospel of Luke. And so he's concerned, Paul is very concerned to give instruction to Timothy as to what he and the churches ought to be looking for in and among the fellowship in regards to under shepherds of Christ. To the end, the purpose of which is that the church would be served. The purpose of which is that the people would be preserved and fed. The purpose of which is so that there would be discipline in the gospel. There would be admonishment and exhortation and encouragement and truth spoken and lived out before the congregation for the benefit of the congregation because what is the heart concern of the Apostle Paul is the heart concern of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the shepherd of Paul is our shepherd and that concern of the Lord Jesus Christ is that the good news of God's salvation and preservation for his elect would come to the church would be not only that through which the church is established, which is the truth of Christ and His work for His sheep, but it is the truth that sustains. It's the gospel truth that feeds It's the gospel truth that nourishes and strengthens in the midst of controversy and tribulation and testing. It's the doctrine of the gospel that Paul's concerned to communicate to Timothy and to instruct Timothy to hold fast to that doctrine for in so doing he will save both himself and those who hear him." Because the issue, the concern is that the church be preserved. Now Paul knows that God will preserve the church. And therefore he writes this letter to Timothy because God is a God of action. He's a God of working out that which he has purposed. And so all believers are concerned, or ought to be concerned, and need to be instructed and encouraged to be concerned to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. All believers are to be instructed and concerned that they would be faithful to their master and that they would be watchful and that they would bear fruit of Love and care and ministering one to another. He says, the writer of Hebrews says, we are confident of better things concerning you. Yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner, for God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. So he's confident of better things concerning them because what God has demonstrated in their life is a concern for the church. And so that's the heart concern of Paul is the concern for the church as he gives this instruction to Timothy as to the qualifications of those men in the flock who will be recognized and should be recognized as under shepherds of Christ and those who would also care for both the spiritual and physical needs of the church. So we have elders and deacons. It's a focus of the elders on dealing with or being focused on the word and prayer and preparation and and instruction and preaching and teaching, there's a focus there, but it's not absent a concern for the physical needs of the flock. Just as it is the case for the deacons that though their primary concern as far as the flock is concerned, is really to alleviate some of the day-to-day concerns that might overwhelm and distract the teachers and preachers from their primary role. The deacons are to care for, in a primary way, to care for the physical needs of the flock as those needs arise. But that does not mean that they do not have a spiritual ministry of teaching. They do. We read that in Acts. Men who teach. And Stephen is recognized as a deacon. And then he goes on to preach. Stephen does. I think it's Acts 7. And so it's not as if there isn't the spiritual and the physical for both roles. There is both, but there's just a difference of primary focus. And so, as I mentioned, last time when we read through the entire book of Timothy, I wanted to do that for context. But as I mentioned, we won't spend as much time preaching about the deacons because so much of it is a duplication of what's said about the elders. I do want to bring to our attention today how this word blameless is once again center focused in regards to the ministry of the office bearers in the church. It was the first statement regarding the elder. An elder then must be blameless. And we've talked about that. I don't think, however, I spoke about it particularly in the way I want to today, and it comes up in what's given as we're given instruction regarding the deacons and this this sort of opens up even more meaning to this word this term blameless. So let's turn over to the where it begins with verse 8 and just 8 through 13. I'm just going to read the section on deacons And he starts out, well last week, let me just back up a moment, last week we considered, lest they fall, lest the elder fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Basically, they ought to have a good testimony among those who are outside, so they're not overwhelmed by the issues and distractions that could come up in their lives that would take them away from their primary focus of ministry. And so, That's where we were last week. And then he says, likewise. He says, likewise. So what I'm about to say to you, Timothy, is similar in the case of deacons. And he starts out, likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience." Now, we'll go back and think about these individually over the course of days, Lord willing. But all these things are the same as whether they were specifically mentioned regarding the bishops or the elders or not. All these things are in the meaning of what he said about the elders, about an elder. Likewise, deacons must be reverent. Elders must be reverent. Elders must not be double-tongued, not speaking out of both sides of the mouth, not playing both sides of the fence, that sort of thing. We can talk about that more later. Not given to much wine, likewise. Likewise, not greedy for money. We saw that with the elders about not being covetousness and covetous and so forth. Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. Well, that would absolutely be true about the elders. So none of these things are unique to deacons. He's just describing these things in different ways. And then he says this, but let these also first be tested then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless." Now that's a very helpful way for him to be defining, describing what he means by the word blameless. But let these also first be tested Then let them serve as deacons, being found or being blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children in their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtained for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus." I think I mentioned that twice it mentions blameless regarding the deacons. It's not twice, it's just once here. But one might ask a question like, well, Does blameless mean, doesn't that mean that they are reverent, that they're not double-tongued, that they're not giving too much wine, they're not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience? So isn't it the case that the tenor of their life is one that would be exemplary as a believer. It's one where it's not that they're not without sin, but it's one where they're mature. It's one where, as far as what can be seen from the outside, they are blameless. There's no notorious sin in their life. There's no a cause for the enemy to blaspheme the church and the work of God. And yes, we did talk about that. Yes, those are definitely a part of the concern because again, Paul's concerned about the flock. He's concerned about the testimony of God among, of the church among the community among the peoples and he's concerned that God's name might not be mocked and so he absolutely is saying that these men ought to have a good testimony, for example, even among those who are outside as far as their character and conduct goes, you could say. And so all the things that he is describing regarding elders as far as temperance, sober-minded, of good behavior, the husband of one wife, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome. All these things are included in blameless. However, and this is the singular point for today, when he uses this word blameless here in verse 10, but let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. He's specifically using the word in terms of them being preserved or them persevering through testing, of them experiencing testing. First and foremost, let them first experience testing. And then let it be the case that they've persevered through it by the power of God, that they've been preserved through it. And in regard to being tested, they are found blameless. So he's particularly assigning the word blameless to persevering through trial, temptation, and testing. Now, he says this again in another way in the same book. Look over at chapter 6 of 1 Timothy. Chapter 6, beginning at verse 11. He says, But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, Love, patience, gentleness. He says pursue these things. Flee these things. Flee the things that he's mentioned, all kinds of evil. And pursue actively, purposely, intentionally, with all diligence. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, Love, patience, gentleness. He says, fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called, and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. He goes on, I urge you, I exhort you, I beseech you, It's another way of saying it. I urge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, look at this, verse 14, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing. What commandment? Well, the commandment to flee evil and to pursue good, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, goodness. What commandment? What commandment is he to keep? To fight the good fight of faith. To lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul, who wrote so many letters and who wrote Romans 8, Romans 9, Romans 10, Romans 11, Romans 12. I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove that which is the good and perfect will of God. I think That might have really gotten that wrong at the end of that. Let me just go there. And be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is... Excuse me. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So he's encouraging Timothy, and he's encouraging us, to living the life of faith, to actively and diligently, with perseverance, lay hold on eternal life, to which you are also called, knowing that this is all God's work in the life of the believer. And when a believer hears this, they are encouraged, they are built up, they are established, they are fed, they are strengthened. to live the life of faith and to fight the good fight of faith against testing, against temptation, against wickedness, and in the day of trial and testing to persevere through it. He says, keep this commandment without spot. And then he says, blameless until the Lord Jesus Christ appearing. He connects blamelessness with the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. The idea being that you come through the tribulation. And in the day of Jesus Christ, now whether that means your own death, my own physical death, which in each of our lives, our physical death for believers, in a manner of speaking, will be the day of Jesus Christ. Because to be absent the body is to be present with the Lord. We will leave this earth and our bodies will decay spiritually we will be united with the Lord and when he returns we will return with him and our bodies will be raised new bodies will be raised to life will be created for us and we will then be with him body soul and spirit forever so that The day of Jesus Christ for the believer is either the day that he returns, certainly for all believers will be the day he returns, the day of Jesus Christ in terms of judgment of this earth and the culmination of this creation, etc., etc., etc., but also persevering and being found blameless in the day of Jesus Christ is also the last breath you will take on this earth. That we are preserved and we are found blameless all the way to the end. So it's connected. My point is that blamelessness here and back to regarding the deacon, blamelessness is uniquely or Yes, in one sense, uniquely tied to enduring through testing. Enduring through trial. And that's why he says, likewise, he says rather, but let these also first be tested. Just, even though he doesn't say this, by the way, about the elders, let these also first be tested, implies that what he says about the elders, he's saying, without saying it word for word, he's saying, let the elder first be tested. He says, let him not be a novice, lest he puffed up with pride. See, let him first be tested. And he says, then about the deacon, let these also first be tested. Then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless through the testing. Now this theme of being blameless to the end, or the idea of persevering through trial and testing, and that being found blameless, in that you do not apostatize, you are not taken away with the wicked, is connected to the word blameless in a number of places. And I'm just going to read a few of them. First Corinthians chapter 1 verse 8. And all this to the glory of God. Every bit of it to the glory of God. That's why David said, I awoke for the Lord sustained me. It's the same idea. It's all to the glory of God. First Corinthians, let's pick it up. Well, verse four, I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God. This is first Corinthians one verse four for the grace of God, which was given to you by Christ Jesus. that you were enriched in everything, same thing he says in Galatians 1, that you were enriched in everything by him, in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, He says to the Corinthians, who will also confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, that your faith will persevere, that you will not fall away in the testing and the tribulation. And this to the Corinthians, brothers and sisters, He's saying this to the Corinthians. Now read the rest of the book. And there's all manner of division and sin and issues among them that are terrible. He even has to say to them, at times, I say this to your shame, that there's a man among you, still among you, who's walking among you in open sin. He says, I say this to your shame, not to the shame of a man who's walking, although that was shameful, walking in the manner in which he was walking, but to the other believers, that they should allow that to be the case among them. He says something as drastic as that, while at the same time, at the beginning of the book, in terms of the confession of the gospel, in terms of walking the walk of faith, and battling through tribulation, He says regarding, so that you come short in no gift, regarding them, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, you who are truly believers, even in the midst of great sin, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. So clearly they're not blameless in the way they're conducting themselves. Read the rest of the book. But he's specifically speaking of blamelessness in persevering through trial and tribulation and through sin, and being granted repentance, a change of mind, and growth in grace and knowledge through all these tests and trials and tribulation. And they are blameless, of course. Of course, they are blameless because of Jesus Christ. And they are preserved because God loves them. Christ has died for them. And the Spirit has regenerated them. And they are preserved all the way by the power of God. Look over Colossians 1.21. Similar statement. Colossians 1.21. We're starting at verse 21. Colossians 1 beginning at verse 21. And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight. If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded in steadfastness, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." He says it again in 1 Thessalonians 3, verses 11-13. Look at that, 1 Thessalonians 3. Verse 11 and following, Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Well, he certainly has already established their hearts blameless through Jesus Christ. But this is talking about an ongoing perseverance and an ongoing preservation in the faith that they would not be overwhelmed and overtaken by testing and trial. Look at Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. Speaking of testing and trial. Verse 17 of Hebrews chapter 11. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. the son that he loved. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, tested by God, offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called. Concluding. Abraham concluding. Do you think naturally? Do you think his affections for his son were challenged? Huh. But Abraham concluded, since God had promised that through this son, Isaac, the seed would come, the Christ would come, the seed would be called. Abraham concluded that God was able to raise Isaac up from the dead. from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Abraham was greatly tested. Now we read in Zechariah when it says I will cut off the names of the idols from the land and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land." That means the false prophets and the unclean spirits to depart from the church. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies lies, this is verse 3 of chapter 13. It shall come to pass that if anyone Be they an angel from heaven, still prophesize lies. Now look where it goes. Then his father and mother who begot him, pointing out there would be a natural affection. There would be a love for that son by the father and mother. There would be earthly ties. that God established, giving that man and that woman this son. And that son was born to them. And when that father and mother, believing father and mother, hear the son prophesying lies, they will say to that son, you shall not live. You think that's a small thing? It's not a small thing. It's just a picture of that Jesus Christ brings division. And he makes himself far greater in importance, infinitely greater insignificance importance as far as our affection and our allegiance, you could say, and our unity, our union, than our earthly family relationships. They shall say to their son, you shall not live because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord. There's another passage in Luke. In Luke 14. This is verse 25. Now great multitudes went with him, and he turned aside and said to them, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, does not hate his wife and children, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his brothers and sisters, and if anyone comes to me and does not hate, yes, even his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. You know what He is not saying. He is saying that our earthly relationships are just that. They will end. There will be no marriages in heaven. There will be no brother and sister, son and daughter. There is the Lord God, Father, Son and Spirit. There is the elect angels. and there are elect humans. Our husband is the Lord Jesus Christ. And my point is, it's some of the greatest, and this is true of all of us, that as we are tried and tested, and as whether it be a family relationships or whether it be our wealth, whether it be our health, like Job. Job had wealth, he had all of it, right? First it was family, then it was, well, I don't know if it was first. It certainly was his wealth, it was his family, it was his own health, it was even the relationship with his wife. Job was tested, severely tested. And even though he, and here's the point, even though He questioned God. Which one of us wouldn't? God actually rebuked in love Job. And Job was granted repentance. And he remained, to the day of Christ, blameless. Blameless. Let them first also be tested, and let them be found to be blameless. Whatever that testing and trial and tribulation might be. It might be the mocking and it might be the, you know, the mocking like Zedekiah did to Micaiah. Might be the hatred of those who hear your confession and witness and they hate you because it condemns them. It might be the loss of family relationships. held dear by you, and should be held dear, but not as dear as Christ, not even close, not even in the same universe, not even in the same reality. It could be the loss of position, it could be the loss of friendships, it could be the loss of marriage, the one you love, because of the gospel. However God may test and try, He assures His people that He will preserve them and keep them through that testing and demonstrate they are blameless in the day of Jesus Christ. This is one of the characteristics A primary characteristic of those that are to be recognized as leaders in the church, be it deacon or elder. And this is God's doing. This is not our doing. This is God's doing in all respects. And we worship Him and we thank Him and praise Him. because tribulation brings perseverance and perseverance character and character hope. And our hope will not disappoint in the day of Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Lord God, we thank you for this care that you've given to your church. We thank you for this instruction. We pray by your grace, by your power that we would heed the instruction to fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to run away from evil, pursue righteousness and holiness and godliness and love and faith, self-sacrifice. We pray, Lord God, that these would not just be words that we hear and are cynical and they roll off our back like a passing fancy. But by your power, you would continue to embed these truths in the hearts and minds of your people, that they would be continually transformed in the renewing of their mind, of our minds, that we all would be transformed in the renewing of our minds. and to prove what is that perfect will of God. Your will. We thank you for your care for us through the gospel of Jesus Christ by his power. And we thank you in his name. Amen.