Please open up to Proverbs 17. I know it's the 20th, but I saw this back in the 17th. So that's when I jotted it down. I don't know who it was. It was Connor or one of the kids. They asked me, they asked me, how do you get a message so fast on Sunday night or Wednesday night? I said, Sunday nights and Wednesday nights, I usually just, I want to do something small, even though it always gets big, but on something that I was just reading and jotting down, you know, I mean, just little things. Sunday morning is more, it's in depth and it's a lot, but this thing's on the 17th, I saw this little verse, It always sticks in my mind. This isn't the first time, of course, I saw and spoke about it. But I just want you to think about it. And in verse 3, chapter 17 in Proverbs, verse 3. And then we're going to go to Psalm 17. So from Proverbs 17 to Psalm 17. But in Proverbs 17, in verse 3, it says the fining pot is for silver. Anyone know what the fining pot is? Anyone know what it is? Yes, Brian? It is. It's a pot that's used. It's called the finding pot, and it says it is for putting raw silver in, and it has a fire underneath, and it boils it, and as it bubbles, and as it bubbles, all the impurities and all the bad stuff that's in the silver comes out and splashes all over until at the very end, it's all gone, and then they scoop out the silver. And somebody just said this to me today. Was it anyone in this room about silver being so refined? It was you, Brian, wasn't it? Yesterday. And what did you say about that, Brian? You said what? That's what it is. When does the silversmith know when the silver is ready? It's when it is so shiny, it's like a mirror. And when he looks in, he can see himself in it. And there's a lot to be learned and said by that. And God doesn't just say anything for no reason. But he says, the finding pot is for silver. And the furnace is for gold. And we know that the furnace is hotter, deeper, but that's where you get pure gold from. And if you were silver, you would not want to go in the finding pot. And if you were gold, you would not want to go in the furnace. But then he goes, he says, and he goes, but the Lord tried the hearts of the people. And what it is is God in his infinite knowledge and wisdom is giving us how we purify elements and how we purify things on a daily basis so that we can get purification. And then he says, then God says about us, he says it's the Lord though who wants to try, he uses the word try because that's to purify. He tries our hearts. And that's what I want you to think about this evening, is that everything that happens in a child of God's life, God is doing something. And He's trying to make us pure. He's trying to make us better, but really in all reality, he's trying to make us conformed to the image of Christ. And so what I just want you to look at a couple of verses tonight, but he tries the hearts and that trying of your heart is a testing. It is. And think about it. It is a fire. It's a furnace. It's, it's, it's a finding pot. That means trials, tribulations, troubles, something where God's got to turn the heat up. I don't want that. But God knows what I need. And I feel like I'm going through a trial now in my life. But you know what? That's probably every single year of my life. There might be a couple days that go by, but for the most part, my whole life feels like I'm being tested, I'm being tried. And so when you get to the point where you're ready to just, I don't know, lose it, or be so upset, or really hurt, or damaged, or whatever word you want to use, I want you to remember this, that God is doing something in your heart. And if you can remember that, you can get through that. Because what God doesn't want you to do is to fall apart. Now turn with me, if you would, to Psalm, did I say Psalm? Yeah, Psalm 17. Psalm 17, in the same verse, 17-3. From Proverbs 17-3 to Psalm 17-3. David, we all know, is a man after God's own heart. We know God used David in such a great way. He was the greatest king in Israel. He was such a great king in God's eyes that God promised and gave him the sure mercies of David. What does that mean? That God promised that David's lineage would always sit on the throne. And he promised that the Messiah, God's own son, would be born out of David's lineage. And then there's stuff that I can't get into now, but it says that in the millennial reign of Christ, when Christ returns and sits on his throne and has his kingdom on this earth, that he's going to somehow, and you can talk to me about it later or ask a question afterwards, it says that he's going to turn it over to David. So either The person, the body of Jesus Christ, the man that we're looking at, is going to turn into David, or David's resurrected and he's going to say, okay, David, sit on the throne. Because then Jesus is turning over, that's what it says, he's going to give it to David. And so it's just interesting when you think about how important David is in the life of God. And it was David who wrote the Psalms, and if you ever need comfort, read the Psalms. If you ever need understanding about how crazy your life is, read the Psalms. Every time I read it, I see me going through it. And that's what David did. God put his spirit inside of David, and David was feeling emotions and feeling things that I don't even know if he was actually going through them at the time, because many of them are prophecies of what Christ was going to go through. But David penned it down and he wrote it. And this is the one thing that over and over and over David continued to say. And look in verse 3. He said, Thou hast proved my heart. And if God proves your heart, you listening? If God tests you and you pass the test, and I think everyone in this room will, and I think you have already, there's just, there's more tests to come, that God has proved you. And you know what he's proved you for? Look what he says. He says, you have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. Thou has tried me and shall find nothing. How can God try us, I mean literally try us, and find nothing? You know why, Anton? Because all God cares about, and let's just play with me now when I give that all, because you know that's not 100% true. What He cares about the most is your heart, and your heart for Him. And He cares about your love for God. And if you truly love God, and isn't that the greatest thing you could do, is truly love God? If you truly love Him, you'll truly trust Him. If you truly trust Him, He knows it. He tests you. It wouldn't be something if... We say this, but if a faith that can't be tested, it can't be trusted. If you never went through a trial, if you never went through a real test, how would you know if you really love Him or not? I'm not talking about your salvation in any way. I'm just talking about knowing that you really are serious of what you say you believe in. And so he says, you've tried me and you found nothing. He says, I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. You know, this is the reason it's important to me. It might not be important to you. When I first got saved and my pastor would come and visit us on Thursday nights with a best friend of mine. And I was a brand new convert. And he would come over to the house and he'd visit. And I remember getting all nervous because I was a roofer. And I was afraid I was going to say a bad word. You know what I mean? I was afraid that a bad word would come out in front of the pastor. And I remember being nervous about that. But after a little while, I realized, Joe, I don't say bad words anymore. They just don't come out. And I mean, it's not, it's not even like I have to go, oops, there wasn't anything in here. It wasn't in there anymore. I didn't say a bit. I haven't, I can't remember. I honestly, God, I can't remember the last time I cursed. Now I know I said a couple words that my wife went, did you just say that? Nothing real bad to you. You probably say it all the time, but I don't. You know, like the other word for doo doo, like C-R-A-P. I don't say that word. To me, that's the same thing. You know, there's a lot of words I don't say because it's the same thing, just in a different way. But look what David said. I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. David knew that in his heart of hearts, he's not going to curse God. He's got to complain to God. He's not going to blame God. He's not going to say anything bad about God. He knows because he's been tried and he knows what he feels about God. Amen. And the best thing is when you're allowed that relation, he knows how God feels about him. And that's a great relationship when you know that God loves me no matter what. Do you think, honestly, how many times have something gone wrong in your day? Come on. Anton, I know you know nothing ever goes wrong in your day. I know that. But Siraj, you got it made. You got the best wife, the best child, best pastor. I mean, come on, you know, you got it made, Siraj. Got a beautiful tan, handsome, good-looking, got money, fame, fortune. I'm sure nothing ever goes wrong in your life, does it, Siraj? I am totally joking. My point is, something goes wrong in all of our life. Could you imagine if we blamed God for everything that didn't go right? Think about that. Every single thing in your life that didn't go exactly the way you wanted it, you blamed God. Like in your head, like, why did this happen? Why do you let this happen? My goodness. So we don't do that, do we? And we shouldn't do it to our spouse or to our kids. Every little thing that goes wrong, we shouldn't hold it against them. Why? Because our love covers everything. We love them, and we trust them, and we know that every little thing that happens, we don't blame them for it. It's just, you know what I mean? Whatever happens, whatever happens, I'm never going to leave you. I'm never going to forsake you, no matter what happens. Isn't it great to know that that's the way God looks at us, and that's also the way a person looks at God? I'm never going to forget God just because something bad happens in my life. You know, like, what would happen if I was Job and I lost everything? What did Job say? He said, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Wow. I mean, everything that could go wrong went wrong in Job's life, right? Suffering, pain, shame, agony. And he said, though he kills me, I don't, think about that. Let that be your guide. Like, what's the, what was the one thing that happened to you that you would like, uh-oh, I don't know if I'd still love God. You know what I mean? You have to think about these things. And look what he said. I just want you to, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about this. I was thinking about how God proves, right? He tries and he tests those that he loves. He proved Adam. He tested Adam. He tested Enoch. He tested and proved Noah. Definitely, he proved Abraham big time. He tested Isaac, he tested Jacob, he tested Joseph. Like, oh my goodness, how much did he test Joseph, that poor kid? Moses, over and over and over. Joshua and David, so many times. David, I mean, you think of all the times. And he says, thou has proved my heart and my heart has been found nothing wrong. Why? Because I love you. And that's really, if you really honestly love someone, really love them, that love never goes away. That love never goes away. I want you to think about this is what God wants from us. You know what he wants? You ready? Big time. He wants our heart. He wants our heart. That's why he picked David. He was a man after God's own heart. Question is, does he have it? And that's what I want you to think. How does God get our hearts? I think, and I'm going by Bible, he tests us. He proves us. When you're going through a hard time, when you're going through a troubled time, when you don't know what's going on, you don't know what's happening, that is when God has turned up the fire, and He, to see what it's going to take, and what is it doing, like the gold in the summer, it's purifying you. If you can get through that, you just got, you know what I mean? You got more pure. You get through that, and you get through that, and you get purer and purer, until your heart's really honestly and earnestly pure. I love Him with all my heart. What else can you do to me? What do you want to do to me? I don't care. That's what Jesus, He said, here, Father, here I am. Nail me to the cross. It doesn't matter what you do, because I know you love me, and I love them. And therefore, it doesn't matter what I have to go through. And that's a great place to be. Joe, you want to say something? And more pure, yes. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And that's what God's trying to do. How strong was Christ Jesus physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually? The strongest human beings ever lived. He had the weight of the world upon him and he was able to carry it. And that's what he says we're being conformed into his image. So we're trying to be like him. So when you get tried, and when things don't go right, and all these things are going wrong, and the pressure's on you, just remember, it's God just turning the heat, making it bad. So that way you can get through it. So I want you to think about, if you have a heart for God, or if your heart is for God, he's gonna prove it. He's gonna try it. Thou has visited me in the night. In Luke chapter one, verse 18, it says this. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for, excuse me, for he has visited and redeemed his people. When God visits you, you already know what it's for? It's for deliverance, it's for protection, and it's for blessings. When God visits you and he proves you and tries you, it's for a reason. And the reason he's doing it is for blessings, for protection, and for redemption. He wants to, he wants to, he's doing it for a reason. So just know that he's never doing it against you. He's never doing it to hurt you. He's never doing it to get mad at you. He doesn't get mad. Thank God for that. God doesn't get angry. He's above that. He sees all, knows all. He knows what you're going to do next week. He knows what you're going to do next year. He knows the worst thing that's going to happen in your life and the biggest sin you could ever have. And He loves you. And He's trying to prepare you for every situation in your life. Did God deliver Jesus out of every trouble and trial? No. He let Him go through it. And he was able to handle it in such a way that it affected people around him. It's like, man, the way he handled that situation, man, the way he handled that, you know what I mean? And that's what God's trying to do to the people and his children that he loves. Deliverance is what is one of the things, is what I wanted to say. He's trying to deliver us from what? What do you need deliverance from? Think about it. Thoughts in your head? Amen. Deliver me from evil. But thoughts in your head? Depression. Getting down. getting sad, getting angry, getting jealous, getting lustful, all these things. I need to be delivered from that. How many people honestly are striving to trying to be a better Christian? You know how to be a better Christian? Spend more time with Jesus. Amen. Amen. You did. You did took the dip. Amen. But think, how do you be a better Christian? And now, in me, in the ministry, I'm like, I need to go soul winning more. I need to do visiting more. I need to do this more. You know what I mean? In my life, that's what I'm saying. But in all reality, that stuff doesn't make you a better Christian. It makes you feel better about yourself because you know that I should be doing it more. What makes you a better Christian is just spending time with Him. You can never be better if you're not with Him. He makes everything better. We have to spend more time with Him. In our spirit, in our heart, in our minds, in our word, at time alone, mostly in prayer. We gotta have prayer time and just talk. You know, just pour out your heart. Get it all out. That's what that cleansing, that prayer, just cleanses you and gets it all out, and gets all that stuff that's stuck down in there, and it's been down there for so long, and you never really dealt with it, and you never really talked about it, and you've been dragging it along for 30 years, and it's still there. We need to get it all out. You know, David said, prove my heart. And a man after God's own heart, like David, think about Peter. Peter, you know, he denied Christ three times, right? After he said, I'll never leave you. And what did Jesus do? Jesus tested him when he came back, resurrected. He said three times to him, Simon, called him Simon, not Peter. Simon's his old nature. He said, Simon, do you love me? And Peter, three times said, Lord, you know everything. You know everything. You know that I love you. And Peter said that because he really did. Peter was tested. He was tested big time when but in all reality, if you want to talk about it, we can. I don't think that he ever had a choice in the matter because Jesus already knew what he was going to do when he said, I'll die for you. I'll never. And Jesus said, Peter, tonight you're going to deny you even know me three times. And Peter said, never, I would never do that. And then God tested him and proved him and showed him. But then what happened? Peter wept bitterly and he got so right with God. Peter was never the same after that. Peter was never the old Peter. And so Jesus comes home and he tests him and he said, Peter, do you love me? Three times. And he, Peter said this, Lord, he didn't say just yes, Lord. He said, Lord, you know, everything, you know, that I love you. You know what that brings? That brings confidence. It brings confidence in you and him. Confidence in my relationship with him. I don't have to be wishy-washy and worry, do I love him? I hope I'm faithful. You know what I mean? I don't have to be worried all the time. I know I am. How do I know? Because I've been tested, improved, and tried. I've been knocked down, pushed down, pushed around. I've been rejected. I've been neglected. I've been abused. You know what I mean? But I'm still standing here because I love him. I know I love him. He is the love of my life. I don't care what you say about him or me. I am not leaving him. And you know what? He can prove me. He can try me. And things get tough. And when they throw stuff at you, and you keep on going, it's like Peter, Lord, you know everything. And you know that I love you. And it gives you confidence. It boosts your feelings. It gives you strength and you get stronger because you know that I'm his and he's my baby and nothing can break that. It's a wonderful confidence that gives you. So all those things when he's turning up the heat and making things in your life a little bit worse, he's doing it to make you stronger to know that you love him. Look where you're at on a Sunday night. Look how many people aren't here. They need the fire turned up maybe. You know what I mean? Because think about it. What is it that would keep you from the house of God on a Sunday? The Lord said, what is it that'll keep you from talking to him? What is it will keep you from worshiping him? What is it will keep you from loving him? What is it will keep you from praising him? You know what I mean? So he's gonna let you know what it's gonna take. And what's great, like David says, he turned up the heat, he found out there was nothing there. I love you, man. I love you, Lord. You got all of me. You don't have a little bit of me. You got me all. That's a wonderful feeling, to be in love that way. In Job 23.10, Job says this, but he knows the way. He said, you have tried me. Job said, you've tried me, but he knows the way that I take. You've tested me and you know the way that I take. He said, and when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Who said that? Job. As Job was going through the greatest trials of anyone's life, he knew that he's going to get through it. He knew what he really felt about God. And it gave him great boldness and confidence. 1 Peter 1, 7, look there, look at 1 Peter 1, 7. It's a great verse. Are you all there? Oh, wait. Let me know when you're there. Say amen when you're there. I heard one amen. All right, look, it says that the trial Peter knew, Peter knew he was tried. He said that the trial of your faith being much more precious than a gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory when when Jesus Christ appears, at the appearing of Jesus. He says, at the trial of your faith, more precious than gold, that though it be tried with fire, it might be found to praise, honor, and glory. Even when Christ returns, you won't have to think about it. If Christ returned right now, there are going to be so many who have their head down. Amen. Amen. There's going to be so many people. I'm not talking about in this room. There's so many people. You know, I'm sitting here like, oh, no. I haven't really spent time with him. He knows everything, you know what I mean? But when you know that I love him, I don't love anything else more. I've been tried and tested. My love's been tested. How many times has yours been tested? And you're still here. You're still going. I get that song, I'm still standing. I'm sorry, forgive me for that song in my head. But the truth of the matter is, but you're still here. And because you're true. And he says that the praise and honor of glory. In James chapter one, flip over to James a little bit. Or back to James, I should say. In James chapter one, In verse two, are you there? He says, my brethren, he's my brethren counted all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. What? Why would I count it? You're like, well, that sounds crazy, James. He said, knowing this. Oh, what do I know that the trying of your faith works patience, but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Lacking nothing. That's why we have troubles and trials at every turn of our life. And that's because God loves us. And he's doing something in our lives. And the only thing, and that's why he says, have great joy. How can I have joy when I'm going through a hard time? He says, knowing something. Knowing what? That this is working something good. That this is working, making you perfect. Hebrews 11, 7 says, by faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And he that had received the promises, offered up his only begotten son. Now know, Anton, in all the Bible, I don't know anywhere where it would have to be harder for somebody like Abraham. Give me your son, kill him for me. Burn him on a fire. Like, what? But he did it. I mean, we're talking about a test. Man, and he passed it. Psalm 17.3, it says, Thou has proved my heart. Thou has visited me in my night afflictions. You've visited me. When God visits you, it's for deliverance. It's for your blessings. It's for your protection. It's for good things. And when he visits you, what he does is he tries you. He wants to be on the same playing field. God knows how he feels about you. I'll say it again, God knows how he feels about you. Good, he loves you with all his heart. He wants you to know how you feel about him. Does that make sense? That way when you guys meet, there'll be great rejoicing and love and nothing stopping, nothing in between. Isn't that great to know that? So I just want you to realize that as the days approach and as tomorrow comes and the week for your business starts and work starts and your life starts and everything's going wrong, and just remember, all right, you're gonna get through it, and God's in it in some way or shape or form, for we know that all things work together for good. Amen? Amen. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, Almighty God in heaven, Lord Jesus, you're here with us now. Lord, you've been with us from the moment that we called upon you for salvation. You've never left us. You know us, you know our names, you know our hearts, you know our thoughts, and you know what it's going to take to purify us. I pray, Lord God, that you would visit me, Lord, because I want to get the junk out. I want to be closer to you. I want to know you in such a great way that with all my heart I can say I love you, Lord. I ask you to be with us in each person here tonight and just work in our hearts and our lives in your gentle manner, in your kindness and your mercy and in your grace. If you have to, Lord, turn up the heat. But whatever it takes, whatever it takes, I'm willing to go through it. If it, Lord, it will make me more like you. I love you and praise you and thank you for this church in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.