kingdom travelin'

“For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.” Psalm‬ ‭112‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭10‬ ‭ESV‬

“Consequently, he [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews‬ ‭7‬:‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So…

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm‬ ‭145‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Is this a refreshing truth to you? Or does it strike a chord of fear?

As you ponder your answer, what does it say about your view of the holiness of God?

Does the doctrine of the holiness of God bring comfort to your heart?

An example of that holiness:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1. There is a relationship between joy and suffering:

Romans 5:3

James 1:2

1 Peter 4:13

Hebrews 10:34

Acts 5:41

2 Corinthians 12:9

Philippians 2:17

Colossians 1:24

1 Thessalonians 1:6

2 Corinthians 8:1

Joy comes from grace not circumstances, neither pain nor pleasure can supersede the joy we have in God!

2. Why does suffering come?

One reason is to produce a deeper holiness through deeper faith as we go through.

Hebrews 12:10

2 Corinthians 1:8

1 Peter 4:12-13

This outline from Ask Pastor John podcast. Click ⬇️

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-pastor-john/id618132843?i=1000614289364