In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of crying out to God when facing temptation and suffering. He highlights that God is ever-present and ready to come to our aid when we call upon Him. The preacher also emphasizes that the path to the kingdom of God is narrow and difficult, requiring perseverance and faith. He uses the example of Abraham, who believed in God's promise despite the seemingly impossible circumstances of his old age and his wife's barrenness. The preacher urges believers to stand firm in their faith and not falter in times of struggle, reminding them of the consequences of lacking strength and faith.

Remember that song, All is vain unless the Spirit of the Lord comes mingling down. What does the letter do? It's the Spirit that gives life. And we must receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. And we know that the Spirit will guide us into all truth. Men can twist the Word, but the Spirit only speaketh truth. Because He is truth, and He is no lie. And He is to be fully trusted. Is Alan Martin to be fully trusted? No? Let's pray then. Let's pray that by the mercy and grace of God, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, operating through the gift of preaching, would minister life. Christ is the life-giving Spirit, right? The first Adam became a living being. The last Adam, a life-giving Spirit. And we need the life of God breathed into us through the Word of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ by His mercy. Let's pray. Father, apart from You, we can do nothing. We can speak. We can make attempts to instruct. You are the One who has power to kill and make alive. You are the One who can call the things that are not as though they are. You give life to the dead. In Your hands, all things are possible. With You, all things are possible. And You know everything. There's every thought we've thought this week, You've known it. Every word we've said, You've heard it. The intents and thoughts of our heart that we don't even know, You know. Your Spirit is a lamp searching out our innermost being. When we don't even know how to pray, You've provided for that. Your Spirit knows Your will and intercedes for us perfectly. In order for Your will to be accomplished, You would have Your people understand Your way. You tell us to not be like the horse or the mule which must be bridled with bit and made to come, but have no understanding. You said that when You send Your Son from heaven, He's going to take vengeance upon them that don't know You. We want to both know You and obey You. By faith. By grace through faith. We want Your grace to continue to teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. We want the result of being together. We want that to produce in us life that is sober, righteous, and godly in this present life. And we ask for Your help through that this morning. In the name of the Lord Jesus, according to Your will. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. There in Hebrews chapter 6, the latter part of the chapter. No, not quite the latter part. Find with me verse 11 and 12. Hebrews chapter 6 verse 11 and 12. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence unto the full assurance of hope unto the end. Or unto completion. The is not there in the original Greek. Unto completion. Unto perfection. Unto maturity. So that you do not become sluggish, dull, slow. But that imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Now the word for patience here is long-suffering. Sometimes it's hupomeno which is to abide under, but in this case it is long-suffering. So through faith and long-suffering you inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. And so, after he had suffered long, he obtained the promise. Does everyone obtain what God has promised? No. No. Not everyone obtains what God promises. It says in Romans 11 verse 7, What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain. So how do you obtain what's promised? What is the guaranteed way? To whom are all the promises of God guaranteed? After describing the new heaven and the new earth, after describing that there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more suffering, no more mourning, for the old things have passed away, all things have become new, because the dwelling of God is now with men. God says this about to whom will inherit that. He who overcomes shall inherit all this. The promises of God are for those who overcome. How do we overcome according to this passage here in Hebrews? Through faith and long-suffering. Through faith and long-suffering. And it says, the writer of Hebrews says, We don't want you to become sluggish, not slow, but to imitate those who through faith and long-suffering actually inherited the promises. Abraham is one example given. Let's look at another place examples are given. Flip over to James chapter 5. James chapter 5. Find verse 7 of chapter 5. Now, in verse 7, where you read, if your Bible reads patience, it's not a bad translation. I prefer the Greek translation of suffer long. And if I use suffer long, it's because it's macrothumia in the Greek. Verse 7. Suffer long, therefore, brethren. You see it? Only through faith and suffering long are you going to inherit the promises. Suffer long, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the earth, suffering long until he receives the early and latter rain. You also suffer long then, and establish your hearts. Now, I would say what he's talking about in establishing your hearts is to come to that full assurance of hope. We need to be assured of the hope we have in God. You need to establish your hearts. Because the coming of the Lord has drawn near. And it says, suffer long and establish your hearts. The Lord's coming has drawn near. And then what does it say? What's the next verse? Grudge not, murmur not against one another, brethren, so that you may not be judged. Take an example, my brethren, the evil suffering and long suffering of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Now, who did the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, who did they suffer long from? What caused them suffering? Who caused them suffering? Yes, the people they were speaking to. The people they were seeking to turn from sin caused them suffering. And they suffered long for their ministry. Oh, Lord, give us a ministry where people just fall on their face before You. Where we take them a cake and they're overwhelmed with such gratitude as, thank you, thank you. Why don't we have the ministry of Jeremiah? Or Ezekiel? Or Isaiah? These men suffered from the people they spoke to. But they're the ones we're to take as an example. It says in verse 11, so, you know, we count as blessed. Who do we count as blessed? The ones who endure. The ones who endure what? Suffering. What is endurance if there's no suffering? What does it mean to continue on? This word endurance comes from the Greek word hupo, under, and minno, to abide under, staying under. We count those who are able to stay under suffering blessed. They've got a character in them. They have something in their life. Because you know who is not abiding under when they're suffering? The murmurers. Murmurers aren't abiding under. Murmurers are falling. Murmurers are giving way. Their hearts are not established. But when you suffer, when you suffer at the hands of people, and you can abide under it, you're blessed. We consider blessed those who have the ability to endure. Like it says, it goes on to say, get this, in the literal, I'll read this kind of literally from my Greek interlinear. See, we count as blessed the ones enduring the endurance of Job. We count blessed the ones enduring the endurance of Job. And you heard of the end. What did Job see in the end? Yeah, that God was compassionate and merciful. Those who endure unto the end will find God as merciful and compassionate. Matthew 24, verse 13, you don't have to turn there. As well as the other four times it's quoted in the New Testament. It says, the ones enduring unto completion, maturity, finished. The ta telos is not in the Greek. It's telos. Unto maturity, unto completion. The same shall be saved. As a matter of fact, it says it again in the book of Hebrews. Flip back to Hebrews again, if you're still in James, chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 35. Now remember, the point of what's on my heart this morning is, we want to make sure that everyone here inherits the promise. Okay? That's what's on my heart. And to do that, you need to come to the full assurance of hope. And you're going to only inherit it through faith and long-suffering, and by becoming imitators of those who in like manner suffered long and endured. So that they inherited the promise. That's how you and I are going to inherit it. Here in verse 35 of chapter 10 of Hebrews. So do not throw away your confidence. It's going to be richly rewarded. For you have need of what? Endurance. And here is remaining under. You have need of remaining under. What do you and I have need of remaining under? What do we need to stay under? Long-suffering. How many of us just run to it? How many of us just welcome it? How many of us like Paul said, For unto you it's been granted not only to believe on Jesus Christ, but to suffer. It's been granted you. Did you realize what a gift you've been given? If you don't, you will not have the full assurance of hope. If you do not understand that the way to be perfected in Christ is through suffering, what's going to happen is you won't endure. You will not stay under. You'll end up murmuring and complaining. And what will your murmuring and complaining be about? The bills? No. Bills don't make people suffer. What is the most painful suffering you or I ever go through? People. Deep emotional pain. Deep mental agony in dealing with people. We'll see that from the Scripture this morning. Ye, we, myself, and everyone here who is in Christ have need of endurance so that after we have done the will of God, we might receive the things promised. Now I ask again, has everyone who has promised something wonderful in God, did they receive it? What's one obvious example we can speak of? Israel win. Okay, let's look at that. 1 Corinthians 10. That's the point of this. Yes, you're right on. How many Israelites did God call out of Egypt? All of them. How many Israelites did God promise to take them to the land of milk and honey? What was it actually called? The promised land. How many Israelites of those who actually left Egypt, having received the things promised, actually entered the promised land? Two. Out of 603,050 men, two actually went into the land of promise. That means 603,048 received the promise and did not inherit it. Because they could not suffer long. They did not abide under. When they were tested, look at this, that's what this says. Look here, chapter 10. That's the point of this, more ever brethren. Verse 1, 1 Corinthians 10. More ever brethren, I don't want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud. They all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food. They all drank the same spiritual drink. And they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them. And that rock was, they drank of Christ. The Spirit of God was leading them. They were led in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But it says in verse 5, But with most of them, how many of these had the promise? All the most of them, He's speaking of them, were promised the land of promise. But with most of them, God was not well pleased. For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became, why am I speaking of these things? These are our examples. My concern is you and I can have promises and fail to receive them if we do not receive them through faith and long suffering. Remaining under until we receive them. By grace through faith. But with most of them, God was not pleased. For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted. Now when did they lust after evil things? Trick question, no? Close? I'm going to say this again and again in this passage. You know when they lusted after evil things? Only when they were tempted. That's all. They didn't lust after it until they were tempted to. And it goes on. And do not become idolaters as some of them were. When did they become idolaters? When they were tempted to. That's all. They just didn't, oh, I'm just going to become an idolater. No, they didn't become idolaters until they were tempted to become idolaters. And let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did. Verse 8. When did they commit sexual immorality? Only when they were tempted. That's all. They didn't do it until they were tempted to do it. And then one day 23,000 fell. And let us not tempt Christ as some of them tempted and were destroyed by serpents. When do you think they tempted Christ? Only when they were tempted to. You remember when they did that? They were hungry. They were on three days without food. And what did they say? Can God spread a table in the wilderness? Hey, not only can God spread a table in the wilderness, He can spread a table in the presence of your enemies. He can anoint your head with oil in the presence of your enemies. He can make your cup run over in the presence of your enemies. But you might be tempted to murmur and complain. And do not grumble as some of them grumbled and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now when did they grumble? Only when they were tempted to. That's all. Now these things happened it says to them as examples and they were written down for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Verse 13. For no temptation has taken you but what is... Now follow me. When did they sin? When they were tempted. When do you and I sin? What happened to them when they sinned and were tempted? God was not pleased with them. Are you following me? Are you following me? I only sin when I'm tempted preacher. I only sin because the situations really get bad. It was a bad day at work. The kids were really rowdy today. You don't understand what they said to me. You're only going to sin when you're tempted. But let me tell you the truth of God is you're never tempted above what you can bear. Not once. You never have been and you never will be. In all of your temptation, you know what? But it's so intense for you. You know what it actually is? It's just common to man. Everyone goes through it. Every one of us goes through it. It's just common. It's common temptation. There hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man. But God is faithful. You know what? In the wilderness, 603,048 men grumbled when it was time to grumble when they were tempted to. 603,048 men tempted Christ when they were tempted to. 603,048 men murmured and complained. Two of them stood every time. Two of them stood every time. And God said of them, these two, Caleb and Joshua, they were of a different spirit. And they served Me wholeheartedly. So while that whole generation obtained the testimony of being a sinful, unbelieving generation, they are in the standing at the verge at the banks on Jordan's stormy banks, I stand and cast a wishful eye. But the giants are very big and therefore I begin to cry. That's how a lot of Christians live. Joshua and Caleb stood on the banks of Jordan when all the rest of that generation went ten outnumbered five to one. Ten spies saying, this is not going to be possible. This is too difficult. Two men said, God will make our enemies bread for us. They're the ones that entered. And the whole rest of the generation heard God say this. He raised His hand and He swore, not one of this unfaithful generation shall see this good land which I promised them. He said, how long shall these people treat Me with contempt? How long, ere it be, shall these people believe in Me? Dear Christian, how long it's going to be till you and I believe you do not have to sin? You can stand because God will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able to bear and along with the temptation will provide a way of escape so that you may be able to... what? Guess what? Guess what bear up is? Hupo meno. Endure. You may be able to endure under it. You can endure. But you know what you can't endure with? And this is where the message is going to turn a corner. It's going to turn a corner. Because we have not understood something. God is not interested in bringing our paradise now. Do you understand that? He's not interested in bringing our paradise now. That's why you need to come to the full assurance of what? No, no, listen. You and I need to come to the full assurance of hope. Who hopes for what He... You see? You don't have it all. We're not there. This is not heaven. It says we've been given birth into a living hope. And we hope for what we do not have. And because we don't have it now, you know what we do? We suffer. It's difficult. It's painful. Now look with me in Romans and see it. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. God provides grace every time we're tempted so that we can abide under. So that we can suffer long under. So that we can actually suffer long and hear me clearly. So that we can suffer long and not sin. I am not talking about continually yielding to temptation and saying, I've sinned, God forgive me, I'm sorry. God is faithful and merciful even then when we sin. But I tell you what, if it's a continual habit in your life, you better watch this. Israel did it ten times. They didn't inherit the things that are promised. Romans chapter 5 verse 1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in what? Hope of the glory. Do you have the glory of God right now fully? No, you don't. You have the hope of it. When the glory of God comes, there'll be no sinning. When the glory of God comes, there's no sorrow. When the glory of God comes, there's no pain. There's no consciousness of that. In heaven, where the glory of God dwelleth, there is neither suffering, nor pain, nor mourning, nor temptation. God's not tempted. And when He's reigning and we're with Him, neither will we be. We have the hope of that. And Christ in us is what? He's the hope of glory. You don't have it all. I don't have it all. But we're rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God if we've come to the full assurance of that hope. You see? If you've come to that full assurance. So we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God in verse 3. What also do we rejoice in? We also rejoice in our tribulation. You know what tribulation means? To be squeezed. To be pressed. To put pressure. What puts pressure on us? Only to be tempted. You know why some of us don't suffer a lot of pressure when we're tempted? We just give in. We just sin. We just sin and God will forgive me. That's dangerous living. That's dangerous living. We rejoice. We glory in tribulation. Knowing that tribulation worketh what? Endurance. This is the same word. Tribulation worketh abiding under. We consider blessed the ones enduring the endurance of Job. Same word. Tribulation works endurance. How are you going to learn to be able to abide under and suffer long without tribulation? You can't. So God allows tribulation so that we can learn so that it will produce the ability to stay under it. And when you are learning to abide under the difficulty, the suffering, what does that produce? What does endurance work? Character. The Greek word is dokimane. Dokimane. What is dokimane? Dokimane is to be approved by testing. Brethren, think it not strange the fiery trials among you. What did these come for? For the trying of your faith. So that it might be proven dokimane. Genuine. How do you know you have a genuine faith? How do you know you have a genuine faith? By being able to stay under an intense long suffering. Anyone can claim to believe when it's easy. Anyone can do that. But you manifest. You have a living God in you. And the Spirit of God in you. And Christ is in you. Keeping you from sinning. It says no one who is born of God continues to sin. For his seed abideth in him. And he can't go on sinning because he has been born of God. That proves something greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Submarines can go to great depths and experience great pressure as long as what's on the inside is greater than what's on the outside. And it is tribulation that worketh this proven character. Now you talk about a cycle that comes back around to itself. What does proven character do? What does it work? Hope. Wow. As your faith begins to stand the test, and you begin to get some experience in here, you begin to get some confidence in God. God promised me a son, Abraham said. And it says against all hope, in hope he believed. And so he became the father of many nations, just as it is written, so shall your offspring be. Without weakening in his faith he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. And that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief in regard to the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded. You know where fully persuaded is? We've already seen it once today. The full assurance of hope. Abraham came to the full assurance of hope. What was the full assurance of hope? That God had power to do what He had promised. Let me ask you something right now, saint. Does God have power to keep you standing when you're tempted or not? Does it matter how many times you have not stood so far? No. Irrelevant. Don't consider it. Abraham did not consider his body. He was past the age of childbearing. Sarah's womb was dead. How many other people really experienced it around you? I don't care. Don't consider that. God has power to make you stand. That's the one thing. Don't look at them. Don't look at your neighbor. Ten thousand may fall at my right hand. A thousand at my left hand. But thou art with me. I mean a mountain may fall into the sea. Even then will I be confident. Where is this life? Where are the real people of faith? Where are those who stand when they're tempted instead of falling? If you falter in times of struggle, how small is your strength? Where is your faith? Abraham says, and look what it goes on to say. Turn there. If you're in Romans still, just chapter 4. It's just right there by. We're so close to it. Verse 18. Let's read that part again. Who, against all hope and hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be, and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Her womb was dead. She was no longer menstruating. She was not ovulating. Did it bother God? It didn't bother God anymore to create His Son out of a virgin. And you don't need anything else to stand, dear saint. He had given everything needed for life in Godliness. He's already been provided. And we'll get to that. I'm going to elaborate on that in a moment. He did not, verse 20, he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised He was able to perform. Now, what's the result of Abraham's being fully persuaded? Righteous. He was declared righteous. Isn't that what the Bible says? The just shall live by faith. It was credited to Abraham for righteousness. That kind of faith is. That kind of faith is credited as righteousness. Not this wimpy faith that says, I know God's going to forgive me and take me to heaven, even though I'm overcome continually. That's a lying faith. It's not real faith. It shows no... All that isn't religion. It's a formula. A genuine faith that God has power to keep you, that He will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able, but along with the temptation will provide a way of escape. And you know what that way of escape is? Remember again, the way of escape is endurance. That you might be able to bear up under it. He's provided that. Now, this is hope. This is what genuine hope is. Now, how do we know this is really so possible? Look with me in Romans chapter 8. Go to chapter 8. You're there. You're close. Romans chapter 8. You and I need to understand this. Not understanding that God has made the way for us to be difficult. God has made the way difficult. He's made it that way. Wide is the gate. Broad is the way that leads to destruction. Narrow is the way. And straight is the gate. You know what the word for straight is there? It's tribulated. Very much so. It's the way. It's the way into the kingdom. It's to be pressed. It's to be pressured. It's to be crushed. Alright, Romans chapter 8. Find with me verse 18. For I do not consider that the what? Sufferings of the... Hey guys, it's only for a lifetime. Hey, you know what? If you only suffer intensely every day for the rest of your life, that's all you have to go through. Isn't that what the Scripture is saying? It's only the present suffering. How long is this present life compared to eternity? It's not even worth comparing. It's not worth comparing. It's not worth comparing. Too bad Israel couldn't see that the short passage through the wilderness wasn't worth comparing to the glory of the land of rest that awaited them. Too bad they lost. Too bad 603,048 men 20 years or older died scattered in the desert because they kept giving in to the present suffering rather than persevering like Caleb and Joshua wanting to get to the land of promise. Believing God could bring them into the land of promise. Yeah, until the slow death march for the rest of the people was over. Verse 19. Let's read 18 again. I don't consider the sufferings of the present time are not worth to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. What glory we're talking about? Not only do we rejoice, we rejoice in the hope of the glory. See, this is the glory we're talking about. The glory we're hoping for. The glory that's out there. The glory which shall be revealed in us. It's not now. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility or vanity, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. So all of creation is groaning over the bondage it's in right now. Verse 23 But not only that, but we also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan, where? We groan in ourselves. What are we groaning in ourselves from? The suffering we're in. We're groaning of the suffering we're in. That's normal. You know what, brothers and sisters? Take heart. Are you groaning? Are you sick of your condition? Are you fed up with it? Are you tired of it? It's only temporary. You will not have to live with it forever. You've only been given the firstfruit of the Spirit. Your body, this present body, could not contain the full glory of God. It'd blow it right apart. It'd blow it right apart. But it's just temporary. It's just for a while. And you have, even in that deposit of the Spirit in you, that's enough to keep you. That's enough to keep you right there. But it says, you groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting the adoption, the redemption of our body. Guess what has not yet been redeemed, brethren? Our body. And what has this body caused us to do in this life? Suffer. Suffer. And it says, verse 24, For we were saved in this hope. In the hope that one day we ourselves will be delivered from the body of this groaning. But hope that is seen? Not hope. Who hopes for what you already have? Do you have the redemption you long for? Well, here, let me ask you something. Are you really living in the full assurance of that hope? Are you counting it? Are you rejoicing in the tribulation? Knowing that the tribulation is working endurance? And this endurance is working about proven character. It's going to prove whether you have genuine faith. Because how do we overcome the world? This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth? Are you waiting patiently? Are you rejoicing? Whenever you face trials of any kind, are you counting it all joy? Knowing that patience has to have her perfect work? So that you can be mature and complete? Wanting nothing. If you're living in the full assurance of hope, you are. But where are you if when you're tempted, you sin? Where are you if when you're tempted, you grumble? Where are you when you're tempted, if you're just continually falling? Are you living in the full assurance of your hope? Have you really got your eyes in the right place? Do you really believe that in that suffering, in the intense emotional suffering, in the intense physical suffering, in the intense mental suffering, in the pain you are suffering, that there's a way of escape right there? Right there there's a way of escape. And you can abide under it. Because God Himself made sure He would know what you're going through. Isn't that right? Look in Hebrews chapter 2. Daniel, be ready to put another tape in here. I'm going to try to wrap it up, but in case that one runs out, please get another one. Take another one after that one's done. Just have it ready. I do not try to normally go over. I try to be within reasons. I know we have visitors and I apologize. I mean, I want to be sensitive. It's not that I should apologize. I have a burden on my heart. I have a burden on my heart. And if fulfilling that burden interrupts someone's schedule, I'm sorry. Please don't. It's not safe to make schedules when Alan's sharing with a burden. That's all I know to say. That's all I know to say. I try. But let me tell you what. If I continue to see people falling when they're tempted, I'm concerned. I'm concerned. There's 603,048 men over 20 years old promised the land of promise who did not obtain it. Because they didn't stand. They didn't have their eyes fixed on the things that weren't seen. Hebrews chapter 2, our Lord says, Hebrews 2, verse 14, He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, and to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Why is Christ such a merciful and faithful high priest? That's right. Verse 18, For he himself has suffered. When did Christ suffer? When he was tempted. And because he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are being tempted. You know what the word for aid is in the Greek? It's a combination of the word from Von and Theo. Von is to cry out and Theo is to run. He's able to render aid. Brothers and sisters, when you and I are suffering under temptation, cry out! Christ will come running! He runs to you. He'll be there. He is the ever-present God in time of need. He'll be right there if you look to Him. He's able. He's suffered. He knows what you're going through. He's been tempted at all points like we are. And when you cry out in that suffering, instead of yielding, instead of just giving in, He'll run to your cry, and you'll find a way of escape. And He'll keep you. And He'll make you stand. And He's given you the deposit of His Spirit guaranteeing that. You've got the earnest of His Spirit. And what does the Spirit do? What does the Spirit cry out within us? When does the Spirit cry out, do you think? You know what? Even before you realize, even before you realize the temptation's coming, I believe the Spirit's already crying out. Help is there because it says, before they call, I will answer. I'm stuck in this place again at the end of this week, at this message. I don't know how to stop. Really. The burden on my heart is for us to realize fully, as long as you and I live in these tents of the body, we're going to do what? Groan. Groan. Yes, Donna, the reason we're groaning is because of suffering. And the reason we're going to suffer is because we've been tempted. We're being tempted. And it's producing pain. You men know what it's like. You're assaulted with your eyes out there. And it suffers. It makes you suffer. I was just trying to read my email this week. You can't even read the email without suffering. God cursed Victoria's Secret, that company, not people, cursed that company for tempting man. Cursed Playboy. Cursed these things that are out there. Cursed Hollywood and their movies. Cursed it be of them for the suffering they're bringing upon the saints. Not men. God does not curse men. He curses wickedness. We suffer. But until you and I learn that God has made this life our wilderness, our testing ground, our proving ground, and when we are tempted, when we are made to suffer, our hearts are being proved to see whether we're going to be believing. One last verse and I'm done. Hebrews 12. Verse 3. Hebrews 12. Consider Him who endured, who remained under. And what did He endure? Such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. When you become weary and discouraged in your souls, what's going to happen? Let's be honest. What happens now when you allow yourself to become weary and discouraged in your souls? You murmur. You complain. You sin. The Scripture says, let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth. Only that which is helpful for the minister's grace to hear and is helpful for building others up according to their needs. Don't grumble. Don't murmur as others did. They were destroyed by the destroying angel. And James says, we're not to murmur against one another. So the judge is standing at the door. And we've not, not one of us here, have resisted to the point of shedding blood yet. You know where that happens? When you resist to the point of shedding blood, you're home. You're home. You know when Christ was crucified? You know when He really died? He died in Gethsemane. The cross was just the evidence. When He said, nevertheless not what I will, but Thy will be done. He suffered to the point of death. Death on the cross. And if you really want to be a Christian, if you really want to be a disciple of Christ, then you're going to have to, like Paul, you're not going to have to only want to know the power of His resurrection. You're going to want to know the fellowship of His sufferings. Because it says, although He was a son, He learned obedience to the things He suffered. And that's how God chose to make even the author of our salvation perfect. He made Him perfect through suffering. So what's God trying to perfect in us through suffering? He's trying to conform us to the image of His Son. And if His own Son was perfected through suffering, how are we going to be perfected? Suffering. And if you understand this process, you won't murmur and complain in it, you'll begin to count it all joy. You'll begin to realize what God is seeking to do in you. And you'll actually say, like Paul, remember what he said? He said, you know, man, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the great revelations God had given me, God provided for me a thorn in the flesh. A messenger of Satan to... Buffet or torment. So God provided this continual buffeting and tormenting to Paul. Well, Paul didn't like it. He's human just like we are. How many times did he plead with the Lord to take it away? Three times. But what did God say to him? Saint, Saint, is God's grace sufficient for you or not? Is it sufficient to you being buffeted? Isn't that what Paul told? You can be buffeted, Paul, my grace is sufficient. You can live your whole life buffeted, Paul, my grace is sufficient. Because my power is made perfect through weakness. Therefore, Paul says, therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness. Brothers and sisters, you are blessedly weak. Rejoice in it. You know what keeps you weak? Your unredeemed bodies. Your unredeemed bodies leave you to continual vulnerability of suffering as you're tempted. And you know what? God uses it all to work the image of His own Son in you. If you're living in the full assurance of hope. That's why Paul went on to say, that's why for Christ's sake I delight in weakness, insults, tribulations, difficulty, persecutions, hardships. When you have the full assurance of hope and when you understand what God is seeking to do through causing the tribulation to teach you, to give you time to learn to abide under the suffering, to produce in you the proven character of a genuine faith, then you delight. You think well of it. You don't resent it. And I can tell you what, when you think well of that process, where's murmuring and complaining? Think about that. If it's good for you to be pressured, if it's good for you to suffer pain mentally, emotionally, physically, if it's good for you, nothing to complain about. Instead, in all things we give thanks. All things. Hey, I enjoy the good times. I enjoy them. But you don't need help giving thanks for the good times. What you and I need help is giving thanks for all things. Alright, let's pray. I just said let's pray, and if the Spirit of the Lord is upon you to pray, then you pray. We acknowledge, Father, that You've grafted us into a new tree, rotten things that we used to participate in. But, Father, You want to prune us. You want to take the grapes, and not that they just eat one little grape, but it has to be crushed, and so that there's a cup that You can drink from out of our lives, and everyone can, even ourselves. We submit that You know what You're doing, pressing us in to the high calling of Christ Jesus. You didn't let Paul get destroyed. You didn't let any of your followers. There's no record of it. Dear God, that we would be more like Joshua and Caleb. Stand under. In particular, each one of us have our own tribulation, our own suffering, our own way. At least we know that You can do things, but Lord, sometimes help us, Lord, to understand and conform us to Your aiming, Lord. Even friends I've had that have died of cancer, we wouldn't be those of others. The Spirit of the Lord will continue to deal with us. I am trusting that. I'm not going to turn off the Spirit of the Lord, but neither am I going to fear that ending a meeting turns off God's Spirit. It doesn't do that. I want to try to be considerate of our visitors. In the time, thank you for your patience. Brothers and sisters, I would appeal to you this week. God is going to bless you. He's going to bless you with light, because in His light we see light. This week, maybe today, maybe faster than you could possibly think, it's going to be right there. Out of your mouth is going to come this complaining. Out of your mouth. It's right there. Why is it right there? Why are you going to see it? So it can manifest your unbelief. So that you can turn around and ask God, the grace of God to deal with that unbelief that's there. Okay? Don't resent it. Don't resent His discipline. He is after you. He wants you to share in His holiness. He is disciplining you. And when you see it, don't harden your heart. Receive it. Repent. Confess. And He's faithful and just to forgive us all our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness. Amen? Alright.