Let's open our Bibles, please, to the book of Isaiah chapter 50. Isaiah chapter 50. We've prepared 50 and 51 if we get that far, but we'll just go as far as we get in our study. So look at chapter 50, verse 1. It says, Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have you sold yourselves, and for your transgressions Now, then, in the Old Testament, Israel was married to the Lord and considered to be the wife of Jehovah. Actually, these three verses, the first three verses belong to the 49th chapter, but we have in these three verses the cause of Zion's desolation. We see in this first verse that Israel had turned to other gods, and for this reason God had given them a bill of divorce. And they were responsible themselves. Notice that they are indicating here, it's indicated that they may think that it's God's fault that they're sold, but it was their own fault. If you notice that verse again, it says, Which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have you sold yourself. So they were responsible for this separation and for having to be put away. And for your transgressions is your mother put away? So when God's people turn to idols, God will separate Himself from them, even though there's a close relationship. God was married to Israel, but God says, I'm not going to put up with this anymore. And in the book of Deuteronomy 24, I believe, beginning with verse 1, the 24th chapter, you have the conditions of a writing and a bill of divorcement laid out. And so that's exactly what God did to Israel. He separated them from Himself. And because of their sins and their idolatry, when they wanted to be married to their idols and joined to their idols, He let them be joined to their idols. If you read the book of Hosea, you find in the second chapter a whole chapter devoted to the fact that Israel was unfaithful to God. You know, this morning in our message, we had a verse in the book of James, chapter four, verse four. And it says, ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? And God was speaking there in a spiritual sense of the word. He wasn't talking about physical, fleshly things. He says that they had turned from him to the world. That's what James was referring to. He says, you've turned from God to the world, and you're married to the world, and therefore you're the same as having committed adultery. So why cannot God's people be faithful? In the book of Jeremiah chapter 3, verse 8, it says, And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorcement. So God said that I had to do this because of all her transgressions and all her backslidings. Look at verse 2 in our text. It says, Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I call, was there none to answer? In other words, God is seen here as coming home to look for his wife and no one was home. It's like a house deserted. I remember my children when they'd come in from school. Mother was always there. She had them either some hot food or some cookies or a little cake. My wife makes a cake. It's called an everyday cake. Daryl came home one day and he says, Mother, if that's an everyday cake, why don't we have it every day? Just a little simple, ordinary run of the mill, but it tastes very good. But anyway, always there. And the wife, the mother should be home and I could go I could say a lot of things about that, but I won't do it now because I'd get into a lot of trouble. But God intended for wives to be home and mothers to be home and take care of their children. And He says, When I came, was there no man? When I called, there was none to answer. And then He asks this question. He says, Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make rivers a wilderness. Their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst." In other words, God says, if I have a strong arm and a stretched out arm, it's significant of power. But he says, is my hand shortened? And this speaks of weakness. Is my hand shortened? Certainly God's hand is not shortened, is it? He says in the rest of the verse that he's able to make rivers a wilderness. He can turn them to dryness. Remember that God, it says, their fish stink because there's no water and die for thirst. God smote the waters of old and caused the fish to die. He refers back, you might even refer back to the things that happened in Egypt. when God caused these judgments to come upon Pharaoh and upon the Egyptians and was taking care of his people. He says, I clothed the heavens with blackness and I made sackcloth and I make sackcloth their covering. Remember, God sent judgments upon Pharaoh and upon the Egyptians and Each judgment, one would be as severe or if not more so than the other. God is able to bring judgment. We do not understand and know the power of God. We just think we do. He brought blood. He brought blood, turned the waters into blood. He brought frogs. He brought lice. He brought flies. Disease upon the cattle, and there was boils and open sores upon cattle and men, beasts and man. He brought a great hail and locusts and darkness, a great darkness, the Bible says, so that it could be felt. And he brought the death of the firstborn. Ten great judgments upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. And when he brought that darkness, the Bible says, when there was darkness over all the land of Egypt, it says, but the children of Israel all had light in their dwellings. Can you imagine God? It says God will serve her between. He'll distinguish between the Egyptians and his people. God is distinguished between today. God's people have light in their dwellings and there's darkness in this world. And if you, Jesus said, I'm the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. So if you want to have a real light and really have the things of God going in your life, you trust the Lord as your Savior and you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior and he'll give you the light and you won't remain in darkness and in sin. Before we get to verse 4, I want to point out to you, if you will look at these verses, there are four verses, verse 4 and 5, and as we approach verse 4. Verse 4 and 5 and 7 and 9, look at verse 4, you see the Lord God, look at each one of them. Verse 5, the Lord God. Verse 7, for the Lord God. And verse 9, behold the Lord God. Four times in this passage, the servant uses the name Lord God. It means Jehovah Adonai, and it can be translated Sovereign Lord. Jehovah Adonai means, now listen, that God is the owner of each member of the human family and that he consequently claims the unrestricted obedience of all. Where does that put us all? God is what? The owner of each member of the human family. God owns you whether you want to admit it or not. You belong to God. And because you do, He consequently claims the unrestricted obedience of all. Because He claims you, He wants you to obey Him. And it doesn't mean that some people are not yet unsaved, because there are many that are not born again, because you have to be born again to enter the family and kingdom of God, but yet God Almighty, as Jehovah Adonai, shows him to be the owner of you whether you receive him or not. He still owns all creation. He says even the cattle on the thousand hills are mine. He says, the earth is the Lord's and what? The fullness thereof. It doesn't belong to you and I and nations and continents. It belongs to God. Every inch of the ground, every bit of this earth belongs to God. Everything belongs to Him. We know we have wicked rulers here and there, and we have others that are raised up, but God is the possessor of all. And the very fact that this is mentioned here should awaken us to the fact of His sovereignty. Now, then, if you look at verse four in itself, it says, The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned. Here's the servant of God and this in view. speaks, or in prophecy, speaks of Christ. He is the divine servant whom God has chosen. Israel was God's servant. We showed you in the last chapter, in the last lesson, in fact both of the last lessons, how that though Israel was God's servant, yet Israel was a picture of Christ Jesus, the true Messiah, the true servant of God. And we find other references all through Isaiah, several places, that show us that it refers to Jesus Christ. And what can be said of Israel earthly and historically can be said of Jesus spiritually as far as being God's divine servant that came to this earth. And what is it about him? The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned. His mind was submitted. to the Lord God so that he could learn His Word and His will. Did you know the Bible says that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature in favor with God and with men? You see, though He was the Son of God, He was God manifested in the flesh, yet He learned by study like the rest of us. And God had given Him a special anointing and a special Well, what should I say? Opening of the ear and the mind to receive a flood of the things of God, so that they just came in upon him tremendously as he studied and learned. Sometimes you and I, we study and God gives us more than we really are looking for. We see many more things than we think that we would see to begin with, and for God's Preachers that are called and chosen and teachers, when he begins to flood those thoughts in your mind and in your soul, it's a real blessing. And God's ministry and servanthood or service is a gift from him. It would be wrong for us to deny it. It would be hypocrisy for us to claim to be more than we are. And it would be also wrong to deny that what we have is of the Lord. That's why you remember I pointed out in a message probably last Sunday where Peter, in introducing himself, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. What did he say? Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now then, it would have been wrong for him to deny that he was an apostle, but it also would have been wrong for him to claim to be more than an apostle, as some have tried to make him. But he says an apostle. And so, you and I, it would be wrong for us to claim to be greater and more than we are, but it would also be wrong for us to deny what we are. And as God's preachers, we should accept the fact that God has called us. But here the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of. The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. His mind was submitted to the Lord God to learn His word. Everything Jesus said and did was taught to him by His Father. He said, The Father teaches me all things in John 5 verse 19. And He prayed to the Father for guidance. He prayed for guidance, and he meditated on the Word of God. What God taught the servant, the servant shared with those who needed the encouragement and needed help. God taught the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave him the words. He says, He that is of God speaketh the words of God. And we find here He says that I should know, look at verse 4, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. I believe Jesus was well learned, don't you? Because he could speak a word in season to the weary. Did he not say, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest? That's a word to the weary, isn't it? All that are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You don't have to earn it. You don't have to work for it. He says, if you come to me, I will give you. And then someone says, well, what about serving God? He says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. That's the yoke of service and learn, be a disciple, be a learner, be a student of God's word, learn of me. And you shall find rest until you're sold. Thought he gave us rest. He did give us rest, the rest of salvation, see? But then he says, you shall find rest until you're sold, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So you'll find the rest of service. He first gives us the rest of salvation. And then when we take that yoke of service and are willing to serve God and learn of him, he gives us a rest of service and an enjoyment of serving God. If you don't enjoy serving God, you shouldn't be serving God. You should get to the place first that you would want to enjoy. You know, I'd rather preach than anything I know of. I'd rather teach than anything I know of. I'd rather be right here where I am, regardless of pain or how I feel. And it seems like, and God does this, even though many times you're mindful of pain, it seems like it lessens or sometimes it just goes away. It's hard to understand how that God does that. But when you get involved and get doing the thing God wants you to do, your mind will be on what you need to do instead of what you are fretting and suffering and worrying about. So that's why it's good for you to stay busy. You know, we've heard that old story, the idle mind of the devil's workshop. And that's true. You just sit around and have a pity party and you start saying, oh, me, I don't feel good. Well, who does? I mean, I'd like to feel better. We sang that song a little bit ago. Brother Ron sang in the suite by and by. There's a land that is fairer than day. In the last three weeks, I've been wishing that I was in that land that was fairer than day, because I had a back injury and I've been hurting and in pain and suffering. And it's much better now, but it's still there. So I appreciate your prayers. But what I'm saying is get busy with God's Word and do what God wants you to do. And notice what it says. He could speak a word in season to him that is weary. He waketh morning by morning. It says, if he awakens to, waketh my ear to hear as the learned. He awakens to teach the students. I remember when I was going to seminary. He got up early in the morning to go to school. Three and a half years. Seven o'clock in the morning. Get up at five. And by the seven o'clock you was in class and at noon you were out. And then you'd go back home and eat lunch and go to work and work until about ten or eleven at night. Sometimes at midnight I was finishing concrete out there in Fort Worth, Texas on a housing project. And I'd go home and I'd write fifteen minutes on my thesis and then go back and travel concrete. or float it down and trowel it and finish the concrete and then get up at five o'clock in the morning. You do that three and a half years and see how you like it. And you know what? I never missed one class in three and a half years. Not one class. And we were all tardy one morning when we had an ice storm and everyone, the teachers, professors, and everyone got there a little bit late because we had to fight the ice all the way across Fort Worth. But anyway, what I'm saying is we need to rise up early in the morning and teach God's Word. He waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine ear. See, God opens our ears to hear and to understand. And I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. If you want to hear what God says, you cannot be rebellious. The servant must be what? Submissive. God's people were not willing and obedient. God had said in the beginning, I believe it's in the first chapter of Isaiah, verse 19, that he said, if you be willing and obedient, you shall inherit the good of the land. But they were not willing and obedient. And God has said to them to come to him. He said, come now, verse 18, the verse before that says, chapter 1, verse 18, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. So he says, I'm going to cleanse you. I'm going to make you clean. I'm going to give you forgiveness regardless of how deep in sin. And we've talked before that though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson. And we speak of double-dyed red, D-Y-E-D, double-dyed red. In other words, red, red. And we are double-dyed sinners. We're sinners by nature and we're sinners by choice. And God says, I'm going to make both of those instances in your life white as snow. I'm going to cleanse you completely. Isn't that a wonderful thing that God can make us clean, as dirty as we are, and as sinful as we are? He'll make us clean every whit. Jesus said, He that is cleansed is cleansed every whit. In John chapter 13. Now then, let's think of this. He says, The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, though God's people were rebellious. He said, I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. He was submitted to the Lord. Jesus was submitted to the Lord. Now look at verse 6. He says, I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. The servant was willing to go through these sufferings. Jesus was willing to go through the sufferings. Let me give you a couple of places. Mark 14 and verse 65. It says this, And some began to spit on him, to cover his face, and to buffet him, and saying to him, Prophesy. And the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Jesus willingly submitted himself to suffering. Matthew 27 and verse 26, 27 and verse 26, Then released he Barabbas unto them," Pilate released Barabbas, and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. They wanted to all mock Him. And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet robe. They said, He claims to be a king. Let's put a scarlet robe. Let's take all His own garments off. Put on Him a scarlet robe. And when He claims to be a king, they had planted a crown of thorns. They put it up on His head. See, Jesus willingly went through these sufferings. The suffering servant and the savior of the world gave himself to this, all this evil treatment and suffering for your sake and mine. The Bible says he suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. The Bible says that he bore our sins in his own body to the tree or on the tree, on the cross. And we will never know, we'll never be able to fathom and to realize the sufferings of Jesus for us. They bowed the knee before him and mocked him and said, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit upon him and took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him and put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him. That's the treatment Jesus submitted himself to. Notice verse 6 in our text, Isaiah 50 verse 6. He says, I gave my back to the smiters. He willingly gave his back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that pluck off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. The greatest insult in the East in biblical times, even as it is today. Great insult to spit upon someone. And they insulted Jesus. Jesus took all the insults of man. You know, Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. He didn't have to put up with this. He could have at any time cut his cords from this earth and gone back to heaven without any obligation, except out of true voluntary love. Jesus said, I lay down my life for the sheep. I love my sheep. I lay down my life that I might take it again. He says, this commandment have I received from my Father. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. I have power to lay down my life to voluntarily offer myself a sacrifice for the sins of the world. And I also have power to come out of that grave the third day in resurrection power. I have power to do that. And he says, This commandment have I received of my father. So he was willing to undergo these sufferings. In verse 7, it says, For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore, have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He would not be disappointed in doing what God called him to do. This is prophetic of Jesus. To set his face like a flint. He says, therefore shall I not be confounded. Was Jesus confused about what his purpose was? Remember the times they wanted to, they sought after him and would cast him off the cliff or the hill of the city. They would try to get rid of Christ. And the Bible says he departed out of their midst. And he said, because his what? Because his hour was not yet come, the time for His purpose was not yet fulfilled. And then finally, when the time did come that it would be fulfilled, He says, Mine hours come that I should depart out of this world unto the Father. He says, I came from the Father, and now the time is that I should return to the Father. He says, I came down from the Father to this world. And He says, I'm going back to the Father. And He says, Now mine hours come. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? He says, No, but for this purpose, for this For this I came into the world." So was he confused? Not at all. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you and I could have such purpose of life that we'd fulfill it, come, excuse the language, hell or high water? If we had such determination that we would do it, such purpose, Daniel of old, purposed in his heart that he would not take the king's meat or the wine which he drank. He purposed in his heart. He would not defile himself. Remember in the book of Daniel, the three Hebrew children, they were threatened to be, they were going to cast them into the fire furnace. And they did finally. But what happened if they would not fall down and worship that image that was set up? And they said, our God is able to deliver us. But now listen carefully. But if not, if not, we will still not bow down nor serve. this image that you've raised up. Now, you and I would say, if God will deliver me, I won't do it. But they said, if not, there comes a time that you have to take your stand regardless. Have you ever thought of that? You said, if God will do this for me and if you don't bargain with God. A lot of people think they can. But God says, you know, you make up your mind where you stand. I'm going to stand by you. And fortunately, and God did and was able to deliver them and he saw fit to do it. But they said if he doesn't see fit to do it, we're still not going to bow down these three Hebrew children. So they cast them in the furnace of fire, the fiery furnace. And the old king came up and looked over. into that furnace, and he says, Did we not cast in three men into this fiery furnace? And by the way, when they threw them in there, the fire devoured those men that cast them into the furnace. And he said, Did not we cast three men into this fiery furnace? And he says, Lo, I see four men walking in the midst of the fire, and the form of the fourth is like unto the Son of God. And when they came out of that furnace, there was not even the smell of smoke upon their clothing. See what God can do? But you have to be determined too, like they were, and say, if not, if not. When you're determined enough to serve God and you're willing to say, if not, there should be an if not in everyone's life. We all think God's going to give us a bed of roses from here on. And He may give you a smooth life. And some people have more sufferings, more trials than others. That's all known to be. But on the other hand, what about if not? Are you going to face the things that God has before you? Are you willing to do it? And I believe that's what it's talking about here. And so verse 7, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore, look, shall I not be confounded? Therefore, have I set my face like a flint? And I know that I shall not be ashamed. Looking, you don't have to look, but I'll read it in the gospel of Luke chapter 9, verse 51. Let me read this through 53. And it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up. Listen, Christ should be received up. He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. In other words, he set his face like a flint. He was determined to do it in Luke's Gospel. And sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. He knew what was ahead of him, but he set his face. He steadfastly set his face. I call that determination. I call that when a person knows where he's going and what he should do to follow that path and do that very thing. You and I need to be determined. God tells us in many places to be ready to present our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans chapter 12, verse 1. And if you and I are willing to give ourselves to God and follow God, We're going to have to pay the price, if there is a price. And there usually is, in one way or another. It's not easy, just like we were telling the children this morning. They got a lot before them. They started out right. They accepted Christ. They followed the Lord in baptism. And everyone that accepts Christ ought to be baptized and be obedient to Him, follow the Lord in scriptural baptism. And there is such a thing as scriptural baptism, by the way. And if they do that, then they ought to be taught God's Word and how to live for God. And if you're willing to do that, there may be some trials that will come along the way, and you're going to have battles like we tried to point out this morning. And we'll have some more in this chapter before we get through, and we'll probably have time to finish this one. Let's go on. We have just a few verses left. It says in verse 7, For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. He says, The Lord heard his cry in the book of Hebrews. And therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." Christ fulfilled his purpose. It says, He is near that justifieth me, and will contend with me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. In other words, who wants to be my adversary? Remember in the book of Romans, let me read for you. The book of Romans, chapter 8. It says this, in verse 33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who's going to do that? It is God that justifies. God justifies, so who's going to charge? God's people. Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, and so He rose for our justification, and we're not under condemnation. So who's going to condemn us? If you're justified, and God says you're justified, Oh, and you say, well, Satan might condemn us, the people might condemn us, evil men might. Who is even at the right hand of God. He's risen again and he's even at the right hand of God. There he makes intercession. Who also maketh intercession for us. Then it says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors." You know, if you're a conqueror, that's pretty good. But to be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I'm persuaded, Paul says, I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature. He says, you just call the role of anything you can think of shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I like that assurance, don't you? Nothing. He says, you just name it. He says any other creature, just call the road, shall be able to separate us. So in verse 8, back in our text, hold your place where we're studying. Do you have it? Verse 8, chapter 50 of Isaiah, verse 8. He is near that justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me." Look, He did all this by faith. When you say, the Lord God will help me, that means you have faith that He's going to do something for you, right? We live by faith, don't we? It doesn't make any difference what comes your way, trials or sufferings or problems. If you believe that God will help you, you do that by faith. That's an act of faith. You're trusting God to do it. And you know that you're trusting God to do it because you have Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and God has promised He will help you. The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Behold, the Lord God will help me. Who is he that shall condemn me? That is much like Romans 8 that we just read. Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment. The servant's opponents will be judged, and like a moth-eaten garment come to nothing. They will wax old like a garment. Can you imagine your Opposition, or your enemies, waxing old like a garment, a moth-eaten garment, that's about how much they amount to in the sight of God if they're opposing you. Everyone needs to memorize, you ought to memorize, Isaiah 54, verse 17. I quoted it this morning, I believe. And it says, No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, listen carefully, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. It says, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. Memorize that verse. Now then, look at this in verse 10. We have two more verses. Verse 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? Now look, that walketh in darkness and hath no light. God's people that fear Him and obey Him walk in darkness and have no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. Look, what's it saying here? God's people do not always understand why they seem to be in darkness. But in the midst of all your trials and in the midst of all your darkness, trust in the Lord and He will lead you out of that. God's people do not always understand. Do you understand why trials come? The Bible says that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be trialed with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Peter says, but now, if need be, you're in heaven is through manifold. This is first Peter chapter one, verse six, through manifold temptations. And then he says that the trial or testing of your faith. It's much more precious than of gold that perishes. You say, here's gold and gold can perish, but your faith is much more precious than of gold that perishes. How precious is it? It means it's very valuable, isn't it, when your faith is tried? All right, let's go on. It says, Who is among you that feareth the Lord, verse 10, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God in the midst of your trial. Trust in the Lord and stay upon God. Put your stay and trust in God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire. And in the sparks, the wicked will only trust themselves. They will not trust God. And this speaks of the wicked. The light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled, this shall you have of mine hand. You shall lie down in sorrow. The wicked are going to have to be judged and lie down in sorrow. What is the lesson for you and I? Remember what Jesus went through. And remember that if Jesus went through trials and sufferings, He says that Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example and sample that we should follow in His steps. And so when you go through sufferings, don't blame all the things around about you that brought them about. Just realize that a lot of times you're just reminded And by the way, when you go through these sufferings in life, or trials of life, they are for a purpose. They will make you more loving. They will make you more tender. They will make you more kind-hearted. They will make you more caring. They'll make you realize how small we are, and how little we are, and how great God is, and how much we need Him. They're for a purpose. They do a lot of things. I quoted a little thing that Curtis wanted me to print, I printed it out for him, and some of you have heard me say it before. It says, I walked a mile with laughter. She chattered all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say. Then it says, I walked a mile with sorrow, and ne'er a word said she, but all the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me. So there's a learning process.