And you can open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 6. We left off particularly in verse 8, although we did cover verses 9 and 10 and 11 in a more general way. Although today I would like to more specifically look at the 9th through the 12th verse. I don't think we'll get much further than that today, so let's pray first. Dear Father in heaven, I just pray, God, would you please, through the power of your spirit and through the clear understanding of your word, would you work today, God, in our hearts, Lord. I pray, God, that you would please Give us the spirit of the prophets, God, that we would speak your word with boldness, Lord, and with an urgency, God, with a crying out for change. I pray, God, please work in us and through us. Use your word to change us that you might be glorified. And I praise you and thank you in Christ's name. Amen. As we look at this chapter, we see in verses 4 through 8, we went through last week that the apostle was speaking, or the writer of the Hebrews, whoever wrote this, we know it was the Holy Spirit that inspired them. But we see that he's very concerned for these Hebrews. He's very concerned for them falling away into this great apostasy that was happening. where many were coming and say they believe, and soon or possibly after a long time would fall away. And we see this principle over and over again in the Bible. Jesus starts with his first parable in Matthew 13. What parable does he start with? He says, if you understand this parable, you'll understand the other parables. In essence saying, if you don't understand that one, you're not understanding anything of what he's saying. What was he saying in that parable? That there's four hearers. There's four hearers. Two of the four show growth. Only one of the four shows no growth at all. Two of the four show growth. One shows no growth at all. And only one truly knows God. Only one truly knows God. I was thinking yesterday of how the hatred of God that's in man's heart. Because I was thinking about what is the common denominator? Why are Christians persecuted? Why do they die? Why are there martyrs? Why do people die in general? Why are people murdered? This is my point. And as I thought of it, I thought, well, maybe it's an ideology. You can think of the ideology of Islam and its radical agenda. But then you can think of, there's Buddhists, who also martyr Christians, and their ideology is a passive ideology, actually. It's one of peace, supposedly. But then you can think of false Christians through the centuries who did the same thing. The Catholic Church. Even people in the name of Protestantism murdered people. And the common denominator is the wicked heart of man. The common denominator is the wicked heart of man. And it is that man hates God. And I say that because I want to say this. We are in such a terrible state. We're in such a terrible condition. We must be awakened to this condition before we can come to Christ. And my friends, if you don't know Christ, you are a hater of God. And I fear that many have never come to that realization. It's me. It's me. I'm the one who has murder in my heart. It's you. It's you. The problem is not they, them, those people over there. The problem is me. Without God, I am a hater of God. I am in opposition toward God. I am an enemy of God without God. But by His grace in Romans 5, 8-10, God saves His enemies. But I don't want us to forget the fact of that because I believe the apostle here and how this relates to our text is that He was very concerned for a portion of these people, that they were reprobate, that they had gone to this point of turning from the gospel, never to return. And then we get to verse 9. Look in verse 9. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which ye have showed toward his name, and that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that ye be not swathful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit their promises. talk privately about or even publicly and say necessarily that, well, I think this person's saved and that person's not saved and matters like that. I don't necessarily think we should talk like that. However, as a pastor, I'm counseling people and I've counseled everybody in this room, I believe, to one degree or another, or one personal issue to another. And I must consider it. I must. In my mind, I must consider who is showing the fruit of salvation and who is not. Or else, how can I even counsel? How can I counsel somebody if I don't know what their spiritual temperature is or where they are with God and where they stand with God? And I tell you this because it's a burden. It's a burden to do that. And I think if anybody does it and it's not a burden, I think it's a problem. Because it's a great burden, because you see that there's people who profess to know Christ, but show no fruit of it. And it's very, very concerning to me. And I think we ought all to consider this very seriously. Look in verse 9. He says it. We'll start over again. But beloved, we are persuaded of better things of you and things that accompany salvation. He's encouraged with a portion of these Hebrews because they are showing the fruit of salvation. The writer says what? We are persuaded of better things of you. Why? Why was the writer encouraged in the salvation of those whom he was writing? Before we get into that answer, I would like to say, why is a question that we should always ask. We can say, well, I feel this way. Well, why do you feel that way? I have this in my life. Well, why? Always ask the question why and never take it for granted. At times, the question why can be impossible to answer, especially in the issues that have to do with the providence of God. But at the same time, if we learn to answer the question why, It will greatly help our discernment. Why, in reference to verses 4-8 that we went over last week, why would the writer make us aware of this reprobate condition in verses 4-8? Was it so that we can go around and look at others and determine who's in this condition? I would say generally the answer is no, but he did it as a warning to prod us onto maturity as we went over last week, to warn us that those who stay immature can more easily be led into this apostasy, and this great apostasy that was happening there in the first century. We see a very similar apostasy in our country today, and many are being swept into it because of their carnal state. because of their immature state. We're not going to get too much into that, we went over that last week, but let's ask why, in reference to verse 9, why was he persuaded of better things? Or persuaded that there was this portion, or possibly a greater portion of the people to whom he was writing that were not reprobate, or were not being led into apostasy. were not led back into the old system of Judaism, which in this context is what he was talking about. He was persuaded that they were not because, why? Because of the things that accompany salvation. Or because they had the evidence or marks of salvation. He did not have confidence in their salvation because of their words. but he had confidence in their salvation because of their works. Look in verse 10, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which you have showed toward his name and that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. He was not persuaded of their salvation because of their words, he was persuaded of their salvation because of their works, because of their deeds. However, first, his confidence was in God. Look at the beginning of verse 10. What is his first statement? He says, God is not unrighteous to forget. God is not unrighteous to forget. I think there's a great paradox before we get into that. And the great paradox or the great struggle in this chapter is that the Apostle, and it's the great struggle that I go through, and I think every true man of God goes through this deep struggle where he sees those who show the fruit of salvation and is greatly encouraged I'll tell you, when I see the fruit of salvation in people's life, I just feel like jumping up and down and praising the Lord, and I've seen it recently in some people who haven't seen it before, and it's just so... it's such a great joy. And on the other hand, it's like this... It's like this disturbing feeling when you see those who talk and have no deeds and have no action. Now I can't thoroughly judge them because fruit is seen in different ways in different people's lives. But I am greatly concerned and I believe the writer of Hebrews was greatly concerned and at the same time he was greatly encouraged. by those who were showing the fruit of salvation. But that's what he's looking for here. He's looking for those, in verse 10, who show the fruit of salvation. And that's the only confidence he has. That they are saved. It's that they're showing the fruit. First, though, before we get into that, his confidence is in God. God is not unrighteous. And just as God is not unrighteous in the punishment of the wicked, God is not unrighteous and the rewarding of the godly for how unrighteous would it be for God to promise a reward to a certain people and then not give that reward when the deeds that he requires are performed but of course God will make good on his promises for even in the natural realm if a man who promised to pay his workers he must pay them in order to keep his good name or to show the honor that he possesses. So of course God is going to reward those whom he promises to. But this thought about reward leads us to a question, which would be the logical progression of verse 10, which would be, if God is not unrighteous to forget, what is he not unrighteous to forget? What? What is the question? What is he not unrighteous to forget? For many have come to God thinking God has owed them something. But what is God looking for is the question. What is God looking for is the question. And I think it's answered here in verse 10. I know it's answered here in verse 10. I see three things in this verse that God is looking for. Or three things that determine good fruit in a Christian's life, and that should bring joy and hope to our hearts, that we have true brothers and sisters. These three things. Number one, a work and labor of love. Technically there's going to be four by the time we're done, but you'll see how that works. Number one's going to get broken up into two parts when we get to it. But number one is a work and labor of love. Number two is a purpose or an intention, a purpose or an intention to bring glory to God or to bring glory to God's name. You see what it says there, which you have showed in His name. You see that in verse 10, it says in the second part, which you have showed toward His name. Thirdly, Thirdly, the thing that encourages the writer of the Hebrews, that there are those that are truly born again in this church, is that they have a continual ministry towards the saints. They have a continual ministry towards the saints. You see at the end of the verse, what he says, he says, you have ministered to the saints, and you do minister to the saints. But let's not forget that these are the things that accompany salvation. In verse 9 he says, accompany salvation. They are not the cause of salvation. Or they do not produce salvation. But they are the effect of salvation. And are the fruits produced by the work of the gospel. By the work of salvation. By the work of the Holy Spirit. These are not the things that save us, they are the things that show that we are saved. With that, we can read in Ephesians, why don't you go to Ephesians 2.10. Ephesians chapter 2, just a couple books before the book of, well a few books before Hebrews. smaller books. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had before ordained that we should walk in them. God saved us for what purpose? He saved us unto good works. God has saved us unto good works in Ephesians 2 10 The Christian is called to work or to labor. We are warned against slothfulness in verse 12. We'll get to that. And are called unto the commands of our Lord. This is what it means to have Jesus as your Lord. As it says in Romans 10, 9. Whosoever confesses Jesus as Lord, it says in that verse, is Jesus your Lord. The word Lord actually means master. It means to do what he says. To do what he says. The children of God are caught up in what? They're caught up in doing the commands of their Lord. They do good works. That's what Christians do. They're caught up in doing the commands of their Lord. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 3 says, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and of our Father. Work and labor are words that have similar definitions, but the word work is of a lighter manner. In other words, labor means to labor with pain. or it's a labor with stress. Work could mean of a lesser degree. It seems like that's the difference between the word work and the word labor. Labor has a more intense meaning behind it. In 1 Thessalonians 1.3, as we just read, it's a work of faith and a labor of love. It's a work of faith and a labor of love. It's a work that is produced by faith. It is a work that is produced by faith. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Or we could say that there is no such thing as a living faith or a faith unto salvation that does not produce works. That does not produce works. Saving faith produces works because of the nature of saving faith. And I have two points on this. Saving faith produces works because of the nature of saving faith. Number one, saving faith is a work of the Holy Spirit for a result of regeneration. How can a dead man believe unless he is first brought to life? Saving faith is a work of the Holy Spirit. And I think this is where many go wrong. If saving faith is a work of my will, then my sanctification is the work of my will. But if salvation, if justification is the work of the Holy Spirit, then my sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. And really, how can a dead man believe saving faith also produces works because the one in whom the faith is placed. Or we could say, when the glories and excellencies of Jesus Christ are revealed to a person, The natural reaction is a humble spirit that says, Lord, what will you have me to do? Go to Acts chapter 9. We see this in Acts chapter 9. Look in verse 3, and he journeys, speaking of Paul. He came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined around about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and a voice sang unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted. It is hard for thee to kick against the bricks. And he trembled, and astonished, and said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Lord, what wilt you have me to do? When you see the glories of Christ and the excellencies of who He is, it is the natural reaction. Lord, what will you have me to do? In reality of who you are and who I am, and I've seen that, what will you have me to do? Anybody that does not have that reaction has never come to true faith. It may be seen in different degrees than the Apostle Paul, but it is the first reaction. But now these works become labors. They're works and they're labors. Work and labor of love. They become laborious and stressful, and even cause pain and trouble. This is the deeper test. For many can work or do good works, As long as it doesn't cost them much. As long as it fits into their schedule. As long as it doesn't cost them their reputation. As long as they're properly compensated. As long as it doesn't mean they have to suffer and be hated. Oh, many can do good works. As long as it doesn't cost you much. We can do good works. But labor goes beyond that. Labor actually goes into a loss, or a stress, or pain, or suffering. Galatians 5, 6 tells us that works, tells us that works produced by the flesh or circumcision, as it puts it there, are for nothing. But only faith that works by love is accounted for something. It is that passionate love for God that will propel us to labor. Not just to do works when it is convenient, but to do works when it costs us something. And love can be measured by its works. Love can be measured by its works. When a man falls in love with a woman, He goes to great lengths to show her that love. And he feels as if he can do anything or will do anything for her. What would you think of someone who says, I love you, and you ask them for a small favor, and they say, well, I can't do that. You would say, your love is not real. Love is measured by its works, not by feelings. not by feelings, it is measured by its sacrifice. Someone who is a friend that you just met may ask you to do a great task, and you will probably say no, and rightfully so, for trust is something that is built. But when someone who you have much affection for asks you to do that same task, you would be much more apt to do it. It shows that love is measured by works, for love is a great motivator. It is THE great motivator. And a love for God is the only true motive for a holy life. And that love can be measured by our willingness and ability to obey God. Which brings us to our second point, which you have showed towards His name, it says in verse 10, if you go back to Hebrews chapter 6. A love for self, even a love for our fellow man is illegitimate unless it flows from a love for God. Or we could say, unless it flows from the intention of bringing glory to God's name. God will never forget those who work in labor because they love His name. God promises you that. He will never forget your work and labor if you are doing it because you love his name. God promises that. The word name means character or person. A true Christian motive is a love for who God is. A love for God's holy character. A love for who he is not. I mean a love for who he is, I'm sorry, a love for who he is Not a love for who I want him to be. A love for God's name means that I hate what God hates. It means I hate what... Do I hate what God hates? That's a good test. We can often take the opposite and it will test us. Because we can say we love God. Okay, you love God. Do you hate what God hates? None of us can hate... As much as God hates, as far as sin goes, God hates sin. Eternally. And with his fierce anger, he hates sin. Do we hate sin? Do we hate sin? If we love the character of God, we do. Because it defrauds his name. To love the glory of God also means to have a repudiation of self. repudiation of myself. It means an identification with Christ's rejection and rejoicing to have that privilege. You see that in 2 Peter. We're going to read it at the end. Chapter 2, I believe it is. We'll get into it at the end. But it means an identification with Christ's rejection and a rejoicing to having that privilege. For in our flesh, just as in every man's flesh, there is a hatred for God and a detest for his holy law. But so many are deceived and say, no, no, I love God. And they sincerely believe that. But as the God of their own minds, if you go to the kingdom hall and you ask them if they love God, you know what they'll tell you? Oh, yes, we love God. We love God. Yes. Oh, and they sincerely believe it. They sincerely believe it. If you go to other cults and you ask them, do you love God? Oh, yes. You go to the Muslim. He says, I sincerely love God. And he sincerely believes that. And my friends, there's many people sitting in evangelical churches that say the same thing. and are in the same condition as those people who are sitting in the cults. Because they've never seen, they've never seen their own hatred of God. They've never seen that they cannot love God, unless God moves on them through the work of His Holy Spirit. Unless God does a work in you, you oppose God. You oppose His law. Until He works in you, that people have these idols. They have idols. They're deceived. Have you ever seen yourself as a hater of God and of His character and who He is? Because if you have not, it's not absolute, but there is a danger that you are worshipping an idol. And you may call His name Jesus. You may call his name Jesus, I know this sounds harsh, but my friends, my brothers and sisters, we live in such a wicked age that we must stand against this wicked idolatry that people call Christianity. There is no time for smooth words or games. This is very serious. People are going to church and they are deceived. And they sit in church and they say, I love God, I love God. And they don't. They have made up their own God in their minds. They have soothed themselves with words. The preachers have and they have themselves. With smooth words like the prophets of old have. And yes, I am encouraged when I see fruit in believers, as the writer of Hebrews was, but I'm greatly disturbed when I see people talk about salvation so lightly. Talk about it like it's buying a pack of gum at the store. They go, I went to the store and I bought a pack of gum. Oh, this person raised their hand and went through it and now they're saved. And they're deceived. They're deceived. It's disturbing to me. It really is. And it's everywhere. It's everywhere. And there's no time to stand here and act like it's not going on. There's no time for me to stand here and brush things over. This is very serious. I'm praying that God will move on us with the spirit of Jeremiah. who would cry out and just beg and say, please, this is not because I'm mean-spirited, but it's because those of us who have seen reality have seen this, and it must be dealt with, and it must be proclaimed. The truth must be proclaimed. It must be proclaimed. Please, please hear me. I know in a sense I may be slightly going outside of our text, but I just see the Judgment Day coming closer and closer. I was thinking about it yesterday as we were out witnessing and just watching people walk by with no concern for their soul. They're concerned about their jobs, their families, their whatever else they do, their parties, their baseball games, They're worried about everything else. But they don't see that God's judgment, the great day of God's wrath, is coming. And it's coming very soon. I'm very concerned about it. Please hear me. God is looking for fruit. And that fruit is found in a work and labor of love. It is found in a love for who God is. It is a love for God's people. Which brings us to our third point, which is this fruit is a continual ministry towards the saints. A love for God and a love for God's people is really one and the same. We said that last week. I cannot say I love God and not love His people, for God dwells in His people and that love is seen. How is it seen? How is that love seen? that is seen in our ministry towards the saints. Have you considered your brother or your sister's needs today? Is your heart burdened for the needs of God's people? Because God's is, and that burden is seen in the ministry, or in the helping of one another. Go to 1 Thessalonians, right before Hebrews, If you have Philomentitus, 2nd Timothy, 1st Timothy, and then you have Thessalonians, go to the first epistle written to the Thessalonians in chapter 2. The Thessalonians were a great testimony of the work of God. And if you look in chapter 2, verse 1, it says, for you yourselves, brethren, know our entrance. unto you, that it was not in vain. But even after that, we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated. As you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which tries our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness. God is a witness, nor of men sought we glory. neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but our souls, but our own souls, because you were dear unto us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail, for laboring day and night, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. You are witnesses in God also, how wholly and justly and unblamedly we behave ourselves among you that believe. And as you know, we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his children. You see this ministry. Why I wanted to read that is because you see this ministry that the Apostle Paul has. The Apostle Paul, besides the Lord Jesus, is a great example to us. In the ministry of the Church, in the administration of the Church, the Apostle Paul is a great example to us. And we don't see Christ in that way, as an example, because the Church had not yet exist. But we see the work of God through the Apostle in this ministry, and the ministry he had to the saints. Now, our ministries are not going to be to that degree, and our ministries vary in proportion, and they vary in the gifts that we have, but I think that we can glean much from understanding the Apostle Paul's ministry to the saints. and what it means to minister to the saints. What it means to minister to the saints. It says here that Paul did not seek the approval of men. He did not even seek their approval, he says. I did not come to you, he said, to seek your approval, but I came to speak the truth. 1 Corinthians 2, he says, I did not come with excellency of speech or with fine words, but I came to you He said, in plainness of speech and in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the ministry to the saints is spiritual and physical. There's a ministry of exhortation and a ministry of comfort. There's a ministry of pouring out one's own self. That's what he says here. I did not only preach to you the gospel only, but I poured out my own self. 1 John 3.16 says, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay our lives down for the brethren. Our beloved brother, the Apostle Paul, is a great example for us, because of the work of God in him. Literally, he laid down his life for the brethren. We read that in Acts 14. They stoned him to death, and what did he do? He got up and went back and started preaching again. He didn't even think about it. He just got up and went back and started preaching. No second thoughts. After they just killed him practically. He was one inch from death. We don't know if he actually died and maybe the Lord raised him or if he was just half dead and they left him and he got up. And he went right back to preaching. No question in his mind. He was committed to the ministry of the saints. This is what distinguishes a Christian And like I said, we're not all here to be stoned and get up and start preaching again, obviously. Not to that proportion, but we see it as an example that we are to lay our lives down, one for another. This is what distinguishes a Christian. It is one that lives for the edification of the saints. Now that may look different in different people, to different proportions and different gifts, but it is definitely true that a True believer lays his life down for the saints, and that is the motive of his life. As he loves God, he loves God's people. But let's move on to verses 11 and 12 as we close in the last few minutes here. In verse 11, go back to Hebrews chapter 6. If you're not there, go to verse 11. It says, And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. And we desire that every one of you show the same diligence. It is the Holy Spirit's desire, being the writer of this epistle and inspiring this scripture, that each give diligence, or give, it's an urgent attention, give your urgent attention to these things, to the things that are mentioned in verse 10. Be sure that these things are in our lives. The work of faith, the labor of love, the intention of bringing glory to God's and the continual ministry of the saints. Give diligence to these things. These are the things that God rewards. These are the things that God will not forget. He will not forget the work of faith, the labor of love, the intention of bringing glory to His name, and the ministry that we have to the saints. That we might be fully persuaded or have a strong conviction We might be fully persuaded. What does it say here in the King James? It says that in verse 11, we desire that everyone who shows the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. The full assurance could mean to be fully persuaded or to have a strong conviction of the hope that is in us in Christ Jesus. Like we said last week and the week before, This is ultimately the writer's intention, that he wants those that he's writing to, to have this full confidence, this full persuasion, this strong conviction, because of the work that the Spirit's doing and producing in them, and producing the things that are in verse 10. We've been through that several times in the last couple of weeks, so I won't belabor verse 11, but those who truly believe Believe unto the end in verse 11. Do you see that at the end of the verse? To a full assurance of hope unto the end. To a full assurance of hope unto the end. I pray that your hope and assurance would be full, and I pray that it would be till the end, or to the end of your life. Look in verse 12 and we'll conclude. Verse 12 says, that ye be not slothful, the followers them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Again, he's exhorting us not to be lazy in these things. Don't be lazy in these things. But to be patient and to have faith, we'll see at the end of this verse, but to be diligent, as he just said in verse 11, to be diligent in the work and labor of love, and in showing glory to God's name, and in the ministry to the saints. Do not be lazy in these things, or thinking that you could put it in cruise control. But be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." That word patience is used thirteen times in the New Testament. Eleven times it's translated as long-suffering, and twice it is translated as patience. I think with this definition in context, we could say the word patient means to endure, a patience, a faith that endures suffering. So those who have faith, and those who know how to endure suffering. And I think we can also conclude that because if you look in first Peter, go to first Peter, chapter four, it actually is first Peter, chapter four. If you go to the back of your Bible there, first Peter, chapter four, verses 12 and 13. So you have faith and then you have a tested faith. You have the faith and then your faith is tested. So it's like the faith and the patience, the endurance. Look in 4.12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, and as much as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy So this is saying, be glad when you suffer. Be glad when your faith is tested. And follow those, follow those who have a tested faith. Don't follow those who promise you better times ahead. Follow those, better times ahead as far as a better temporal life, we do have better times ahead as far as being with Christ, and we have better times ahead even on this earth, because we'll have greater joy and peace, but we don't have better times ahead as far as the natural world. Some of us here may have our heads chopped off one day for the faith. Some of us here may be tortured for the faith one day. We don't know that. I can't promise you that. You may suffer much, and I think every Christian must suffer, must suffer, and so the point is, don't follow those who promise you a good life now, but follow those who have a faith, and a faith that has been tested through suffering. That when they suffer, their faith is stronger. Because many suffer, back in the parable of Matthew 13 we mentioned at the beginning, and fall away. Many suffer and say, well this must not be true, God's not giving me everything I want. But suffering is a great blessing. It is not faith plus suffering for salvation. No, true faith that is a work of regeneration produces patience. Patience. Those who are of the flesh want their reward now in the temporal. But those who are of the spirit know that their reward is greater through suffering. Through suffering. It doesn't mean that we bring suffering upon ourselves. But I think we should all be suffering in the sense of dealing with our sin. We should all be suffering in the sense of dealing with our sin. There's things in my heart that I must deal with, and God must deal with. And it's painful. It's painful. And that is a form of suffering. No Christian is exempt from suffering. And praise the Lord, because when you go through a trial, and your faith comes out stronger, you can rejoice and say, yes, my faith is real! It's just not talk that God is bringing me through this trial that I might have, that my faith would be strengthened, that I would have more confidence in Christ. And then not only that, but what does it say? That we'll have greater degrees of glory if we suffer on this earth. If we suffer on this earth, we'll have greater degrees of glory. So our faith and patience is a faith that has been tested. and proven. And the Bible says, follow those people. Don't follow people who say, oh, you're saved, you're in, you did the thing, you know, you're saved. Treat salvation like it's a light matter. But follow those who teach faith and patience. Who teach faith and patience and who have been tested through that. And I just praise the Lord Jesus today I do believe we are in a very serious situation and we must stand up for the truth. I praise the Lord for the work he's doing in the people here. I see a tremendous growth And some here that just makes me, you don't realize it, but it makes me so excited and encouraged and I love it and I really do see the work of God and I'm so encouraged by it. Like he says here, he's persuaded that they are Christians. But there is another part of it that's very disturbing. When people talk and they don't have any fruit, And they refuse to deal with that. That's very troubling. So I pray that each of us, each of us would know Christ and glorify Him and really deal with these issues that we talked about today. That Christ would be glorified in our lives. That we would be brought down, that Mark would be brought down to nothing but Christ. would be exalted. So let's pray. Father in heaven, we praise you, thank you for your word. I pray, God, please help us to deal with these issues in balance, Lord, in the right measure, Lord, as it is very troubling to see people who treat salvation like it's nothing or just a small thing. I pray, Lord, please work in each person's heart, that we would have a faith that has been tested and proven, and that we would have a full confidence in you, Lord Jesus, because it's your work. I pray, Lord God, please do it in us for your purposes. In Jesus' name, amen.