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[0:00] If you will take your sheet, we are at verse 31 on 11K, and just a brief word of explanation.

[0:11] You see each verse that begins with bold print, bold dark print. That simply indicates that it is the King James Version. The bold print is there, and it's kind of like the lead version.

[0:24] And then there are other translations, by way of abbreviation, that are listed right below that. And some of them shed a little bit of different light on the text than what was found in the King James Version.

[0:37] And then some of you have Bibles with different translations of your own, and that's fine. You just work off of that. And we do appreciate the fact that, I don't know, we've never actually taken a toll, but there are probably a half dozen different churches represented here with your backgrounds.

[0:56] And we are grateful for your presence with us. And we just kind of submerge the church that we're from into oblivion while we're here, because we're not interested in any particular denomination.

[1:09] We just want to study the word together, and that's why we're here. So we are grateful for your presence. Also, I want to point out, especially for the sake of the visitors, that very frequently we have an open type discussion.

[1:23] And, guys, if you'll excuse me, even if you won't excuse me, I'm going to have to sit down. My sciatica just told me to be seated. Now, where was I?

[1:37] Oh, yes. So, I want you to feel free to interrupt anything that I have to say, and no one will think that you are discourteous, because we are here to pursue the truth.

[1:50] And if you have a comment or a question that just won't wait, by all means, raise your hand. And if I don't see your hand, just start talking. And if you start talking, I'll stop and listen to what you have to say or a question that you may have.

[2:06] Our main business here is to simply explore the scriptures and explore the truth that God has been gracious enough to reveal to us. And that's what we're pursuing.

[2:17] So anything you can do to help along that line, you are welcome. So we are in chapter 11 of Hebrews. It's taken us a while, but we have gotten to verse 31.

[2:28] And this is another historical example that is provided for us simply to demonstrate that God is capable, able, and deserving of our trust, of our reliance upon him.

[2:43] And all of these historical examples that are given in Hebrews 11, commonly referred to as the Hall of Faith, are designed to shore up our belief by providing additional evidence.

[2:54] And each time in the lives of all of these individuals, we can see how God chose to come through and why. And the details regarding it.

[3:05] And our first example here in verse 31 is a lady by the name of Rahab. I guess we would call her a lady of the night or a lady of the evening, applying the world's oldest profession.

[3:16] At least that's what most commentators are convinced of that the text is saying. And that she is receiving these two spies that have been sent out to kind of spy out the land.

[3:29] This is a reconnaissance project that these two spies are on. And as the children of Israel are about to enter the promised land, these two spies are sent out to kind of conduct a reconnaissance and see what is involved.

[3:42] And the text goes on and says in verse 31, by faith. Does anybody remember the words that we expressed, that we recommended that you translate this term by faith?

[3:56] Anybody remember? Okay. Okay. Every time you see these two words in Hebrews 11, by faith, by faith, by faith Abraham, by faith Sarah, by faith Joseph.

[4:10] Every time you see that, if you think in terms of because he believed God, that's what he did. By faith Noah built an ark.

[4:23] And it simply means because he believed what God told him, he built an ark. And that's exactly what God wants from us today.

[4:33] Except he is not speaking to us directly, like he spoke to Noah, like he spoke to others in the Old Testament. He speaks to us now through his word, which is complete.

[4:47] And we believe we have a completed revelation. And if anyone approaches you today and says, God told me, you need to be very, very leery of that.

[5:00] Because that, in essence, is adding to the revelation that God has given in his word, which we consider a completed document.

[5:12] God is not speaking to people today as he did back then. Now, people can have a burden. They can have a concern. They can have a cause in their mind, in their heart.

[5:26] And God may be leading them to do something. I'm not denying that at all. But so far as God's speaking to us, as he did in the Old Testament times, or even during the times of Christ, that's very suspect.

[5:38] Because, in the first place, when someone says, God spoke to me and told me, well, who are you to dispute that? I mean, you weren't there.

[5:49] You don't know. And the idea is, you are expected to take them at their word. And frankly, they just may be a misguided person. And sometimes that happens.

[6:00] And then, on the other hand, it may be somebody who is as phony as he can be. And he's just manipulating people. And he wants people to think that God speaks to him directly.

[6:11] And he can use that to control and manipulate people. And by the way, this is the basis for the founding of a lot of cults. When people believe that, oh, so and so, especially holy man, God speaks to him directly.

[6:26] Oh, well, and then what that means is, everything that person says, it is as if God said it. And you're obligated to believe it and go along with it.

[6:37] And there are naive souls who do that for various reasons. And this is the basis for most of the cultic activity that you see throughout the world today.

[6:49] So it's a grand tool for manipulating people. And in many cases, it works. And we all have the Jim Jones thing as an example, you know, years ago.

[7:00] So, by faith, because Rahab believed. And that's quite interesting because Rahab was a pagan.

[7:13] She lived there in Palestine in what would be the land of Israel. And she was engaged in the idol worship that all of these people were.

[7:24] She was caught up in it as well. But when she received information regarding the children of Israel, and by the way, what had happened and what God had done on behalf of the nation Israel preceded, by way of news and revelation, preceded the arrival of these two spies.

[7:47] She had already heard about it. And she had already become convinced that this God of Israel was certainly a different God than the one we serve.

[7:59] And she had already and will come to faith in the God of Israel. So let's read on. By faith. Yes, Tom. I read a footnote about something a long ago that surprised me.

[8:10] She turned out to be the great, great, great granddaughter of David. Yeah, absolutely. Mother. Great grandmother. Grandmother. Yeah. And her genealogy, she is included in the genealogy in Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 1.

[8:24] So it is remarkable that in the genealogy of our Lord, we have two pagan women who are involved in that bloodline.

[8:35] Rahab is one of them. Anybody remember the other? Ruth. Ruth the Moabitess. Absolutely. And she's going, of course, to marry Boaz.

[8:45] And Boaz will beget Obed. And Obed will beget Jesse. And Jesse will beget seven sons, one of whom is David the king.

[8:56] Beautiful. And then you leap forward another thousand years after David the king. And you arrive at Bethlehem and the birth of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

[9:07] And the genealogy of Mary is found in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 3. Genealogy of Joseph, who was the legal father, not the biological father, but the legal father of our Lord, is in Matthew, Chapter 1.

[9:22] So because she believed God, Rahab the harlot perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

[9:35] And basic English down below, this is abbreviated BAS. Because she had taken into her house in peace, that is, as opposed to hostility or rejection, those sent to see the land, after she had entertained the spies with friendliness, that's the 20th century New Testament, Moffat renders it as she had given a friendly welcome to the scouts.

[10:04] And, of course, that's the capacity in which they were serving. So she welcomed them. And we won't go back to that text in Joshua, because if we do, I know we'll be stuck there for the rest of the session.

[10:16] But it is a very dramatic thing, how that she hid the spies under the flaps that had already been harvested. And when the authorities came looking, they said, we heard that we've been compromised and there are spies in the land.

[10:30] Have you seen anybody? And Rahab says, well, yes, actually, there were a couple of guys here, and they went that-a-way. If you hurry, you might be able to find them. So they took off, and the two spies were spared from what would have surely been torture or execution, had they been found out.

[10:48] And as a result of Rahab hiding them, and the reason she hid them was because she believed. Now, what this means is, she did not believe in Christ as her Savior.

[11:01] He wasn't even to be born yet for another 1,500 years. But she believed the record that had preceded the spies, and she told them, she said, when the spies arrived, she said, we've heard about you and your people.

[11:17] And we have heard about what your God has done for you on your way here. So this news of Jehovah being the God of Israel and how he had miraculously protected his people and cared for them, that news had preceded them, and she is saying, hey, the God we serve doesn't do anything like that.

[11:41] Can't do anything like that. This must be the true God. And she came to that conviction, and it was largely on that basis that she was willing to hide them. She became what would be known as a believing Gentile, in the same way that Ruth, the Moabitess, who was the daughter of Naomi, believed.

[12:04] Remember when she made those statements that are used in a lot of weddings? Whither thou goest, I will go. And your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.

[12:18] That was nothing more than a statement of her faith in the God of Israel, as opposed to the God of the Moabites, whom she had earlier served.

[12:29] So in all practical terms, Ruth became a convert of Judaism, in the same way that Rahab has. And she becomes a believer.

[12:40] What did they believe? They simply believed the information that had been given them about the God of Israel. Did not believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

[12:52] Did not look forward to the cross. Didn't know anything like that. But what they did believe was what God had been pleased to reveal up to that time. And how many times have I told you guys, throughout the years, more than anything else, God wants to be believed.

[13:10] He wants to be trusted. He wants to be the recipient of your faith. And he goes on to say, in verse 33, And what shall I more say?

[13:21] In other words, where do we go from here? How can we add to that? For the time would fail me. I just don't have time to express everything that God has done in the past. To tell of Gideon, with his 300.

[13:35] Remember that? Gideon, from the book of Judges. And of Barak, and of Samson. All of these are from the book of Judges. And Jephthah. Of David also.

[13:46] And he's skipping through history here. David also. And Samuel. And of the prophets. Who, through faith. We could render that.

[13:58] Who, because they believe God. Subdued kingdoms. Wrought righteousness. Obtained promises. Stopped the mouths of lions.

[14:09] And of course, that's a reference to Daniel in the lion's den. Quenched the violence of fire. Escaped the edge of the sword. By the way.

[14:21] Not all of them escaped the edge of the sword. And let's read on. Escaped the edge of the sword. That's some of them. Out of weakness. Were made strong.

[14:33] That is, out of their human weakness and limitations. God added his power and strength to them for the task he had called them to do. So out of weakness were made strong.

[14:44] This is made strong by God. Waxed valiant in fight. Turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women.

[14:55] Women. Received their dead. Raised to life again. Thinking of Elijah. And the widow of Zarephath. Whose son had died.

[15:06] And he. Brought him back to life. On the basis of his having believed God. He restored life to the son of the widow of Zarephath. And others. Were tortured.

[15:17] Now wait a minute. Where was God. When they were being tortured. We read.

[15:29] In verse 4. Escaped the edge of the sword. That means God provided. Providential protection.

[15:40] For them. That they should not be slain by the sword. So where was he. While some were being tortured. Not accepting.

[15:52] Deliverance. And not accepting deliverance. Meant that. If they had. Submitted. To their captors. Requests. They could have been freed.

[16:04] Tell us what we want to know. And we will let you go. And some of them did not. They chose. To subject themselves.

[16:16] To the torture. And the violence. Rather than divulge the information. Not accepting. Deliverance. That they might obtain. A better.

[16:28] Resurrection. Now. I want you to think about that. And where is God. Here in the midst of some being miraculously delivered. Edwards. And some not.

[16:41] I want you to think about that. Because that's a very, very critical issue. Involved. Has to be. And we absolutely must make room.

[16:52] For one of the most outstanding things revealed in the Bible. And that is. The absolute. Sovereignty. Of God. Sometimes.

[17:02] God delivers. From death. Sometimes God delivers. Through death. But God always delivers.

[17:13] Now of course. We would prefer. To be delivered from death. We would prefer. Demonstration of the kind of miracles. That we're talking about here. But not even all of these.

[17:25] Receive. Deliverance. From death. Some. God. Actually. Allowed. To be tortured. Now this opens. A subject that is.

[17:37] So broad. And so wide. And so. Significant. We need to spend a little time here. And this is one of the. Issues that.

[17:48] We are using. As a kind of bonus. For radio listeners. In connection with. The sovereignty of God. And the issue that we are dealing with.

[18:01] And what comes to the surface here. Is. How do we account. How do we account. For the existence. Of the holy. Righteous.

[18:11] Benevolent God. And the existence. Of evil. How is it. That these. Coexist. If God.

[18:22] Is righteous. And good. How is it. That he is willing. To tolerate. The evil. That is in the world. Especially. If he is all.

[18:33] Powerful. Why. Doesn't he do something. About it. And let me ask you a question. Would you. If you could. Would. Yeah.

[18:46] I would too. If. If you were. All. Powerful. And all. Wise. And all. Good. And had the ability. Wouldn't you.

[18:58] Intervene. To prevent. A little. Four year old. Girl. From being. Raped. By a monster. Wouldn't you. Protect her. From that.

[19:08] But God. Is a lot. More powerful. And stronger. Than you are. Why. Doesn't he. Why.

[19:18] Doesn't God. Intervene. And prevent. People. From. Cutting off. One another's. Heads. Where is God. If he's supposed. To be all.

[19:28] Powerful. And all good. How can you. Account. For his. Being willing. To allow. This. To go on. Where. Is. God. When these. Things happen.

[19:40] Question. Yeah. Really. Yeah.

[19:59] Okay. Okay. Yeah. Joe. One thing. God. Is not. Ruin. This. World. Safety. Is. Ruin. This. World. He's. The. God. Of. This. World.

[20:10] Now. God. Is. Of. Of. This. World. Of. This. World. This. World. Safety. Allowing. Satan. To. Have. His. Rome. Right. Now. So. That's. Why. All. The.

[20:20] Evil. Goes. On. Okay. Satan. Is. The. Ruler. Of. This. World. He. Is. The. God. Of. This. Age. Second. Corinthians. Four. The. God. Of. This. World. Has. Blinded. The. Minds. Of. Those. That.

[20:30] Believe. Not. So. He. Is. He. Is. In. A. Sense. Calling. The. Shots. Someone. Has. Described. Satan. Like. A. Mad. Dog. On. A. Leash. But.

[20:41] He. Can. Go. No. Further. Than. What. The. Leash. Allows. And. God. Is. The. One. Controlling. Belish. So. Why. Does. God. Allow. Satan. To. Do. Evil. Things. And.

[20:51] The. Question. Is. Why. Does. He. Allow. You. Or. Me. To. Do. Things. That. Are. Contrary. To. His. Will. Simply. Because. God.

[21:01] Has. Endowed. Us. With. An. Incredible. Ability. Called. Volition. It. Is. The. Human. Will. And.

[21:11] When. God. Granted. The. Power. Of. Volition. To. Our. First. Parents. It. Literally. Open. A. Pandora's. Box. For. Evil. And.

[21:23] It. Surfaces. With. The. First. Child. Born. Who. Murders. His. Own. Brother. And. The. Human. Race. Is. Off. To. A. Very. Ugly. Start. Think.

[21:33] About. That. This. Is. A. Powerful. Thing. When. We. Exercise. Our. Volition. It. Is. To. Do. Good. Or. To. Do. Ill. And. This. Thing. Called.

[21:44] A. Human. Will. Or. Volition. That. Each. Of. Us. Has. Becomes. The. Basis. For. Our. Accountability. Before. God. Because. We.

[21:54] Are. Free. Moral. Agents. We. Have. A. Will. You. Can. Do. Wrong. And. You. Can. Do. Right.

[22:04] And. It. Is. The. Wrong. Doing. In. This. World. That. Makes. Things. Pretty. Ugly. Very. Painful. Very. Difficult. Very. Disappointing.

[22:15] Very. Frustrating. That's. Because. Guys. We. Live. In. A. Fallen. World. This. World. Is. Not. As. It. Ought. To. Be. It.

[22:25] Is. As. It. Has. Become. Through. The. Fall. And. The. Evil. That. Is. Connected. And. Listen. If. God. Intervened. In. All. Of. These. Negative. Painful.

[22:36] Situations. That. Throws. The. Whole. Concept. Of. Volition. Into. A. Cocked. Hat. Really. Then. It. Neutralizes. Volition. Now.

[22:47] There's. No. Question. There. Are. Times. And. There. Have. Been. Many. Many. Times. Through. History. As. We've. Just. Seen. Where. God. Did. Intervene. Miraculously. And.

[22:58] Protected. Or. Provided. For. Whatever. Was. Needed. But. That. Is. Not. The. Coin. Of. The. Realm. Today. And. If. It. Were. We. Wouldn't. Be. Seeing. All. Of. These. Evil.

[23:08] Things. Take. Place. We. Are. Living. In. What. Is. Known. As. The. Church. Age. The. Church. Administration. It. Is. Referred. To. In. Ephesians.

[23:19] Chapter. Three. As. A. Mystery. Which. Means. We. Do. Not. Belong. To. The. Same. Element. As. Those. Of. Whom. We. Are. Reading. Here. And.

[23:30] If. You. Want. Some. Lightliness. I. Would. Suggest. Later. That. You. Read. Ephesians. Three. And. You. See. The. Difference. Because. Earlier. The. Will. Of. Intervene.

[23:47] Today. Or. That. He. Doesn't. But. I. Am. Saying. That. It's. Very. Rare. Compared. To. What. Was. In. The. Time. Of. Christ. And. Before. That. Was. The. Modus. Operandi.

[23:57] Today. It. Isn't. Today. We. Operate. On. The. Basis. Of. Faith. Not. On. The. Basis. Of. Sight. And. What. Do. I. Mean. When. Paul. Says. We. Walk. By. Faith. Not.

[24:08] By. Sight. That. Means. We. Do. Not. Have. To. See. By. Sight. We. Do. Not. Have. To. See. The. Manifestations. Of. God.

[24:18] And. The. Miracles. Of. God. In. Order. To. Believe. All. We. Need. To. Do. Is. Hear. Or. Read. The. Record. And. Accept.

[24:28] That. And. And. That. That. That. We. Don't. Have. To. See. Manifestations.

[24:39] And. During. The. Crisis. Of. Our. Lord's. Life. What. Sign. Do. You. Show. Us. What. Sign. Do. You. Show. And. He. Gave. Them. Sign. One. Sign. After. Another. All. Kinds. Of.

[24:50] Miracles. Beginning. With. Turning. The. Water. Into. Wine. But. Then. Finally. After. He. Had. Demonstrated. Many. Miracles. Demonstrated. His. Ability. As. The. Messiah.

[25:00] And. Validated. His. Claims. As. The. Messiah. They. Kept. Asking. For. More. And. More. And. More. And. You. Know. Fellas. There. Is. Never. Enough. Evidence.

[25:11] For. Those. Who. Do. Not. Want. To. Believe. For. The. Unwilling. There. Is. No. Amount. Of. Evidence. Yeah. Bob. Yes. During. The. Persecutions. By. The. Romans.

[25:22] If. God. Would. Stop. All. The. Persecutions. Faith. Would. Have. Been. Out. The. Door. That's. True. You. Have. Only. What. You. Absolutely. Absolutely. Scotty. I.

[25:33] I. Had. Question. About. The. End. Of. 35. So. That. They. Might. A. Better. Resurrection. Yeah. Better. Well.

[25:51] The. Resurrection. That. They. Are. Talking. About. Is. What. Is. Referred. To. In. The. Revelation. As. The. First. Resurrection. And. Blessed. And. Holy. Are. They.

[26:01] Who. Are. Recipients. Of. The. First. Resurrection. And. This. Is. Talking. About. A. Future. Time. And. A. Resurrection. Of. The. Body. All. Of. These.

[26:12] People. Who. Died. Who. Were. Martyred. Or. Who. Died. All. Of. Them. Have. Spirits. They. Are. Disembodied. Spirits. Now. And.

[26:22] The. Time. Is. Coming. When. That. Disembodied. Spirit. Will. Be. Reunited. With. Their. Physical. Body. Glorified. That's. The. Resurrection. Of. Which. They. Are. Speaking. Here.

[26:32] I. Believe. And. That's. The. Resurrection. To. Which. We. Look. Forward. No. One. Was. Resurrected. Before. Christ. In. The. Old. Testament. We.

[26:43] Have. Elisha. And. The. Shunammite. Woman. And. In. The. New. Testament. Lazarus. And. The. Widow. The. Son. Of. The. Widow. Of.

[26:53] Nain. Neither. Of. Those. Neither. Of. Those. Were. Resurrected. They. Were. Brought. Back. To. Life. But. They. Had. To. Die. Again. And. The. Resurrection. Involves. A.

[27:03] Glorified. Body. Not. Simply. A. Dead. Body. Brought. Back. To. Life. Again. Like. Lazarus. Was. So. That's. A. Different. Thing. Christ. Is. The. First. One. He.

[27:14] Is. The. First. One. To. Have. Been. Resurrected. And. The. Body. He. Came. Out. Of. The. Tomb. With. Was. A. Glorified. Body. Same. Body. In. A. Sense. That. Went. Into. The.

[27:24] Tomb. But. Yet. A. Different. Body. That. Was. Glorified. And. That's. The. Only. Term. That. We. Can. Use. Joe. Plus. Those. That. Rose. From. The. Graves. At. That. Time. Right. Right.

[27:34] Those. Are. Part.

[27:47] In. The. First. Resurrection. And. That's. The. One. That. Believers. Are. Anticipating. Looking. Forward. To. A. La. First. Thessalonians. Four. And.

[27:58] First. Corinthians. Fifteen. And. Both. Of. Those. Speak. Of. The. Rapture. Of. The. Church. So. Let's. Continue. On. Here. If. We. May. The. The. Idea. That. Some.

[28:09] Were. Tortured. And. Some. Were. Delivered. Miraculously. Daniel. From. The. Lion's Den. And. You. Can. Leap. Leap. Forward. Where. You. Have. Where. You. Have. Peter. For.

[28:19] Instance. In. The. Early. Chapters. Of. The. Book. Of. Acts. Peter. Was. Put. In. Prison. And. Remember. The. Angel. God. Sent. An. Angel.

[28:29] To. Deliver. Him. His. Chains. Fell. Off. And. Peter. Was. Lying. There. Asleep. And. The. Angel. Kicked. Him. And. Said. Peter. Wake. Up. The. Chains. Fell. Off. And. He says. We're. Leaving. Follow. Me. And.

[28:40] They. Go. Past. The. Sleeping. Guards. And. Out. On. The. Way. And. They. Come. To. The. House. Of. Rhoda. Where. They. They. Are. They. And. It. Is. A. Miraculous. Thing. And. Peter. Is. Miraculously. Delivered.

[28:52] But. A. Little. Later. Paul. The. Apostle. Is. Going. To. Be. In. The. Mamertine. Prisons. This. Is.

[29:02] Not. To. Be. Confused. With. The. House. Arrest. That. He. Was. Under. When. He. Was. In. Rome. Where. He. Wrote. What. Is. Called. The. Epistles. Which. He.

[29:16] Was. Under. House. Arrest. Which. Is. Entirely. Different. He. Is. Going. To. Be. Released. From. That. And. Enjoy. Possibly. A. Year. Or. Two. Years. Of. Freedom. And. Then. The. Persecution.

[29:27] Is. Going. To. Intensify. And. Paul. Is. Going. To. Be. Arrested. Again. And. This. Time. He. Will. Be. In. The. Mamertine. Prison. In. Rome.

[29:37] When. He. Writes. What. We. Believe. Was. Probably. His. Final. Letter. To. Timothy. In. Which. He. Said. The. Time. Of. My. Departure.

[29:49] Is. At. Hand. He. Knows. That. His. Execution. Is. Coming. Up. Soon. And. Paul. One. Day. Is. Going. To. Have. A. Roman. Guard. Approach.

[29:59] Him. And. Say. It's. Time. And. They. Are. Going. To. Lead. Paul. Out. Of. The. City. Of. Rome. Where. Tradition. Tells. Us. There. Was.

[30:09] A. Clump. Of. Trees. And. An. Executioner's. Block. And. Paul. The. Apostle. Is. Going. To. Lay.

[30:20] His. Neck. Down. On. That. Block. And. Have. His. Head. Severed. From. His. Body. Now. Where. Was. Why.

[30:33] How. Could. He. Allow. Something. Like. That. This. Is. The. Same. God. Who. Sent. The. Angel. To. Miraculously. Deliver. Peter.

[30:44] And. Peter. By. The. Way. Is. Also. Going. To. Be. Executed. Tradition. Tells. Us. On. A. Cross. Issuing. A. Request.

[30:54] To. His. Captors. I. Am. Not. Worthy. To. Be. Crucified. As. My. Lord. Would. You. Please. Crucify. Me. Upside. Down. We.

[31:04] Don't. Know. If. That. Is. True. Or. If. It's. Just. Tradition. But. It. Kind. Of. Sounds. Like. A. Very. Mature. Peter. Who. Had. Progressed. In. His. Faith.

[31:15] Considerably. And. So. The. Point. Is. God. In. His. Sovereignty.. Who. Really. Does. Know. What. Even.

[31:29] When. You. Think. It. Should. Have. A. Different. Outcome. Yes. Dana. Coming. Back. To. Why. Does. God. Allow. That. Thing. To. Happen. I. I. Got. Two. Comments.

[31:39] One. Is. Somebody. Tortured. And. Put up. With. It. And. They. Don't. Deny. God. Or.

[31:50] In. The. Case. Of. Until. Death. The. To. Die. As. As. Robert. Absolutely. And. That's. That's.

[32:07] Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[32:24] Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure that that's a very good point. You might reduce that to just tough love.

[32:35] Tough love. You know, a parent who is always available and always bailing out a wayward child because they love them, care about them, have compassion for them, sometimes that's not a good thing to do.

[32:52] So sometimes they need to suffer the consequences. And especially if you're talking about financial things, you know, there are some people that are just so irresponsible with their money that they live and spend recklessly.

[33:07] But mom and dad are always there to write a check to cover them because you don't want to see them do without and thus and so and thus and so. And it's very easy for the parents to become an enabler and they're actually subsidizing a bad lifestyle and bad choices.

[33:24] So when you make bad decisions but somebody else has to pay for it, then you're encouraged to keep on making those bad decisions as long as somebody else pays for it.

[33:35] But when you have to pay for it, you suffer the consequences, then it becomes a learning tool. Joe? Yeah. The parents won't do that. They're actually thinking of themselves a lot and think, I don't want to hurt myself and I'll feel bad if I see my child going through their misery.

[33:52] So they're being selfish themselves. Yeah, exactly. There's some real dynamics involved here. Craig? So you see that happening a lot today. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Grandparents say, you're a kid.

[34:03] And so forth, I just want to say, well, I can't go on vacation because of my kids. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Really tough decisions.

[34:15] Yeah. A lot of tough decisions need to be made. And then when grandkids are in the mix, oh, boy, that complicates things, you know, because you could, someone has asked the question, why do grandparents and grandkids get along so well?

[34:32] It's because they have a common enemy. It doesn't always work that way, but sometimes it does, you know. But, you know, sometimes a parent can say regarding an adult child, well, dog gone it, I'm not going to bail them out this time.

[34:51] I'm just going to let them work through this on their own. And they'll learn, you know, from suffering some consequences. But then when the grandkids come in the picture, you say, well, these, you know, these are the innocent ones.

[35:03] Why should they have to suffer because of their parents' stupid decision? And it becomes very complicated. Sometimes, sometimes gut-wrenching. Yeah. Yeah, there is.

[35:14] There really is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is say, yeah, sure, okay, you know.

[35:26] But we need to be able to say, no, I won't do it or you can't do that. And it's kind of tough because we want to be the heroes, you know.

[35:39] We want to be the go-to guy for everybody. And sometimes it hurts our ego, our ego, not to come through for them.

[35:51] So we want to show ourselves the magnanimous of it, you know. We want to be the hero. We want to come to the rescue. And sometimes it's difficult. It's difficult not to do that.

[36:03] Other thoughts, anybody? Okay. Let's continue on here. With this sovereignty of God thing, it is essential to understand the concept of Romans 8.28.

[36:19] That God really does work all things together for our good. But the hitch is it's not always for our immediate good.

[36:33] And that's what we would have. I expect the difficulty of a certain problem to be solved based on Romans 8.28. And I expect it tomorrow.

[36:47] At the latest, you know. My way. Yeah, my way. But can we believe that God really does work all things, not most things, all things together for our good.

[37:05] But it's not always realized in this lifetime. It might be in the next, when the time comes for the behemoth seat, the award throne of Christ and the giving of awards and all the rest of it.

[37:18] It may be then. Frankly, we would prefer it right now. Today. We would prefer to see good come out of the ill right now.

[37:29] And you know what? Sometimes it does. Sometimes it does. But the point is, God is superintending in the affairs of men, even in a fallen world.

[37:40] But he is doing so often in ways that we do not realize at the time. And these things that work together for our good put us in a process.

[37:51] A process that sometimes involves pain and disappointment. But there is value in the process. We just as soon skip the process and get to the end game.

[38:06] But you go through the process. That's where the benefit and the learning and the development and the maturing is. Someone has said, God grows saints best in the shadows, not in the sunshine.

[38:21] But all of us, I think, would prefer the sunshine. Joe. Well, kind of.

[38:33] You're talking about 1 Corinthians. That God is faithful and will not allow you to be tested beyond that which you are able, but will with the testing make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

[38:51] That's talking about two different things. That's talking about facing temptation. It's not talking about being overloaded with more than you can handle.

[39:06] Hey, sometimes you are overloaded with more than you can handle, and you die. You die physically. You can't handle it physically.

[39:16] And it doesn't mean that God isn't there. It just means that his reward is in his good time. But the text that Joe is talking about, about God not putting more on us than we can handle, will with the temptation make a way of escape.

[39:32] In the context there, he is talking about being tempted to do evil. And God will never put you in a position where you have no alternative but to do the wrong thing.

[39:49] Never. And a crowning example that I always use is Joseph. When confronted with the temptation of Potiphar's wife, and we may assume that she was probably a dish to look at.

[40:04] I don't think Pharaoh would have an ugly wife. I think she would be a real cupcake, if you know what I mean. And when she threw herself at Joseph, Come, lie with me.

[40:22] Joseph knew that he had a way of escape. Now, he was probably as viral and as desiring as any red-blooded Jewish boy would be under the circumstances.

[40:38] You know, he had raging hormones too. But God made a way of escape for Joseph. And what was it? Two good feet. Joseph fled.

[40:49] Got out of there. He knew that God would make a way. And the way was, Leave! Run! Get out of there! Flee! Flee temptation!

[41:01] And it will flee from you! But Joseph could have rationalized and said, Well, you know, this woman is throwing herself at me. Obviously she has needs that Pharaoh is not meeting.

[41:16] And who's to know? Oh, and you know, what happens in Pharaoh's bedroom stays in Pharaoh's bedroom. And you've got to rationalize.

[41:27] Guys, this is a scary thought. But I know it's true. Listen, I hope you never forget this. We are capable of rationalizing just about anything we want to.

[41:42] If we want to do it, we can somehow convince ourselves, Hey, this is an exception. This is different. I mean, Joseph could have rationalized and said, I didn't hit on this woman.

[41:58] She hit on me. What am I to do? Hey, I'm only human. I mean, yeah, absolutely.

[42:08] You see, we can rationalize this about anything. There you go. There you go. You make point. Two different things. But like disease or something, we can't overcome it.

[42:19] You know, it's going to get us. But doesn't it mean the emotions of that situation won't overget us? In other words, we'll be able to stay close to God and the Lord and, you know, know that he's with us.

[42:34] Even going through these things. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's the part I'm saying that. Absolutely. That he won't give us too much that we can't handle. In other words, if cancer comes upon us, we're going to be able to handle that cancer.

[42:47] There you go. The emotional part of it. Right. Absolutely. When God created us in his image, he didn't mean in his body. Because God's spirit doesn't have a body.

[42:58] That is like his emotions, his decision making, his mind, his soul. We're like him in that way. Absolutely. Good point. Good point. Thank you, Joe. Hey, guys, I really appreciate all your input.

[43:10] Thanks a lot. And thanks for being here this morning. Maybe we'll wrap up Hebrews 11 and then we'll get into chapter 12. And eventually, probably within a month or so, we'll be in the book of Daniel and some really great, great revelation stuff.

[43:27]  Because Daniel is kind of regarded as the book of the revelation in the Old Testament. So we'll be looking at it then. And thanks for your presence this morning. Enjoy your breakfast.