The Doctrine of Christ no 72
The Life of Christ no 12
“Peace with God”
Brian
Kocourek
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. And we know that word
"glory" is the Greek word "Doxa" which means the opinion,
judgment, or estimation. Now, if we share the same opinion, and express the
same judgment, and hold to the same estimation or value that God holds, then we
will have the same mind. In other words we rejoice in the earnest expectation
of receiving the mind of God.)
The Apostle Paul
continues, “And
not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: Now, this word glory
is not Doxa, but rather the Greek word kauchaomai, which means to rejoice, or
boast, to have great joy. Why?) “knowing that
tribulation worketh patience;
(In other words we
know the tribulations or testing's have a purpose in them. And in them
something is worked out in our being, He said the trials and testing will
produce patience, which we already know is a patient waiting for another
result.)
4 And patience, produces experience (which is a tried character); and (your) experience (or tried character produces), hope (which
is a condition of the mid that earnestly expects something from the trials): 5 And hope
(or earnest expectation) maketh not ashamed (why? Because why would you be
ashamed of something to happen that God said would happen for your benefit. And
why would you be ashamed of waiting and longing for and living for that great
promise from God when you know that you will receive it as a result of His
great Love for you.);
“because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given
unto us. (In other words, God Who is
the Word, and Who is the Holy Spirit has shed abroad in our hearts His Love
towards us, and has promised that everything will work together for your good.)
Now getting back to Romans 5:1 Paul
said, “Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Notice we are talking
about “Peace with God”. What does that
mean? “We have peace with God.” This
morning I would like to speak to you about this "Peace with God". Because, if
you noticed Jesus never promised us that we would have peace while we are in
this world, therefore, We need to know what “peace” he is speaking of here.
In Matthew 10:34
Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send you peace on earth, I am not come to send
peace, but a sword." Therefore, we should not to be looking at this
peace Paul speaks to us of in Romans 5 as one which we will have as pertaining
to our life while we are in the world. Nor does he speak of a peace which we
will have concerning our stay in this world. Then, if neither of these is the
case, what is this peace that Paul is speaking of here, that we are to have
concerning our selves with God.
If you read carefully Paul’s words, he was declaring, not the particulars of this
peace, but rather how this peace comes to us. He said, we will have "Peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ." That is through our Mediator,
and not through ourselves, we are justified through Faith, (which we know is
revelation.) Then this is the only way this peace can come. No other way.
Now, another
thing I want to point out concerning what Paul wrote here in Romans is that we
are to have tribulation at the same time we have this peace. Now that’s a
paradox because when we think of peace, we think of rest and tranquility, yet
this is not the case that Paul is speaking to us here. He says on the one hand
that we shall have peace with God, and this peace with God is due to the fact
that we have been justified before Him, or in His presence by Faith, which is
revelation. Then, on the other hand he tells us that although we will have this
peace with God, we shall also have tribulation in this world. However, these
tribulations will not affect us in the same manner in which the world is
affected, because while we undergo these tribulations we will actually be
glorying in them. That’s what He said.
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation
worketh patience.”
Now this word for
glorying is not the same word doxa or any derivative of that word, but is the
Greek word kauchaomai which means to boast or rejoice. Therefore, what
Paul is telling us here is that this peace with God that comes not from what we do
but from what Jesus has already done, also gives us such peace that we can even
boast and rejoice in our position whether we appear to be worthy of it or not.
Now, any
tribulation is not a pleasant thing to go through, but for some reason Paul is
telling us here that while we are able to undergo many tribulations while in
this world, we can still find the capacity to rejoice in them. And why is this?
Because we are so confident in the Faith of Jesus Christ, that we know with no
uncertainty that "All things will work together for the good of those who love
God and those who are the Elect according to His purpose.
Romans 8:26-30 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the
mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according
to the will of God.
Now, this searching of the heart is part of what
brings forth our trials as we shall see a little later in this message.
28 And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose.29 For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them
he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.
Now, why is it that only the Christian,
the Elect of God can rejoice even while going through the toughest trials?
Because we know that God is not far from us, and whatever form of trial we may
be going through, we know that He has allowed it to work something in us that
otherwise would not be there. And that is the key to being able to rejoice
while under such trials...
When you are going
through any trial, I don't care if it’s concerning your job, concerning your
finances, concerning your health, or even concerning your spousal relationship,
whatever trial you must go through, don't ever forget that God knew about it
before it ever manifested in your life. And not only did He know all about it,
but He allowed it to bring forth something in you that is lacking in your
character. Therefore, just remember that while you are going through whatever
your trial may be, that you are not alone. Even Moses, who was left on the
backside of the dessert for 40 some years, was not alone.
In fact brother
Branham said the reason why God paired Moses up with a hot-headed wife like Zepporah was so that God could work a humility
into Moses. After all, for his first 40 years of life he was told how wonderful
he was, and so the next 40 years God matched Him up with a wife who reminded
him constantly of his faults and how wonderful he wasn’t. She was not a star
struck woman, she was a very hard woman who had quite a temper. Now, why do you
suppose Moses was given a hot tempered woman for a wife? Because he also had a
temper. In fact in the rage of his temper he killed an Egyptian when he saw the
man beating a Hebrew slave.
Exodus 4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go,
return into
Questions
and answers COD 54-0103E P:42 The questioner asked this: "Does this
Scripture mean that God aimed to kill Moses or his son, and why?" God was after Moses. And Zipporah was
the only one that saved him there. For Zipporah got a sharp rock, and went, and
cut the foreskin off of her baby, and threw it before Moses, and said,
"Thou art a bloody husband to me." Is that right? And God would've
took Moses' life, but perhaps an Angel was standing there, said,
"Zipporah, catch it quickly." See? And Zipporah went and circumcised
the baby. Said, "Moses, you're so--so concerned about everything else and
about your journey, but your own boy hasn't been circumcised." I just
wonder a lot of times if... Sometimes I've met people that said, "Oh,
glory to God, The Lord wants me to do a certain thing. He wants me to go to
Africa, to
Questions
and answers COD 54-0103E P:45 Sure, God would've took his life. He said
He sought him. Listen how the Scripture reads. And it came to pass by the way
in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. (Moses... Now,
watch.)Then Zipporah took a sharp rock--sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin
of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband thou
art to me. That's right. Now, God wasn't seeking the
son. That poor little baby didn't know what to do; it's innocent. But what was
the thing, was the father of the baby, that was taking the baby down there to
deliver the children of
From Perfect Strength
Through Perfect Weakness 61-1119 185 God said, "Forty years out here I've had
you and Zipporah fussing and carrying around out here in this wilderness,
whether you could find out there's human weakness or not, where you're standing up there as a big prince, 'Hello,
Doctor Moses. Good morning, Reverend, Sir. Yes, sir. Moses, you're the coming prince. All... We all think of
you.' Now, you're out here in the desert with a bunch of sheep and a high-tempered wife." See? That
fixed him up. Yes, sir. Moses in an
awful shape, and He said, "Now,
I can use you, when you realize that you're nothing. Now, come on up
here by this burning bush; I want to send you down yonder." Oh, my. God, give us some more of that kind; give
us some more weaklings. That's what we need: some weaklings. Sure.
Now, notice
prior to his becoming humble through the instrument of a hot tempered wife,
Moses had been a prince of Egypt, and everyone looked up to him, except the one
he married. And Moses knew he was called, but by taking the life of that
Egyptian, Moses had taken the battle into his own hands, and when we do that we
are in essence are saying, "Lord, I can do it on my own, I don't need
your help." So got had to saddle him with a hot tempered wife to
make him eat humble pie, so that God could use him. Because until he humbled
down, he wasn’t ready for service in God’s army.
Now, if we look at the point that Moses
ran from his troubles, we are shown by this example, that to separate or
divorce yourself from your troubles is not, and has never been God's way of
doing things. Moses thought he was running from his temper or the fruits of his
temper, (which was one dead Egyptian), but God sent Him into that Dessert for
40 years with an angry woman. Whew! I think I'd rather take my chances with an
angry pharaoh. But this goes to show you that when God wants to deal with you
and your weaknesses, no matter how far you run, it will never be far enough.
From his LIFE STORY
51-0722A 9 brother Branham said, “Now, there's a perfect way and a permissive way. And I feel
that if God, here on the platform, can show me things that has been, and in my
rooms and so forth, He's able to tell me just where He wants me and what He
wants me to do. But I feel as long as I've got it all hooked up, or I feel like
then He won't put His hands on it, as
long as I'm doing it. And that's the way it is, anything. As long as you're
going to do it... If someone talks about
you, and you talk back about them, God can't fight your battle; you're fighting it yourself. See? Just
let loose and let Him do it. And just commit it to Him.
You see, that is the way with God, and
you can’t get around that. You need to just die to self, and become nothing, so
that God can make you something. And I have known this and I have preached this
for years, but I still haven’t learned it to the point that it comes natural
for me to just die to self. Because when we let God then God steps in. But when
we think we can defend ourselves, we just show God we think we don’t need Him
to fight our battles for us, and the war just keeps going on and on and on
until we finally tire out and let go and let God.
Another thing I see Paul
teaching us in Romans
5: 1-5 is that since God has justified us by Faith and not by works,
we have peace with Him, both in heart
and conscience, but this does not guarantee that we will have any peace
with the world or with the flesh, nor with the world and the devil. He said our
peace is with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we are truly Believers
then, we will therefore have all the more trials. So, the peace that Paul is
speaking of is not a worldly peace, but rather a Spiritual peace as he said,
"our peace
is with God." This peace consists of an appeased conscience and
also in bringing about a confidence in God, just as conversely the lack of
peace means spiritual anxiety and a disturbed conscience that mistrusts God.
Because of this Peace, Christ is called the
"Prince of Peace" in Isaiah 9:6,
yet look at his life and how he was attacked almost every time he went out to
preach and to teach because there were always men trying to trick him with
questions and who tried to turn his own words against him. Yet he is called the
Prince of Peace.
And what is a paradox
is that although he is called the prince of peace, yet he is also described as “a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief.”
Furthermore the
apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:14 "He is our
peace, who hath made both one" And again in Ephesians 2:17
Paul said, "He
came and preached peace to you who
were afar off, and to them that were nigh." So we can see that
this expression must not be interpreted as signifying an earthly peace, because Jesus told us Himself that “I’ve come not to
bring peace but a sword.”
However, Jesus also said in John 6:33 Jesus
said, "In me ye may have peace. In the world ye
will have tribulation." Therefore we can find that there are
basically (4) things that the apostle Paul brings forth as he makes this
declaration in Romans
chapter 5.
Number 1, He
who is justified by Faith has peace with God, but will have tribulation in the
world, because his life is spiritual.
Number 2, The unrighteous have peace with
the world, but anguish and tribulation with God, because their life is carnal.
Number 3, As God is Eternal, so then also
is the peace that He gives the righteous, but then the tribulation that the
unrighteous receive can not be eternal or they would jave to have eternal life
to receive it.
And finally number 4, we
see, that since the flesh is temporal, so also the tribulation of the righteous
and the peace of the unrighteous will be temporary.
Now, with these
thoughts in mind, I want you to notice the way in which Paul directs his
statement against the arrogance of those who believe that they may have access
to God without Christ, just as though by their mere believing it would be
enough for salvation.
And not only was this
a problem among the churches in Paul’s day, but we also see the same thing in
the churches in out rime. People want to have access to God by faith, yet they
do not want to come through Christ, but they wish in their hearts to by-pass
Christ altogether, just as though they had no need for Christ.
And that is what
brother Branham termed the intellectual. He said they are trained to bypass the
word. From his sermon Uncertain Sound
62-0714 Intellectual--they don't want somebody to really stand up and pull the
Scripture out and show it. They want somebody that's trained to bypass It. They
don't want to know that. Oh, they just can't stand that.
They desire to have
access to God but without Christ who is the Word, They think by their own faith
they can understand by their own intelligence, but they don’t realize it that
when they do that they are actually rejecting the salvation of Christ. And
remember, Christ is the Word made manifest. Therefore, to believe in a
historical Christ but to reject the Present day Christ, or rather to reject
Christ in His Present day revelation is to reject Christ entirely. And such a
faith based upon intelligence is not a true faith, nor is it a faith based upon
truth, but is actually counterfeit, or rather a false faith which is based upon
presumptions which are lies. And as our brother said the other night, people
are living right in this Message and presuming to have what they don’t have.
Therefore their faith is actually a sham, and by their sham faith, they do not
and can not have access to God, but rather, they depart from God.
As Martin Luther said in
his Book on Romans. Concerning Faith, Martin Luther Defined said: "Faith is not what some people think it
is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not
followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they say, ``You must
do good works, you must be pious to be saved.'' They think that, when you hear
the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart
which says, ``I believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does
nothing and reform doesn't come from this `faith,' either. Instead, faith is
God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. John 1:13 Which were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Faith kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different
people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It
brings the Holy Spirit with it.”
Notice Martin Luther
said that Faith brings the Holy Spirit with it. It opens the door to receiving
the new birth and allowing The Spirit of God to have entrance and to live
within our hearts.
Therefore Revelation
is not some human notion or some human perception, but rather it is being able
to see the Word lived out before you. And as you look upon that Word living
itself out before your very eyes, you become part of that scene that is being
played out. A living play taking place where you are one of the actors.
Now, Jesus said he is
the door to the sheepfold, and we know that a door is an entrance into something,
and since that Door is the Word of God manifested, then if you do not have the
key to that door, or the key to the Word it will remain for ever locked to you
and therefore your entrance into the kingdom is shut off from you.
Martin Luther knew what he was talking
about concerning this Faith which he said is alive in the believer.
For he said, "Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing,
this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask
if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done
them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good
works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith
and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet
he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words. Faith is a living,
bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a
thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace
makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures.
And remember, brother Branham preached a
Message called, "Faith is the
Victory". And that is exactly what happens to those with
faith. Faith makes the Word of God come alive to you and without Faith you are
men most miserable. Show me a person with Faith and I will show you a life
filled with victory.
Martin Luther continued by saying, “The Holy Spirit
makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and
joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love
and praise the God who has shown you such grace.”
And I would like to
add, show me a person who does not enjoy serving others willingly, and who do
not have joy in their life, even while in the midst of trials, and I will show
you a person who does not have faith and thus they are lacking what it takes to
enter the Kingdom of God, and in fact are not walking in the light, and are not
seeing the Word revealed and made alive in their life.
Martin Luther again
said, Thus, it
is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and
light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard
against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define
faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in
you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or
can do.
Now, in getting
back to our text, I want you to also keep in mind that Paul is also directing
his thoughts against those who feel they are secure through Christ, yet without
having Faith which we know is revelation. In other words, those people who
believe that they are saved through Christ, yet they don't believe in
revelation, are therefore without faith. Therefore, it is very vital and
important that you have both together: "By Faith" and "through our Lord
Jesus Christ". So that by faith in Christ we accomplish and
endure all things.
Remember, last week we
shared what brother Branham said from his sermon, Christ
is the mystery 63-0728 P:58 Therefore, the entire
Bible is the revelation of God's mystery in Christ. Huh? The entire Bible is an expression of
one goal that God had, one purpose He wanted to achieve in the entire Bible,
and all the acts of the believers in the
Bible has been in type and expressing what God's great goal is.
Now, notice that Paul and
Brother Branham speak of revelation, but they do not speak of an intellectual
thing, but something that is expressed and you are witness to that expression.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands
have handled, of the Word of life; 2 For the life was manifested, and we have seen it,
and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us; 3 That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with us: and truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full.
And in Ephesians
chapter 3 Paul calls this the fellowship of the
mystery of Christ. How
God could come down and in-dwell human beings. First to express himself in
Christ, then to express himself in sons.
So, let me ask you
this question. What caused Paul to know and thus change his mind concerning
Christ? Was it an intellectual bright moment? Was it a spark of his genius? Was
it how much he understood the Scriptures?
Now, remember, Paul
was reeking havoc on the early Christians because in his mind they were
teaching heretical doctrine. So it mattered not how much he could recite the
Scripture. He had it all wrong. But something happened to Paul that changed his
mind forever. He experienced Christ in the power of His resurrection, and his
mind was forever changed never to go back to his old thinking.
Now the definition of
a mystery is something that is not fully
understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding. And Paul says in verse 3 How that by revelation
he made known unto me the mystery, or how that by revelation he made
known to me the thing which had been unknown, which had baffled my mind and
understanding up until this expression took place. He made known to Paul and
changed his mind forever by something he saw, something he heard, something that he felt, and that was
the mystery of Christ. And that mystery is how God could dwell in His son, and
in sons. We are talking about God-Life here, not some non scriptural experience,
but a real genuine experience from God. Not intellect, but a genuine coming
into the presence of God.
Now, we know usually
think the word revelation has something to do with the mind. But the word
revelation actually means (disclosure)
in other words an (un-covering) The
Greek word is apokalupsis and means (appearing) which means (To make visible) and that means to make known by manifestation. So we see
revelation is not simply a knowing as though it is some mental activity which
can come by a man’s intellect. But rather revelation
is the process of knowing by experiencing the expression or manifestation. Because
after all, that is what Jesus Christ was, he was the expression of God. So it has nothing to do with your
education or how well you can explain something. But rather it comes by
observation and watching the thing in manifestation.
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who
being the brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For
unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
Son?
He was the very God
expressed in the body of His Son. Therefore he became the very expression of
God to mankind.
Notice how brother
Branham ties God expressing Himself with revealing Himself. Why? because
revelation is to make known by uncovering, by making visible that which was not
known nor visible.
So we find in our text
today that Paul speaks to us of how our access to God comes solely through
Christ. And it is through things we experience that God molds us and shapes us.
It is not through our intellect, because the devil knows and he trembles. It is
through a making known by the experiences that are Bible based experiences.
Now, the thing we must be
careful about is that when we make our intellect our absolute instead of the
Word of God we then come to the place where we make experience something to
fear or at minimum something we do not pray for, and yet Paul said here in
Romans 4 that our experience actually shapes our character. But it must be
Bible based experience.
Going
beyond the camp 64-0719E P:1 More and more I am made to believe that people are not getting to Christ. Now,
I am here to try to help in every way that I can and make my statement as clear
as I know how to make them. And you suffer with me if you will. As I look and
preach across the nation and watch the people, I'm fully persuaded that the people are not getting to Christ. And
I believe that it's the enemy that's thrown this hindrance, because... The reason I believe this, He is not the
object that they had been pointed to. They
have either been pointed to: a dogma, or a doctrine, or a party,
or experience, or a sensation, or something like that, instead
of being pointed to Christ the Word. That's why I think that people are
resting their eternal destination upon some dogma or some sensation,
like some say, "I danced in the Spirit," or; "I spoke with
tongues"; "I felt fire run over me." And do you know, all those things can be impersonated by the
devil? There's just one thing that he cannot impersonate; that's the Word.
So brother Branham
lumps being pointed to an experience in the same sentence as being pointed to a
doctrine or a dogma, or party which is a church or group of people. And it’s
all wrong if it is not pointing them to Christ who is the manifested Word.
Brother Branham also
said True sign that's overlooked 61-1112 P:137 Let's pray. Jesus
of Nazareth, as that great Voice spoke yonder that day a few weeks ago standing
by the side as I was crossing over that log around the tree, and that Spirit
that came down through them treetops and said, "Jesus of the New Testament is Jehovah of the Old"... (Now, notice brother Branham is talking
about his experience with God, and then he says) O God, on this Rock I stand, all other grounds
is sinking sand, all other grounds is sinking sand. For some thirty years,
Lord, I've cried out through this valley here. That Message, I haven't moved
one inch from it, from where I started, just the same Message, the same thing, calling people back, not to sensation, but
to a experience of meeting God and being born of His Spirit. Oh, what will
be left but a judgment. Them whose
rejecting that Message, Lord, there's nothing left.
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. and then in
verse 3 he says, "We Glory in
tribulations also" From this verse appears the distinction
between the two-fold wrath of God, the two-fold divine mercy, and the two-fold
tribulation; for there is a tribulation which comes to us from divine wrath,
and another which comes from divine goodness. The tribulation which comes from
divine Love can work that only which is good for us, even though for a time it
may appear to be otherwise.
But we see in this in 1 Peter 1: 3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope (a
living earnest expectation, or an expectation which has been made alive) by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time.6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
WUEST TRANSLATION In
which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses
itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a little while at the present
time if perchance there is a need for it, you have been made sorrowful in the
midst of many different kinds of testings in order that the approval of your
faith, which faith was examined by testing for the purpose of being approved,
that your approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which
perishes, even though that gold be approved by fire-testing, may be discovered
after scrutiny to result in Praise, Honor and Glory at the time of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ;
Now, these trials comes
as a result of divine Love because God
promised that all
things shall work together for them that love Him, and are the called.
Then this lack of understanding the outcome of our trial, and our misperception
of what is taking place is not the fault of the trial or tribulation which God
chooses for us to endure, but rather the misperception comes from our weakness
during that testing. In such a case we fail to understand the nature, the power
and the operation or (purpose) of the testing and therefore we judge it only
according to its outward appearance and our perception. When this occurs, we
think wrongly about what is happening, when we should be reverencing the trial
as the very Cross of Christ itself.
Romans 5:4 "Knowing that Tribulation worketh patience."
He who has faith, has all the excellent things which Paul mentions in the text,
but in a hidden way. Through tribulation they are tried and purified to the
highest degree. Whatever tribulation finds in us, it develops more fully.
And therefore the purpose of the trial or
tribulation is to expose where we are carnal, weak, blind, wicked, haughty, and
so forth. Because without this understanding of how Christ works in us His
will, tribulation will only make us more carnal, more weak, more blind, more
wicked and more haughty. On the other hand, if we are spiritual, then our
tribulations will make us strong, wise, pious, gentle and humble. We will
become more spiritual, more powerful, more wise, more pious, more gentle and
more humble, as we see in Psalm 4:1 "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress."
So we see here that distress will enlarge what ever condition we are in,
whether in a carnal condition or in a spiritual one. And that is the purpose of
the trials and tribulations.
And in fact when the
great tribulation comes, it will only manifest to those left behind what their
true condition is. Both to the foolish Virgin who think that somehow the Blood
of Christ isn't strong enough for their sins, as well as to those who are lost
who will in tribulation, become more angry, more demanding, more demeaning,
more veracious, more selfish, more animalistic.
People today
have become so immature in their thinking that they want to blame their anger
and their impatience on the one who happens to be offending them. But this is
only foolish thinking, and we all need to grow up in Christ and get away from
such foolish notions as this. Because tribulation does not make a person
impatient, but only proves that they are impatient. Tribulation does not make a
person angry, but only proves that they are angry. Therefore, tribulation is
meant to teach our hearts of what we are constituted.
The Christian who outwardly worships the
Cross of Christ yet flees from and detests tribulation and affliction, are
simply ignorant and childish in their thinking and indeed are hypocritical in
their thinking because the Scriptures tell us that the Cross of Christ is not
just that wooden object in which Jesus was stretched out upon, but as we read
in Matthew 10:38,
Jesus said, "He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
In other words,
he is no Christian who refuses to bear this cross; for Paul said, "we glory in
tribulation." And in Acts 14:22 we read, " We must through much tribulation enter into the
Experience
worketh hope. Experience must
here be understood to be the object of tribulation, or the good which
tribulation is to effect. God accepts no one as righteous whom He has not first
put to the test or tried. But He tries us through the fire of affliction, as we
read in Psalm
11:5 "The Lord Trieth the Righteous." God tries us
in this way in order that we may really know whether we love Him for His own
sake.
David said in Psalm 139:23,
24 "Search
me , Oh God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there
be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
If God would not try us by tribulation, it would be impossible for us to be
saved.
In Rome 5:5 Paul said, “and Hope maketh not ashamed.” Tribulation
takes from man everything in which He trusts and leaves him naked and
destitute. It also prevents him from seeking help and salvation in his own
temporal and spiritual works.
Finally, it
causes him to despair of every creature, to look away from himself, and apart
from himself and everything else, to seek help alone from God, the Creator, as
we see in Psalm
3:3 "But thou oh, Lord art a shield for me; my glory, and the
lifter up of mine head." That is what hope means, and through
the experience of tribulation such hope is confirmed in us. On the other hand,
the wicked who trust in their own virtues, and do not endure tribulations with
patience, do not allow themselves to be tried by it, and they never discover
that we must put our trust alone in God. Therefore, when the last trial or
affliction will come, and all their virtues and merits will disappear, then,
when they sink into a hopeless eternity they will cry out tot he mountains:
"Fall on us (Luke 23:30) Their assumed hope
is actually no hope at all, but only a perverse, arrogant trust in their own
works and righteousness.