Sermon: Keep Your Heart With All Diligence!

#1567
Martin G. Collins
Given 24-Oct-20; 70 minutes

Do you have any idea about what you want to accomplish during the rest of your life? Have you set goals for yourself or are you without purpose? Do any of these synonyms describe you in any way: inattentive, lethargic, apathetic, detached, aimless.

What about your attitude toward the church? Do any of these mindsets describe you? How about inactive, uninvolved, disinterested, indifferent, uncommitted, undecided, negligent. Hopefully, if you ever experienced any of these attitudes, it has only been for a short period of time and your brain is not stuck in that phase.

Please turn with me to Proverbs 4, verse 23. Are you strong in the faith? Are you diligent in faithfulness? Now, our mindset regarding diligence and faithfulness is essential in determining how effectively we triumph over Satan and the world and our own human nature. It affects our effectiveness in overcoming sin, and not only does it affect your own morale, it affects the morale of the church.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

We must use more vigilance and diligence than we use over anything else to keep our heart full of the wisdom from above. Or in other words, faithful.

In Proverbs, the heart regularly refers to the center of one's inner life and the orientation to God from which we do all thinking, feeling, and choosing. Taking words of wisdom into our heart is vital to life and wisdom's presence in the heart is worth regarding because out of the heart flow all the thoughts, words, and choices of our life.

Now, the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we are to be strong. He also tells us the way we must be strong. But this is not to be confused with the world's version of being strong. Their strength is in their own self-confidence, which is a weakened and fading strength without a real foundation. So Paul writes in,

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

And you know that verse as the beginning of the description of the armor of God.

How can we be strong in Jesus Christ and in the power of His strength? This is another way of saying, "Keep your heart with all diligence." Paul does not tell us to do nothing. Quite the contrary, he tells us to exert ourselves with all our might, but that the power given to us to do so is from Jesus and that we must learn increasingly how to rely on that power.

But these two things must always be taken together. Not that we do nothing and He does everything. Not that we do everything and only ask for a little help and encouragement. It is neither of those things, neither of those alternatives. It is a matter that we accomplish nothing spiritually and He accomplishes everything spiritually, but we must be diligent in what is required of us. God's covenant with us has obligations and conditions and it is a perfect bond of His power and our diligence. And He gives us the spiritual power that enables our right action.

So let us look at a number of scriptures which prove this unity of our diligence and His power. There are certain terms used in the Scriptures which show the perfect blending of the two and how the two come together. So please turn over to Hebrews 2, verse 1. In the second chapter to the Hebrews, Paul explains how because Jesus was to be the Captain of our salvation, He took to Himself human nature. And because the children are flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same.

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him [that is, Jesus Christ], for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Here, the apostle Paul uses one of the great titles of Jesus. Using the Greek word archegos, he calls Him the Captain, the Author, the Founder, or the Pioneer. Now, the same word is used of Jesus in Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

At its simplest, archegos means head or chief. A general is the head of his army. It can mean founder or originator. So it is used of the founder of a city or of a family and it can be used in the sense of source or origin. So a good governor is said to be the archegos of peace, but a bad governor is the archegos of confusion.

One basic idea clings to the word in all its uses. An archegos is one who begins something in order that others may enter it. He founds a city in order that others may someday dwell in it. An archegos is one who blazes a trail for others to follow.

William Barclay uses this analogy to illustrate the word archegos. "Suppose a ship is on the rocks and the only way to rescue it is for someone to swim ashore with a line in order that, once the line is secured, others might follow. The one who is the first to swim ashore will be the archegos of the safety of the others."

So this is what Paul means when he says that Jesus is the archegos of our salvation.

Now, the verb translated "make perfect" there in verse 10 of chapter 2 of Hebrews is teleioun, which comes from the adjective teleios, which is usually translated perfect or complete. But in the New Testament, teleios has a very special meaning. It has nothing to do with abstract or metaphysical or philosophic perfection. It is used, for example, of an animal which is unblemished and fit to be offered as a sacrifice. It is used of a scholar who is no longer at the elementary stage but mature. It is used of a human being or an animal who is full grown. It is used of a Christian who is baptized.

The basic meaning of teleios in the New Testament is always that the thing or person described in this way fully carries out the purpose for which it was designed. Therefore, the verb teleioun means not only so much to make perfect as to make fully adequate for the task for which it is designed. So what Paul is saying is that through suffering Jesus was made fully acceptable and able for the task to of being the Captain, the Author, the Pioneer of our salvation.

Why is this so important? Now back to Hebrews 2. It was through His sufferings that He was really identified with human beings. Paul quotes three Old Testament texts as forecasts of this identity with mankind. Psalm 22:22; Isaiah 8:17, and Isaiah 8:18.

Hebrews 2:11-13 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You." And again: "I will put My trust in Him." And again: "Here I am and the children whom God has given Me."

So if Jesus had come into the world in a form in which He could never have suffered, He would have been very different from humans and so would neither be able to identify with them nor lead the way as the Captain, Author, and Pioneer of our salvation. And through His sufferings, Jesus Christ identified Himself with mankind.

Now, through this identity, Jesus sympathizes with human beings and He literally feels with us. It is almost impossible to truly understand another person's sorrows and sufferings unless we have been through them ourselves. Imagine the death of a loved one that you have been through. How would you understand how that felt to someone else who has lost a loved one? You can feel it more deeply because you have suffered the same thing.

A person without a trace of nerves has no conception of the tortures of nervousness. A person who is perfectly physically fit has no conception of the weariness of a person who is easily tired or the pain of a person who is never free from pain. A person who has never suffered from incapacitating headaches cannot comprehend the resulting cloudiness of mind and distraction of head pain. A person who learns easily cannot really understand why someone who is slow finds things so difficult. A person who has never experienced the death of a child cannot understand the pain and sorrow of the heart of the person into whose life that grief has come. And a person who has never loved can never understand either the sudden glory or the aching loneliness in the lover's heart.

So before we can have sympathy, we must go through the same things that the other person has gone through. And that is precisely what Jesus did and that is why we suffer with Christ so that we can understand as Jesus understands.

Because He sympathizes, Jesus can really help. He has met our sorrows and He has faced our temptations and as a result, He knows exactly what help we need and He can give it at the right time.

Hebrews 2:14-18 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. [And a special look at verse 16 here] For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but 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, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Jesus was not only ready to suffer but actually did suffer. Having come as a man and in the likeness of sinful flesh without the sin, He was Himself subject to temptations. And the reason for this is given: "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." So He does not take the battle from us. He does not tell us to hand it all over to Him even though He has been through it. He usually will not fight our battles for us completely. But He does make sure that we receive victory out of them as we do our part.

Rather, it is that He does give aid to the seed of Abraham and the members of the church. And He is able to aid us when we are tempted. Simply put, He helps us. He does not take it completely out of our hands so that we do nothing but abide and reap the fruits of his victory.

On the contrary, He, having gone through all this experience and having been made perfect in His suffering, and having learned obedience through that which He suffered, is now in the position in which He can aid and He can help us in the best way because He has gone through it. He has suffered as a human being suffered. He can sustain, He can hold us who are still being tempted. The word "aid" is enough in and of itself to show the true explanation of the text that we are considering.

Now there the two come together. We are involved in this fight with Satan and Christ comes and aids us because of what He himself has experienced.

Please turn to Romans 8, verse 26. His sufferings were a part of His preparation for His work. He has been appointed to be a faithful High Priest, not only in representing us to God, but also in helping us here on earth. And thus, we are told that He aids us, but not that He does it all instead of us. Sometimes He does, but sometimes He does not. We do not hand it over; we fight and He aids us; He comes to our aid. And the apostle Paul makes a similar statement here in Romans 8.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

So Paul tells us that Christ, the Holy Spirit, does not take the problem from us because we are sick. But Christ, the Holy Spirit, helps our infirmities. He does not take it all from us. We do not hand it all over to Him. We do not sit silent while Christ prays for us. No, He helps us. He comes to our aid.

Now He does go as our Advocate to God the Father and plead our case. But what I am saying here is that, for example, some of you have been sick recently and you have been sick for a long time. Some have had cancer, some do have cancer. And God and Christ are not just healing people right off the bat or just taking it away immediately, because there are lessons to learn and things that we have to do in the works part of faith. But He is there and nothing can happen to us beyond that unless He allows it. So in all senses, He is our healer but that does not mean that His healing is going to be immediate. Every time the healing is at least of the mind from these things that we suffer and go through in the way of sickness and cancer because God is in a sense, healing our mind. He is developing our character. He is perfecting us, completing us, readying for our resurrection.

So there is much that He does and generally speaking, He does everything, but we still have our part to play in it. He wants problem solvers in the Kingdom. He does not want people that are just going to put their feet up, kick back, and not worry about anything as far as having to do anything. We all have to do the works part of faith and that is part of the covenant that we are required to complete or be involved in.

Take another example, this time from II Corinthians 12 where the apostle Paul is describing his experience and vision.

II Corinthians 12:7-8 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

Here, Paul tells us that he was given a thorn in the flesh so that he would not think more highly of himself than he ought to think. He prayed three times asking God to take this burden away. But the reply he received was this:

II Corinthians 12:9 And He [the Lord] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

In other words, "My grace, the grace that I will give you, will be sufficient for you to go through and do this work you have to do, even though the thorn in the flesh still remains." So the thorn was not taken out of him. He still had to struggle with it, but he was given grace and that grace was sufficient. So Paul said, "For my strength is made perfect in weakness."

God's grace is the dynamic of salvation. Grace expresses more than gifts given by God. It is present in the forgiveness of sin. But far more than that, it is essential to the entire process of our salvation. Grace gives grace to the called of God, whatever is necessary to enable us to succeed for God's purpose. And so grace gives us help. It helps us in time of need. It helps us to have humility and it helps us to serve others.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

And then the third scripture I wanted to give to you is,

I Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

God gives us grace so that we may continue to fellowship with Him. It is an enabler for salvation to be possible and grace's foundation and source are in God. And it is the single most important aspect of our spiritual and eternal salvation. So grace is a gift in the sense that God's giving of it is completely and totally unearned and unmerited. But it is not simply a gift. Even though God's grace is the foundation for good works, the good works by themselves do not and cannot earn us grace.

Christ's strength and our weakness come together. We still must go on in our weakness, but His grace and His strength are sufficient.

Turn back to the end of II Corinthians 12, verse 9.

II Corinthians 12:9 Therefore most gladly I [Paul] will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

So that power of Christ rests upon us and in this way, we are enabled to continue. This is how grace is sufficient.

II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak [that is, physically], that I am strong [spiritually].

Now, that sounds paradoxical, but it is true. When I am weak, then I am strong. We still must go on in our weakness and doing all He is calling us to do, what He enables us to continue with our work.

Let us turn over to Philippians 2, verse 12. Philippians 2 is in many ways a key to this principle. It is a blending of the two aspects.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Paul's exhortation contradicts the "let go and let God do it" philosophy. Here in verses 12 and 13, the two sides are brought together. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. It is an extremely difficult duty and can only be done with the help of Jesus Christ.

Now, who is sufficient for these things? Who can do this? Well, the answer is obvious, you already know. It is God that works in you both to will and to do. The two things come together and are not separate in the false way that many in mainstream Christianity believe.

Let us continue by looking at another statement in which the apostle Paul tells us about himself and the way in which he lived God's way of life.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

To some people the apostle Paul seems to be contradicting each statement he makes. But what he is doing is showing both sides of the principle that answers who is working. He uses this method of writing to make us think about these things and to save us from the spirit of error. He says, I have been crucified with Christ. What does that mean?

Most mainstream Christians believe the wrong teaching, that Paul ceased doing anything, that he was finished with his struggle in life because Paul goes on to say, "It is no longer I but Christ lives in me." We cannot fall short of a complete understanding of Paul's statement here. It seems to say only that I am no longer doing anything, but that is not the whole story. Paul continues, "in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." So we are living in this life in terms of our faith in God and what He has done for us and what He will do.

Paul does not leave out either side. If we say we have to do it all ourselves, we are wrong. Or if we say we do nothing and He does everything, then we are wrong. If we are talking about the physical aspect of things, yes. Spiritually, everything relies on Jesus Christ and God the Father. We live in the flesh and Christ lives in us and thereby enables us to live this righteous life in the flesh.

We live and Christ lives in us. He made a covenant with us. A covenant is a binding agreement and in an agreement, both sides have responsibility of upholding the agreement.

Now go over two chapters to Philippians 4. In the latter part of his letter to the Philippians, Paul thanked them for the gift the Philippians sent to him in prison. Nevertheless, he credited Christ with empowering him with the strength to bear up under hardships.

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So Paul is saying there he can do things but it is Christ that strengthens him. And as long as Christ strengthens him, he can do whatever needs to be done. Paul says he can do all things but he is enabled to do all things only through Christ who strengthens him. Christ is strengthening him, infusing spiritual power into him, but it is Paul with Christ's help who knows both how to be abased and how to abound.

Paul did not hand it all over and become a sitting spectator passively abiding. He was involved. He was the one who was patiently enduring these things. But the glory of it is that he was enabled to do all these things through Christ who strengthened him. The power was put into him and he was armored with a spiritual armor. The tasks were not yet taken out of his hands, but he was enabled to do them because he was being armor-plated in this way.

Please turn over to Acts 18, verse 9. Let us take a moment to look at some of the apostle Paul's personal experiences which illustrate this principle in a somewhat more objective way. Paul endured many very trying experiences. Some of them are recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 18:9-10 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city."

So Paul was being threatened, but verses 9 and 10 record God's assurance of help. This is how His gift of strength works. Paul was made strong by the vision and assurances that were given to him. He still had to go on with his preaching, but he was assured in this special way that he was not left to himself and that God would be with Him to strengthen him.

Turn over to a few chapters to Acts 23. There is a similar example in Acts 23 regarding a plot by the Jerusalem Jews against Paul. He told the council that his conscience was clear before God, for which the high priest Ananias wanted him slapped. Paul had called Ananias a hypocrite for judging him and at the same time breaking Jewish law by illegally commanding him to be struck on the mouth. But Paul had not known that Ananias was the high priest. Then Paul realized there were both Pharisees and Sadducees there. And knowing that one group believes in the resurrection of the dead and the other did not, Paul shifted the focus off himself and on to the issue of the hope of the resurrection. This caused such up such uproar between the two factions that the commander feared that Paul would be pulled to pieces by them. So he had Paul forcibly removed from the inquisition and taken to the barracks.

Acts 23:11-13 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

So Christ manifested Himself to him and spoke to him. As a result, he was filled with strength to continue his testimony, his witness. Having this assurance, he was able to do so. He has to do it and he will do it more confidently in the strength of this great power that Jesus Christ promised him.

And there is also that very dramatic story in Acts 27 in connection with the shipwreck of Paul and his companions on the way to Rome. Notice especially in verses 23 and 25 of chapter 27. The situation was becoming quite desperate and they had even thrown the tackling of the ship overboard. However, over four chapters to Acts 27. We will read verses 20 through 25.

Acts 27:20-25 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me."

How is he able to speak with confidence? The answer is obvious. There they all were at their wits end, the captain, the sailors, and everyone else completely distraught and desperate, shipwreck expected any moment—the end, disaster and loss of life. Why was Paul able to say with confidence, "Take heart, men."? The King James version and many other Bible versions translate his words as, "Be of good cheer." The Amplified Version says, "Keep up your courage, men."

What enables him to overcome these circumstances in this way? They proceed to do certain things themselves. They do not just let the ship drift, they attend to many necessary things. Paul was made strong by the word that was given to him and he in turn was able to make his fellow voyagers strong by passing on this assurance to them. They had given up hope, they were desperate. But as Paul's words from God gave them assurance, they became capable of dealing with the situation.

Now, we get the same assurance from the Word of God when we read the Scriptures. And that is why we have to read the Scriptures every day and gain that assurance from God that He has our good health and our protection in the palm of His hand.

Please turn with me to II Timothy 4. Now let us look at yet another example from Paul's experience. In his last epistle, writing in the second epistle to Timothy, Paul mentions his "first answer." He refers to his first defense at his trial. Now, the legal procedure then was very similar to the way it is now. The case would be started and then there would be an adjournment, then another appearance.

II Timothy 4:16-17 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Notice the sequence of events, always in the same order: God strengthens us. He does not take the problem out of our hands so that we do nothing. Paul's assurance came from the knowledge that, in his words, "the Lord stood with me and strengthened me." So Jesus makes us powerful and mighty and strong and capable of fighting and of wrestling. He does not take the action out of our hands all the time. Sometimes He will.

Now, how does He stand by us? How does He strengthen us? Christ is in us by the indwelling of His Spirit.

I John 3:24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

So God the Father has given us Jesus Christ as an assurance. And one of the most significant words in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ describes the efforts of the saints when they are attacked by the enemy, the adversary, the old dragon, the serpent, the Devil. None of them complimentary titles.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him [that is, Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they [the saints] did not love their lives to the death.

Those saints willingly gave up their lives. They overcame him, that is, Satan, not he was overcome for them. And this is very significant. They overcame the Devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And the saints did not love their lives to the death. Very concisely and plainly stated.

How do the saints overcome the Devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony? Simply stated, they put into practice the apostle James's exhortation, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The saints do not just sit back and let Christ overcome Satan for them. Nevertheless, the spiritual strength to overcome Satan ultimately comes from God, but we have to bear up under trial, under testing, and other things like that. And sometimes that means even unto death.

We hold on to the truth and we fight the deceits of the Devil. We are enabled to conquer Satan, to overcome him, to be more than conquerors over him. We are to resist him and he will flee from us as long as we do so in this right way, and the right way according to James is first, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

We have something there we have to do. It is clear then that we are involved. Our actions must continue and go on diligently. Our efforts must increase. But Christ will enable us more and more.

Now, here comes the practical question. How does all this work out in practice? What exactly are we to do in actual practice? Well, some of the things I have told you. We have to realize and understand and actively apply what the assurance relates to. If you and I wrestle triumphantly against Satan and all his powers, the first essential is assurance of salvation.

There is no hope for us in this conflict unless we know God's power and God's might. It gets down to conviction. Are we convicted that we have God's assurance of salvation? Are we hopeful or do we prefer that it be that way? But if we are uncertain about our relationship to Him, we cannot stand and withstand in the fight against supernatural influences. In other words, an essential key to victory over Satan is the assurance of salvation. And this directly concerns our relationship to God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Believing in that assurance of salvation in one word is faithfulness. We cannot have an intimate relationship with someone who we cannot trust and in whom we have little or no confidence. In other words, the saints overcome Satan by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the word of the saints' testimony. We cannot give a good testimony about someone if we do not know where we stand regarding our relationship to Jesus Christ. It is only the one who is certain who can give a good testimony and who can be a true witness.

God communicates with the saints through His Spirit about His assurance of salvation. Paul wrote in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." So by assurance, we are made strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. How does that work?

Please turn over to with me to Nehemiah 8, verse 9. Ezra was a man who had to face very great difficulties. He had to face the problem of reconstruction after the destruction of Jerusalem, after the sacking of the city, and the carrying away of the people. When he was sent back to Jerusalem, everything was a mass of ruins, complete chaos. And here was a man facing a tremendous task with enemies all around, attacking. It hardly gets more dire than that. Hopefully, we will not see that in this nation. But who knows what prophecy holds for us?

Ezra makes one of the most profound remarks from the practical standpoint in the whole of Scripture. He says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:9-10 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day [this was the Feast of Trumpets] is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Put in a negative way, Ezra in effect was saying, "While you are miserable and unhappy and uncertain you will never succeed and will be totally defeated."

There is no limit to the number of examples by which this can be illustrated. In fact, we all know this by experience. We wake up one morning and find ourselves feeling unhappy and miserable and then we have an inkling of the type of day we think we are going to have. We have an ominous feeling that nothing is going to go right today. And I should add an essential truth here that most of the time morning prayer with God will change the course the day seems to be taking. That is always the solution. Otherwise we may go through the day with an oppressive mental blanket over us. The day to day work will be difficult and full of problems. We have to start the day out right. But we begin to wonder whether we are up to the challenge, whether we should go away for a while. The anxiety just keeps wearing us down.

But on the contrary, when we are happy, our work gives little or no unsolvable trouble. We just run through it. Everybody has experienced this. Our personal condition will determine the way we do our work. A spouse who has domestic troubles leaves home, having had an argument over certain problems. How can he face his work and his job with joy? He cannot, he is already defeated for that day until he snaps himself out of it or he goes to God in prayer. But if he begins his day with prayer and strengthening with his relationship with God, and if everything is well and happy at home, most things are fine at work. This is obvious to everyone.

Ezra says to those people in Jerusalem, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." He is telling them to start out the rest of their day with an attitude of joy. There is nothing to compare with joy. If we are happy and all is well, we will go through our work easily. Challenges will be overcome or at least put in their proper perspective.

The joy of the Lord puts strength into us, but puts power into us also. And as we near the end of this age, this assurance of faith will be so essential that no one will survive without it. That is, no church member will survive without it.

Matthew 24:24 [predicts] "For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

So how is it possible for assurance to energize a person when a problem is still there? We are human beings, not machines. A person is a complex amalgam. We have the same nerves, the same muscles, and the same brain. We are always the same throughout physically. But that is not a complete description of a human being.

There is a kind of electricity in a person as well and we cannot measure it perfectly. We only know a limited amount about it but it is there. And suddenly, when this electricity is generated, it charges everything else and we are twice the person that we were before. So from a strictly physical point of view, we are the same person, but in practice, we are not the same person at all. We are much stronger, everything is keyed up, we are energized, we are ready for anything, and we can do things which we could not possibly have done when we were miserable and doubtful. And that is just on the physical level.

This is seen in all levels and types of sports, especially team sports such as football and basketball. When a team loses heart, it loses the game. This is one of the reasons schools and universities have pep rallies. They energize the fans and the players and often this energizing effect can be maintained throughout most of the game.

But in our spiritual battle, we need this energy all the way to the end of our lives, not just for one day. And that is the very thing the apostle Paul is emphasizing in Ephesians 6:10, "My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." And what Ezra is saying in the Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

We have to be spiritually energized. And when we work to make our call and election sure, we become energized with the Holy Spirit. As we do this more and more, we find that we are filled with the strength we need.

Turn over to Acts 20, verse 22. We have to believe and understand the assurances God has promised or we are already defeated. And there was another statement about the same thing by the apostle Paul in,

Acts 20:22-23 And see, now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.

He was obviously going to have to go through quite a bit. So here we see Paul in a situation that could not be much worse. Satan and all his forces are arrayed against him and are using communities and individuals and Jews and Romans alike to provide bonds and afflictions for the apostle Paul. But listen to what he says in verse 24,

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

So Paul is not frightened. He is not intimidated despite the warnings of trouble. His only complaint is against his friends who were weeping and pleading with him not to go forward. All Paul wants to do is to finish his race with joy.

We cannot finish this spiritual race in a negative attitude. We cannot finish it if we are discouraged., We cannot finish it if we are apathetic. We can only finish it if we have joy and that joy is driven or given to us by the assurance of God that we have salvation and that we are children of God.

Paul rejoiced in his ministry, his joy was in God. He rejoiced in the fact that he who had been a blasphemer and a persecutor and an injurious person was now an evangelist and an apostle of Christ. Each one of you who are baptized in God's church are ambassadors for Christ and your citizenship is in heaven. What could go wrong from there?

We have that assurance, but we have to fulfill that responsibility with God's help. All this drives us to the conclusion that if we are in any kind of doubt or uncertainty, if our beliefs are mere preferences regarding our salvation, then Satan is on the verge of defeating us. We must receive this assurance of our salvation which God has given us.

If Satan has us discouraged, he is attempting to cut off the source of supply, the source of energy and of power and of life. And a very scary thought is that if he is attempting to defeat us with regard to our assurance of salvation, obviously he is trying to defeat us us everywhere else in our lives. He knows exactly what buttons to push with us. He knows exactly where the holes in the hedge around us are that God is protecting us with.

If you are discouraged, uncommitted, or indifferent, there is only one way to recover. You must accept God's assurance, you must have a purpose for conviction, and you must become diligent about your absolute certainty regarding God's gift of salvation and eternal life.

We hear complaints in the ministry from people. You know, they do not like this and they do not like that. They get tired of our sermons or they want us to do other things. They go beyond discouragement and they become dissatisfied. Dissatisfied is the worst way to go because dissatisfaction leads to other things that are worse. And one of those things is bitterness. But we must not allow ourselves to be dissatisfied with what God has prepared for us.

In other words, we must realize that we are children of God. We are unique in that way. And the mere realization of that fact is one of the greatest sources of encouragement and joy we can have.

Turn over to Ezra 8, please. Let me give you two illustrations of this. One in Ezra and the other in Nehemiah.

Ezra had asked the king for a certain number of people and provisions to go back to Jerusalem to start the work of reconstruction. They arrived at a critical point and Ezra hesitated for a moment. He realized the difficulties; how that there were enemies waiting and ready to attack. And his first instinct was to send a messenger to the king in Babylon and ask him for an escort of soldiers to accompany them and to defend them and to safeguard them from attack of the enemy. But he suddenly said to himself, "I can't do that." So instead of sending a messenger to the king to ask for an escort of soldiers, he says, "I proclaim a fast, for I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers." Why was he ashamed?

Ezra 8:21-22 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him."

Ezra had been on the verge of sending the message asking for this military escort and so on. But suddenly he says, "I can't do that because of what I've already said to the king about the power of my God." He had told the king that they were going on a dangerous trip. So the king replied, "Do you think that's wise?" To which Ezra basically replied, "It will be alright." And then the king said, "What if the enemies attack you?" To which Ezra countered, "All will be well."

Ezra had said to the pagan king, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him." "We are children of God and our God is almighty." But Ezra was human, and then later, a temporary feeling of fear had arisen and Ezra almost gave in. But he says, "I can't ask for soldiers. I am one of God's people and I have told the king so and I have claimed great things in the name of God. Okay then, we do not ask for troops. We will call for a fast and get back in contact with God and then set out."

So even Ezra fell short for a moment, hopefully for a twinkling of an eye, so to speak. But he saw his wrong, he saw that he had boasted about his God and then that quick had a loss of faith in Him. So we are thankful that he was able to turn around. That knowledge made him strong. He was no longer a defeatist and he went forward on his way triumphantly.

Now turn over to Nehemiah 6. The second illustration involves Nehemiah. Nehemiah was also engaged in the same work as we find him mentioned in Nehemiah 6. A critical moment had come in the reconstruction work in Jerusalem. They had started building the wall but there were enemies looking on and jeering at them and threatening to come in and to destroy it all. And they had to work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other and there was a constant watch day and night.

I cannot imagine the amount of stress that they were under. Imagine working in your backyard (they were working in the city) with trowel in one hand and something that will protect yourself in the other. Well, thankfully, we have learned that we have Jesus Christ to protect us and that we do not have to have a weapon to protect us.

So the situation was very desperate. Then a supposed friend of Nehemiah came to him and tried to pressure him to take some measures to protect himself since he was their leader.

Nehemiah 6:10-13 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer [the conspiracy continues here], and he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you." And I said [this is Nehemiah speaking], "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

What saved Nehemiah is that he knows who and what he is with respect to God. Should such a man as I flee? Is he just a great egotist? Or is he guilty of overestimating his worth? No, not at all. He acknowledges that it would be a sin to be afraid. Fear is a lack of love for God. It is a lack of trust in God. It is faithlessness. In Romans 14:23 Paul says, "Whatever is not of faith is sin."

So as soon as he remembers who he is, that is, Nehemiah, he is assured of salvation. That is, as soon as he straightened out his mental attitude, God gave him discernment and assurance. The advice he had gotten from Shemaiah is not characteristic of God. It is not consistent with God's way.

Nehemiah recognized this. He remembers who he is. He is God's servant. Should such a man as I flee? The moment he stood on that essential fact that he was a man of God, it was given to him to see that God had never sent this messenger at all, but that it was Tobiah and Sanballat, his enemies, who had by a conspirator plot engaged a man to act as traitor in order to defeat Nehemiah.

So Nehemiah gets his victory, loses his fear, and is more than a conqueror. Why? Simply on the knowledge of the fact that he is a man of God. That is the beginning of being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. In other words, he had faith, absolute faith.

Please turn over to II Peter 1, verse 10. Let us begin to wrap this up. As we realize and truly understand who we are and what we are, we are already far on the way to certain victory over Satan and the world and our own human nature. If we are children of God, then God has given us the assurance of salvation. Knowing this truth is faith and faith is an act of belief. It is knowing God exists and the dynamic trust in His Word, Jesus Christ. So we must get up and work with God to make our own call and election sure.

II Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; . . .

That is quite a guarantee. I mean, we are advised in life to hardly ever to use the words never or always because they are so hard to be perfectly met. But here he says, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.

II Peter 1:11 . . . so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The word "make" in verse 10 is in the middle voice grammatically and thus implies to make for oneself, to make it happen, starting with our positive and active response to God's call.

The original word for "sure" in verse 10 is used of confirming something, as in the legal terminology of validating a will. So a Christian by growing in grace and knowledge becomes assured of salvation, that is, elected by God.

Peter's emphasis is on our response. We must diligently respond in faith to God's gracious working. Peter has already told us what our response should be. And Peter has already written in verse 5 that we are to make every effort as Christians. In verses 5 through 9, he gives overall principles in eight areas in which growth is required. This is just a partial list, but this is definitely an important one.

II Peter 1:5-9 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

So Peter shows in this partial list of Christian virtues that although it is essentially important, not even affection for the brethren is enough in and of itself. We have to have a love as deeply committed as that love of God which caused Him to sacrifice His Son to prepare the way of our salvation.

It is our responsibility to be true witnesses of to all mankind of the love which God has shown to us. And this means the fruit of love must be evident in our everyday lives. God is not looking for partial commitment. He is not hoping we will occasionally come to worship Him when we feel like it. He does not say "thank you so much for coming to worship Me." He commands us to be here unless you are sick and you are going to cause damage to someone else.

Peter's serious concern is that we take the responsibility to diligently continue in faith to the end of our lives. We must be deeply grounded within the same hope that Jesus and the apostles displayed. And now we must be even more diligent because of the onslaught of distractions from the corrupting society surrounding us.

The apostle Paul explained to God's church in Colossians 1, verse 29 that his efforts in serving the church were thanks to God working through him. He writes,

Colossians 1:29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

We must be all the more eager to make our call and election sure. And the acid test of the genuineness of our faith is that either we make costly life changes or we treat overcoming sin and the judgment to follow as irrelevant to our call. We are apathetic.

The wonderful truth that God has called us into His church to prepare us for eternal life is not a mere abstract matter of philosophy by which there is no need of any response apart from intellectual acknowledgement. Rather, the evidence that we have been called and chosen is the energy, the effort, the diligence that we put into making our call and election sure.

When you are asked to serve in the church or help with something, do you decline or do you say, "Yes, I can't wait to do it!" We do need in the church people who want to do things such as call other brethren, widows around the world who need fellowship or need encouragement. We need people to look out for the good of others farther distance than just a small group that we have. We have to think beyond that. Who needs help? And pray for the people in Colorado who are facing the fires and all the people around the world who are being subverted by what is going on with this COVID thing—

So that we may say about all our trials and tribulations, "The Lord stood with me and strengthened me."

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