Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the importance of recognizing the hidden treasures of the Kingdom of God, urging believers to sell everything for the sake of Christ, who is the ultimate treasure. He explains that true Christianity is not about outward appearances or worldly success, but about a deep, personal relationship with Jesus, who refines us like silver in the fire. The sermon calls for a heart transformation, encouraging the congregation to embrace the refining process that God uses to purify His people. Beach highlights that the true value lies in being conformed to the image of Christ, rather than seeking earthly rewards or recognition. Ultimately, he challenges listeners to evaluate their priorities and ensure that their love for God surpasses all else.

For the Lord. Remembering that the Lord has something for everyone here, it's very, very important that we listen. So there's quite a bit here and we just want to. Look to the Lord. Father, you know that every person here has. A need to hear. You hear your word, hear your voice. Everyone here is going through a unique situation, everyone here different than the one next to him, but very, very real. And I pray God that you'll help everyone here to know that you are a sovereign God and a sovereign shepherd. And that you are able this morning to address the very struggle, the very need that we're going through. And I pray God, you'll help us to hear. And to receive your word today. Which is able to build this up and encourage us and strengthen us and bring us to the end of this race that we're running called the Christian life. And so, father, we commit into your faithful hands your word and pray for receptive hearts. For Jesus sake, we pray. Amen and amen. Now, there's a number of scriptures that I want to read that the Lord has placed on my heart. And when the Lord does this, I know that he is speak. He's going to speak to us. That's why it's so important to have receptive hearts. OK, so. I'm going to begin. In. By reading. In Matthew. Chapter 13, beginning in verse number 44, Matthew. Chapter 13, verse number 44. In this section of scripture. As we see in verse 34, Jesus is speaking with parables. Now, when Jesus speaks with parables, he's doing so in order to accomplish a number of goals. The first goal is that he's trying to conceal the meaning of what he's trying to teach from a certain group of people. On the other hand, he's trying to give an understanding on what the kingdom of God is like. And so there's two dynamics working when we read about parables. Number one. These are mysteries to a certain group of people, they they listen to this and they scratch their head and they say, what in the world is this guy trying to say? But there's another group of people. Who have the Holy Spirit? Who have been given a heart of meekness, a heart of hunger for God, and when they read a parable, their hearts burn within them and the Lord begins to open up to them the meaning of the parable, which is greater light. About the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, the reign of God's son in the hearts of the church, and so these two parables that I want to read are revealing to us a desire that the Lord wants those who have the Holy Spirit who have been given a heart of humility and a heart for the things of God to understand. The Lord wants us to understand the truth in these two parables. This is something that the Lord is speaking to every to all the church, but not everyone is hearing it. And so pray we can hear this this morning. Matthew chapter 13. Beginning in verse number 44 again, the kingdom of heaven. Now the phrase kingdom of heaven is a phrase that simply means the sovereign reign of God. The sovereign reign of God, the sovereign reign of God, that is within the sphere of God's reign where he allows certain things to happen. Sometimes we don't think they should happen. But within the kingdom of heaven, within the sovereign reign of God, there's certain things that are happening. The Lord wants us to understand that now, in particular, this refers to within the realm of his kingdom, within the realm of his church, within the realm of his people. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure. Now, underline the word treasure if you mark your Bible, if not take a note, a treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hides and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again. Verse 45, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. Who, when he hath found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it in these two parables. We see a number of spiritual realities going on and we want to point them out. Because these spiritual realities reflect what the Lord is after, what the Lord is after in his church. First of all, we see. Let's look at these parables and let's point these out. And then ask ourselves, Lord, is this what's going on in my heart? We see a treasure. OK, we see a treasure. And then in the other one, we see a a goodly pearl. OK, now let's let's make some more observations before we look to the Lord for some understanding here. Now, in the first parable that we read, we see that the treasure was hid, hid in a field. Now, in the second parable, what does it say the merchant man did when he found the goodly pearl? Before he did that, he hid it. OK, so we see some similarities going on here, hid in a field and he hid. Now, there's there's there's a reason why it's so important for us to understand this. OK. Now, the third feature we see is the response of the man and the merchant man. They both sold everything they had. And the one bought the goodly pearls, the other one bought what? The field. OK, so we have here. Selling, selling out, selling out, selling, I like maybe everything. Listen, watch this. Leaving. Nothing. Nothing at all. OK, he sold everything he had and what did he do? He bought. He bought the field in one instance and then in the other instance, he bought the what? The treasure. Treasure. OK. So what do we have here, beloved? What do we have here? Well, firstly, we have. Before we make an application of these wonderful truths, first of all, we have here the beautiful and perfect example of what our Lord Jesus did. Now, listen. The Lord is is looking for a Christianity that's no less than the kind of Christianity that his son demonstrated to us while he walked on the earth. Let's look at this for a few moments. If we go into the book of Matthew, we can see that Jesus gave us certain meanings to words in the parables. Now, first of all, in the first parable, let's look and see here, it says, again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field. Now, the field is the world. Jesus interpreted this when they asked him in chapter 13, if we would read through the entire chapter, Jesus interprets these words and their meaning. So the world is the field. Now, the treasure. Verse number 44, if we if we turn to Peter. First, Peter, we'll see that Peter makes a reference to the word treasure. Chapter two. First, Peter, chapter two, verse nine, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. That you should show forth the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. There's another reference, but it slipped my mind where the church is referred to as a peculiar treasure. Anybody think of it? True, that's right. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. That's second Corinthians chapter five. So. In Matthew, as we were reading here in Matthew, chapter 13. We see that. The Lord Jesus ultimately demonstrated. What the Lord is after, and that is Christ saw the treasure. Christ saw the treasure of those. Who would believe in him? Christ saw the church. And as a result. And the church was hidden, a field, the field is the world. And so Christ. Had such joy, watch now. He hid the treasure in the field. And he went and he sold everything he had and he bought the field. Doesn't the Bible say that Christ died for the world? Doesn't the Bible say that Christ paid the price for. All people in the world, first John chapter two. He died for you, he died for me, he purchased the whole world. But before he purchased the whole world, he sold everything he had, he gave up everything he gave up heaven. He gave up the glory of heaven, he gave up the fellowship of heaven, except his father. And he came and he died on the cross. Verse number 45 is the same truth. Again, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, we see. The selling of everything that he has. Leaving nothing. And buying the pearl of great price. The other parable, buying the field. Purchasing the treasure. Now. The thing that's very interesting here is that in the one parable it says that he hid the treasure. The hiding of the treasure speaks of. Not marketing, not displaying, not showing off. The thing that's precious to God. We live in a day, beloved, when. All the work of God is being prostituted and people are trying to show it off. They're trying to display it. They're trying to make it look good in the eyes of the world. They're trying to market it. They're trying to make it palatable to people. They're trying to make it appealing to the natural eye. Appealing to the natural ear. Appealing to the natural senses. People don't like the work of God to be hid because when it's hid they can't boast in anything. They can't glory in anything. They can't brag about anything. See, he hid the treasure. He hid it. God's true work is hidden. From arrogant, proud, glorying hearts. You can't take the work of God and display it. Because when you do, you pervert it. The Lord's work is a hidden work. It doesn't appeal to the natural eye. It doesn't appeal to the natural tastes. It doesn't appeal to the natural tendencies. See, the world dresses everything up and makes everything look good. The world makes everything look attractive. You can't make Christianity look attractive. The greatest sin of this hour is that the church is trying to package Christianity into a nice package so that it's marketable and that people look at it and go, wow, I like that. You can't do that to Christianity. Christianity is a crucified Christ that shed his blood for rotten sinners like you and I who are deserving of hell and damnation. Christianity is the call to lose your life, to die, to exchange your sinful life for the holy life of the Son of God. Christianity is a call to forsake everything. Everything, mother, father, children. Yeah, your own life, Jesus said. Christianity is a call to renounce sinful pride, to renounce the temptation to glory and money and possessions and protocol and prestige and pride. Christianity is a call to walk with Christ and bear the reproach. Christianity is a call to love not the world nor the things that are in the world. Christianity is a call to become a stranger and a pilgrim and a sojourner on this earth. Christianity is a call to have a heart that is seeking things above, not things on earth. Christianity is a call to be striving after with all the power of grace to become like Christ, to mirror and model the likeness of God in the earth. Christianity is a call to renounce greed and covetousness and jealousy and strife. Christianity is a call to lay our life down in adoration to the one who laid his life down to us. Is that the Christianity that you're after today? Hid in the earth. You see why it's hid in the earth? That kind of Christianity is not displayed. That kind of Christianity is not marketable. That kind of Christianity, you can't package that up and make it look good to the world. You can't advertise that Christianity and fill an auditorium, can you? No, of course it's hid. It's a hidden work. Beware, brothers and sisters, of the deception. Beware of the falling away that's taking place even now. In the world. Beware. God's work is hidden. Trying to find my pointer. God's work is hidden. Mike said, you don't need the pointer. We get the point. What happened? It disappeared. Are we hearing the Lord? Yes. Is the Lord speaking to our hearts through this parable? Yes. Do we need to reevaluate what it is that we consider to be a follower of Christ? Yes. May the Lord help us today. The Lord sold everything he had. The Lord gave up heaven to come and purchase this pearl of great price. He so loved us that he gave his life. And now, by the power of his grace, he's looking for a people who will so love him that they give their life and sell everything they've got. If not literally, then in your heart. Not to follow a modern Christian message which is not hidden, which has no reproach, but appeases and satisfies all of our sinful desires. It's just we do it in the name of Christianity now. No, but sell everything we have to follow the crucified Christ. And let God minister his glory through our lives. As people look and say, you're different. You're different than the world. You have different priorities. You have different desires. Your heart is after something different. Matthew chapter 10, verse 22. And you shall be hated of all for my name's sake. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You shall be hated by all for my name's sake. What happened to this Christianity here? And he that endures to the end shall be saved. But when they shall persecute you in this city, flee to another. Verse 24. Watch what it says. The disciple is not above his master. Nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, which is another name for the devil, how much more shall they call them of his household Beelzebub? Verse number 34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I'm not come to send peace but a sword. For I'm come to set a man at variance against his father, the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foe shall be of his own household. Now watch. Remember the two parables? Sold everything they had to buy the treasure. The hidden treasure. The hidden treasure. Sold everything they had to purchase that, listen, that the world could not see. See, it's easy to sell everything you have to get something that you can glory in, right? It's easy to sell everything you have to purchase something that you can then show off to everyone, right? Oh, yeah, sure, let's do it. But what about selling everything you got and buying something and then you have nothing to show for? Nothing at all. Nothing at all. You can't show it off. You can't display it. You can't market it. You can't get people to look at you and go, wow, that is so cool. No, you know what you'll get? You like that, Christine? Wow, that is so cool. No, instead when you sell everything you got and you purchase this pearl of great price, you purchase this treasure, you know what you end up with? Reproach and misunderstanding and rejection and grief and sorrow and people hate you and you can't show for nothing. Is that what we want to sell? Everything we have for in order to obtain or is our heart sort of inclined toward, oh, yes, Lord. I'll leave everything to follow you so that I can get everything and I can become a great superstar in Christianity. The only thing the Lord promises to give us if we sell everything we have and give everything up for Him is Himself. That's it. That's what He promises to give us, Himself. And you know what, beloved? We don't need anything more than Himself. And if He gives us anything more than that, it's icing on the cake. It's a blessing we say thank you for. But there's no guarantee that we'll get it and there's no guarantee that if we get it, that we'll keep it forever. He might decide to take it. Remember the scripture, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Remember what Paul said? You came into the world naked and you're going to leave naked. So be content with just what you need. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and follows after me is not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. Now one more scripture in Luke Verse or chapter 14 verse number 33. So likewise whoever He be of you that forsaketh not all that he has he cannot be my disciple. Forsakes all that we have. You see what the Lord is saying here? See what the Lord is saying? He's explaining these parables to us. The very words of Jesus As it relates to following him Coincide with the truth that is found in these parables. Christ is our treasure. Christ is the the pearl of great price to the church. We were the treasure. We were the pearl of great price to Christ. That's why he left heaven because he saw He saw us. He saw the church. He saw that he could take our lives and change us and bring glory to his father. So he Was willing after seeing us he was willing Even though we were a hidden people You know, he couldn't he can't the Lord couldn't show off the church. We're we're a bunch of losers. We're sinners. The Bible says Moses said to the nation Israel Listen when you go into the land of Canaan Don't think that God's bringing you in because you were a righteous nation or that you were a good people Or that you were special above all the nations. He said no. He said matter of fact, you're a stiff-necked rebellious people God's saying you're not a kind of people that I can display to the world and say look at my people How great and holy they are? No, he says it's for the sake of the Lord your God that I'm bringing you into Canaan it's for his sake and so The Lord knew that we were a hidden people. We were we were not worth displaying before the world We're poor people we're, you know, Jesus said invite the lame the the the blind the the paralytics The crippled the ones with palsy They're they're not ones that the world looks at and and honors and and marvels at that's what you and I are spiritually If we come to the Lord If we don't see ourself like that, then we don't come to the Lord because he doesn't come for those who are righteous and whole He comes for the who? Those who are sick and in need I've come to seek and to save that which is lost. Jesus said The broken the contrite those who see themselves in great need so see we were a hidden people You know, it's one thing for someone to die in order to be able to place a badge on their chest and say look What I died for something so beautiful something the world would say. Oh what a worthy cause but what person in the world Would commend christ for dying for lost sinners What person in the world would commend christ for shedding his blood for a bunch of losers like you and I Who've rebelled against god, but you know what christ wasn't motivated By dying so that he could be praised by the world Brothers and sisters We're not going to be motivated to die and to sell everything we have As long as we think that in doing so we're going to have something to glory in We're going to have something to brag about we're going to have something to show to the world And display before them so that they can honor us so that they can praise us so that we can remain in in good Association with them brothers and sisters to follow christ and we're going to get into this in our next section today God willing yes, we'll make it We're god has to purge our hearts So that we become willing to lay our lives down listen And get nothing out of it except knowing Knowing that in laying our lives down god is being glorified See god must bring a people to the place where their their chief motive and all that they do is God is being glorified through his son. Jesus christ That's it. That's what god is after the purity of a people and so We see christ dies for the church the treasure and the goodly pearl Who was hidden in the field which is the world jesus said the field is the world but he died for us anyway Because he didn't care whether or not It was something the world would commend him about all he cared about is hearing his father say this This is my beloved son in whom I am. Well, please I thank god for jesus and I want to be like him so much. He was a true man Fathers you want to teach your sons what it is to be a man Don't you? Set their hearts on these Sports figures. They're not true men They may have a little bit of manliness if they know the lord Don't set your hearts Even on you and tell your sons. I'm a true man. Follow me You want your sons to know what it is to be a man you teach them christ You teach them christ He was a true man a true man walks in this earth With gentleness and meekness and righteousness and wants to bring glory to his father in heaven a true man walks uprightly and renounces pride and arrogance and Hardiness and greed a true man Will not manipulate and try and control people That's what a true man is and we see that in the person of jesus christ We see a man who in the days of jesus women were treated in a disrespectful way They were second-class citizens. They couldn't even talk in the synagogues they were uneducated But who followed jesus around who took care of jesus women Where did jesus know he could go when he needed a good meal? to mary's house Why why were women attracted to jesus? It wasn't because he was a sexy looking guy That is absurd Women were attracted to jesus because he was a real man and he treated him with respect He treated him with worth He looked at him in the eyes and they knew he wasn't looking at him in order to see what he could get from him Men our greatest sin is we look at a woman to see what we can get from her to meet our needs But jesus when he looks at a woman He looks at her And places Worth and value on her as a person That is equal with man different but equal Man, i'm telling you if you want your sons to be true men You had better teach them christ And so christ wasn't motivated To do a great sacrifice for an earthly reward But men are motivated to do great sacrifices to get something for themselves a reward But christ wasn't And now we see that the very sacrifice the very motivation that moved the son of god From heaven to earth to die on a cross is the same kind of motivation that god is looking for in the church Now we don't have it in ourself But that's what it is to be a christian To realize that it's not what I am or what I have But it's christ and who he is and his power coming into my life through the holy spirit Let me tell you brothers and sisters. God will not accept anything less And there's a day coming and it's found in first corinthians chapter 13. We're moving to the next point now Oh, here's my pointer. It was right in front of me all the time Gotcha Gotcha Okay, first corinthians chapter 3 listen, listen, these are prophetic words this morning Oh, I like that clock better than mine. It's 10 minutes earlier now Listen, these are prophetic words this morning from the holy spirit of god The day is coming when even though there is a great mixture in christianity today The mixture will not last in other words people will not follow on fully to know the lord if their heart is Not right with god Listen when the heat is low. It's easy for all kinds of mixed motives to be Present in the in the realm of christianity, isn't it? It's easy when the heat's low It's easy for all kinds of mixed motives Mixed multitudes all different you can have a gathering of a thousand people and there can be a thousand different motives Represented among those people as to what's motivating them to claim to be a christian. What's motivating them to even sacrifice? to pray To sing for jesus Oh boy, that's a whole nother thing sing for jesus Why do people want to sing for jesus is it because nowadays You can sing for jesus and get just as much honor as the beatles got If you know the right person Now is that true with all singers? Of course not But beware brothers and sisters Whenever your christianity, whatever it is, and whatever you seem to be doing for god is no longer a hidden thing But it becomes something that you're doing because you hope to get something from the world it is corrupt before god Corrupt And repentance needs to go on or else that's going to lead you astray Now, I know these are harsh words, but hey I've been walking with the lord now 25 years or so and i'm not frankly i'm not interested in playing games I want to know the truth. I want to love the truth and I want the truth to slay me I want the truth to bring me down and I want the truth to lift me. I don't want to stand on any other ground but truth now watch verse 11 chapter 3 first corinthians the day is coming and now is When these things are going to be exposed motives of the heart and here's how it's going to happen For Other foundation can no man lay except that which is laid jesus christ And if any men build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay and stubble Okay, what do we have here? Jesus christ is the foundation. He's the life he Christianity is jesus christ. That is what christianity is christianity is about a person And now there's six different things that we can build upon christ hay wood stubble gold silver and precious stones verse 13 every man's work or motive Because everything we do springs out of a motive and what Makes what we do either authentic or Disingenuous rejected of god is the motive what's behind it? You can look at something and say boy that looks good for god but if the motive behind it is Not a hidden motive where only god would be glorified But if man wants glory then god looks at that work that we look at And say that looks good and god says that smells in my nostrils And I don't want it and i'm going to remove it if people don't repent that's The meaning of this scripture here every man's work shall be made manifest shall be Revealed for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is or another translation says The fire shall test every man's work in order to reveal what it's really made of What it's really made of you see what the lord is doing here now listen to this Malachi Malachi That's the the last book in the old testament Malachi chapter 3 These are prophetic words that refer to the day that we're living in now when the lord jesus christ Is going to be sitting as the head over his church watch what he's going to be doing matthew chapter 3 verse 2 Malachi chapter 3 verse 2 But who shall abide the day of his coming that is when the lord sends his messenger That is the lord. Jesus christ And who shall stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire And like fuller soap Listen, he shall sit As a refiner and a purifier of silver Wow Now watch this that statement Is in context to everything that we've spoken on thus far this morning he shall sit and purge The house of god the children of god the sons of levi Who refer to the children of god listen? He'll ref he'll sit and purge them what for? In order to purify the heart So that they can see the one true treasure christ the one true goodly pearl christ They can see that it's a hidden treasure A hidden pearl in that there's nothing in it that they can glory in and brag in and display before the world God's got to purge us and cleanse us and sanctify our hearts so that There's a people in the earth who are after the treasure and the goodly pearl for no other reason Other than to bring glory to god and as a result they become willing to sell Everything they have leaving nothing just like the words of jesus say Everything Yes, they have blessings. Yes, they have possessions, but nothing's got them And they're not after those things They might have them but they're not after them Watch out someone here saying well brother. I've got things and i'm not after him watch out watch out lord's going to test you on that thought He's going to test you on that thought You say well i'm not after him well, let's just see how you do when the lord puts his hand on those blessings When you find yourself in a situation where you might need to give them away or give them up or someone might defile your blessings And you get a little bit of angry you get a little bit of resentful and you get a little steamy and god says ah I thought you said it didn't matter. It does matter matter of fact. There are god in your life There are god in your life They're too important to you So these people will sell everything they've got leave nothing behind what for for one thing the treasure God plus what nothing christ plus what nothing Brother this sounds way too radical. I know doesn't it? I love it Now watch I was sharing these thoughts with a dear brother Over the internet the email this brother's watch this My wife thought I should send you this After she read your email to me now the email I sent to him Was I was sharing these thoughts with him because the lord was making them so real Check this out. It's sure and we'll probably close on this close after this Malachi 3 3 he shall sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver this verse puzzled some woman in a recent bible study And she wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of god. Oh, there we go One of the women in the bible study offered to find out the process Of refining silver and get back to the group at their next bible study. This is good That week the woman called a silversmith And made an appointment to watch him at work She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver As she watched the silversmith He held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up intensely He explained to her that in refining silver One needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest As to burn away all the impurities The woman then began to think about god Holding us in such a hot spot Then she thought again about the verse He sits as a refiner and a purifier She asked the silversmith if it was true That he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined The man answered emphatically. Yes He not only had to sit there holding the silver But he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames It would be destroyed Are we hearing? The woman was silent for a moment Then she asked the silversmith sir This is the grand finale guys this ought to get you up out of your seats dancing sir How do you know when the silver is fully refined? In other words, sir. How do you know when to take that piece of silver out of the fire? How do you know when it's all done? He smiled at her And answered Oh, that's an easy question. I know it's done When I see my image in it phil Now this is him talking This is him If you are feeling the heat of the fire brother Remember that god has his eye on you And will keep watching you Until he sees his image In your life Let's bow our hearts father Thank you for your word Thank you for the holy spirit Thank you for grace and mercy. Thank you for sitting as a refiner of silver and gold. Thank you for the heat that each one of us is in right now. Brothers and sisters, I'm asking God to give you a thankful heart. Listen, there's some things going on in your life right now and you've not been able to thank God. You've gotten resentful. You've gotten a little bitter. You've gotten a complaining spirit. And today, there's mercy and grace and forgiveness. And God's saying, now you've got it from a different perspective, don't you? You're seeing it in a different light now, so I want you to give me thanks. I want you to thank me for the fire you're in. I want you to say, thank you. Because He's sitting as a refiner of silver and gold. He's refining us now. Father, we thank you for this. We thank you that your eye is on the silver and that you have placed us in the hottest part of the flame, not to destroy us, but to purge us from the many defilements that are yet inside of our lives, so that ultimately, when you see us, you see yourself. You see your Son. You see the motives that are in His heart, now in our heart. Father, we commit our lives afresh to you today, and we pray God, help us to remain tender and soft in this process of refining, so that one day, when you look at us, you can say, I see my Son and His likeness in your life. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Brothers and sisters, listen. There should be nothing more important to you right now, today. And if there is, we need to go back three weeks ago in our series. Remember what we spent three weeks on? Repent. There should be nothing more important to you today than to be anticipating and longing to hear God say to you, My son, my daughter, I see the image of my Son in your life. I see His meekness. I see His love for me. I see His hatred for sin in your life. I see His heart that wants heavenly things and not earthly things. I see in you the things that are in my Son, and I am pleased to hear that from our God. Even if it costs us everything, everything should be the thing that we're after. And if it's not, listen, listen. We have begun to backslide. Backslide means to go backwards. And God speaks, in closing, this word to us, Revelation 2, verse 4, Revelation 2, verse 4, Nevertheless, I have somewhat against you. You have left your first love. I sense that one of the meanings of first love is, number one, when you have a first love for someone, what do you want? That person. Are you interested in what they have? Or what they possess? You want to spend time with them. You could care less what they've got. I'm telling you, I've said this before, if I was a very wealthy, rich man, and I was looking for a wife, the last thing I would do is sit down with her and tell her about all my wealth. Because I'm afraid that she might get her eye on what I have and not who I am. And the best plan I could come up with is I'd dress like a pauper, act like a poor man, and so that when I meet a woman, all she sees is me. Me. Not what I've got. And if she's interested and wants to keep coming back and talk to me, I might have a possible wife on the hand there. And then after we're married, and after the honeymoon, and after I realize that all she wants is me, then one day I'll sit down and say, Oh, guess what, sweetheart? I own a cattle on a thousand hills. Anything, anything you ever could want, you can have because it all belongs to me. And you know what she'll say to me? Which will prove that she's really supposed to be my wife? Oh, well, that's fine, sweetheart, but I'm really not interested in all that. I just want you! Where is that kind of a bride today? The whole church world is going wild after their inheritance. I just recently heard a preacher, Rise up and take your inheritance from God! And my heart cried, and I said, What do you mean, take your inheritance from God? God is my inheritance! I want God! I don't want what He's got. I want God! This is why He's sitting as a refiner. Because He's got to get all that stuff out of us that's still grasping. Is there hope? Yes. Even though we're so imperfect? Yes. The only danger, and we have to stay true to the Word of God, is if God deals with us and we resist. So pray, God, keep my heart soft, and let me keep being purged so that you become my all in all. Okay, brothers and sisters, this was, I think, part three or four of The House of God Lies in Ruin. Subtitle, He sits as a refiner of silver and gold. Or whatever, Gary. You can edit that. Gary's taking notes. Now, let me ask a question before we close. Remember at the very beginning? We were sure that God had a Word for everyone. Did God speak to everyone by His Word today? I tell you, He spoke to me. All week, I've been wrestling with this Word. All week, wrestling with it. Oh God, I want You to refine me. I want You at any cost, at any loss. And I've got the assurance this morning as I was praying about this whole thing, God has heard my prayer. And I know, I know, I know, not because of my goodness, but because of God's faithfulness, God is going to do this work in me. And I want to ask you this question. Do you have that same assurance in your life today? If you do, then rejoice. Because God is faithful. God bless everyone. And what can we say? God bless you. Stay in His Word and be encouraged today because God is going to do the work.