You Serve the Living God - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Meet me in the book of first Timothy, please. In chapter four first Timothy. And an easy way to remember where Timothy is, is that in the New Testament, all the books that start with the letter t are jumbled together. They're packed there. Timothy, Thessalonians.

And so first Timothy chapter four, we read here in our verse for the day, as we continue in this series, verse 10. For to this end, we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Pray with me. Father, we we need you as we open your word. We pray that the Holy Spirit would rest on the ministry of the word, that every man would disappear except the God man Christ Jesus.

That his voice would be heard through the written word. We pray for a special assistance, Lord, not just to the delivery, but also to the recipients. That you would protect us from distraction, and you would give us a heart that is willing to hear and to eat from your bread. We love you dearly, Lord, and we want to obey you. Help us understand your ways so that we can conform.

In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. The invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ to lay down our lives for his glory, setting our utmost desire to being conformed to greater Christ likeness and to die to our self daily, crucifying our flesh, would be a foolish thing to reject, no matter what the reason for one's rejection is. If the banner over our brief fleeting existence is not to know him, to be like him, and to declare him, then the only other option for that banner over your life and mine is vanity, vanity, vanity. For we learned last week, that there is only one path that ensures treasures for this life, and also prizes for the life to come, and that is the path of godliness.

Now there are other achievements and there are other plans that might offer some kind of reward in this life, but there is no other way. There's no other way of life that can guarantee a double portion blessing. This life and life eternal. It is only the path of godliness. And now if that's true, here's a question to consider.

Why is it that there's so many professing believers that do not take their spiritual life seriously? Why do they not adopt the disciplines? Why do they not adopt the the ways of God? Why did they not set them as priorities in their lives? And we have every reason to believe that one of the strongest reasons is because they honestly do not believe in the payoff of godliness.

They actually do not really trust that if I give myself to this, that God will surely reward me as he says he will. Or perhaps we're impatient to see those things as we learned last week. And this is not just mere opinion, this was even what the Lord Jesus Christ gave commentary on in one of the most challenging parables in his earthly ministry. Now we're in first Timothy, but let's go there just to make a point in Luke 16. In Luke 16, Jesus gave a parable about a shrewd manager.

And there was a a manager who was hired to take care of one's possessions and then that man received word that he was wasting his possessions. So he was ready to fire this manager. And this manager was worried. He was concerned because he thought to himself, I I can't dig anymore. I'm too old.

I don't have the strength, and I'm too ashamed to beg. So what am I gonna do if if I'm gonna lose my job? And then it goes on to describe how he came up with a strategy to make friends with those that he did business with. And so if one man owed a 100 amount of oil in terms of in vessels and measurement, he says, no, you owe 50 now. And a person who owed x amount of wheat, he says, no, now you you owe 80.

And then, we we see this man who's cunning, and wily, and and he's clearly playing tricks. And we're a little disturbed of the conclusion of the parable because look what Jesus says in verse eight. The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. Here's where many people have difficulty with this parable because they see Jesus through this parable almost seemingly commending the dishonesty of this man.

Praising it. And this is why we have to be very careful how we interpret parables. It's not looking at every every detail, nitty gritty thing. It's to look at the overall message. Is Jesus commending dishonesty?

Is he setting forth an example for his people to to know how to deal with business? That is not the case. Instead, he takes this man, he places him before us as an illustration, and not just as an illustration, but as a rebuke to his own people. What was this man doing in his dishonesty? It wasn't the dishonesty, it was his motivation.

It was his ambition. When he realized that he was in trouble, he wanted to secure himself a comfortable future. An enjoyable future. A future of rest and of ease. And because of that, when he learned that that was threatened with deep thought, urgency, and a plan of action, he sets off without hesitation to do everything in his power to make sure that he can ensure such a future.

So Jesus takes this example as a man to say, believe this, sinners are more diligent and eager in investing for their future in this present age, than those who are believers are for their eternal reward in the age to come. That's his conclusion. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. It says though he is saying, my people don't have light on this issue as much as they are sons and daughters of light. He uses this parable to save, only my people were as keen and mindful to sow into the kingdom of God, as the world is in transient trivial things.

If only my people were as urgent, or as excited, and ambitious to prepare eternal glory as the world is to prepare themselves a short future of comfort. Oh, their preferences and their practices would be so much more different. And if we wanna be honest with this text in Luke 16, this text is actually about Jesus sharing this insight in light of how people spend their money. Because he goes on to teach about how to invest your finances and how to prioritize them with your eyes on eternity. That's what the verses say following, don't they?

May not be said of our priorities and of our giving, and how we place our time and energy in certain things that we did not really believe in God's promises for reward in this life and the life to come. You come back to first Timothy, look what it said in verse nine before our text this morning. He's saying, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. He says that right after he talks about godliness and training yourself up, and investing your time in that, and your energy in that. He goes, this trustworthy saying is deserving of full acceptance.

In other words, you can really believe God on this. You can really rely on God, That if you set your heart on this path, he will bless you. He will reward you beyond your imagination. That is a guarantee. But here's the transition of our thoughts.

That as much as it is a guarantee that we should not doubt for a moment that he will surely reward us. There's so much unmatched good reserved for the path of godliness, but at the same time, we cannot deny that it is a path that is not void of difficulties. And that's why he comes in verse 10 and he says, for to this end, we toil and strive. Meaning what? There's a call to labor.

To be godly, to live for the glory of God, there is a call to be hard at work. That it will be a call to uncommon sacrifice, and a daily dying, training ourselves not to live for selfish pleasure, but to instead, esteem and place the pleasure of others above our own. We will toil. Not only toil, we will strive. We will be engaged in different struggles along the way, and to be met with resistance from different directions.

There is no doubt that there will be called to stand firm in different seasons while you're being buffeted and bullied for your love for Jesus Christ. Now, you might be thinking, listen, if if it's already the disposition of man not to live for the glory of God, this is not making any easier to invite them into that kind of way of life. I was all in it for the reward and for the blessings. Now you're telling me there's going to be some toiling and strive. My life is difficult as it is.

I don't need to add more toiling and striving. So please, tell me something else. But here's the thing that we have to be thankful for. Two things at least. Number one, the Bible is honest.

The scriptures will never lie to you. Whatever you see is what you're gonna get. And what we are told here is that, yes, you will have to swim upstream in a culture that is so antichrist and is growing in that hatred for God. And you will be watched by an unbelieving world, and you will be mocked, and you will be resisted, and you will be hated, and you will have to swat away temptations, and you will have to resist lies that never failed to assault your renewed mind, and you will have to daily depend upon a source of strength beyond your own. The Bible's honest about godliness.

But who said toiling and striving did not include a happiness and a delight? Who said that this path, though it would be difficult to the flesh and to the mind, that it did not include a joy unspeakable? Because what he says here is that, for to this end, we toil and strive. He's he's giving now the reason. This is why we do what we do.

This is why we sweat, and this is why we weep, and this is why we fast, and this is why we seek God, and this is why we're willing to be punished by those around us. For to this end, you wanna know why? He tells us, because we have our hope set on the living God. The main motivation that keeps us going, the thing that keeps us on this path is one reality that is paramount. God is alive.

God is alive. We're not serving dead idols. We're not serving just thoughts and philosophies. There is a living God who is alive and well that we are serving. And as you read this, you think to yourself, I've seen this before.

I've seen this phrase before, the living God. And you're right. Because this is the second and final time in this letter that the phrase is mentioned, and do you remember where it was mentioned before? We'll scroll back one chapter in first Timothy three fifteen. And notice that Paul uses the same phrase to drive in a point to his readers.

First Timothy three fifteen, If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God. A pillar and buttress of the truth. So notice, he he gives this truth about who God is. Because he wants to say the conduct of God's people, from the leadership to the ministry teams, to those who are members of the congregation, will be driven and chiseled by the awareness of the fact that God is alive. You can't mess around in God's church.

You can't be a part of God's church and just behave how you want. No. He's he's promoting a fear of God by reminding them of the fact that the Lord is in their midst. The actions of Christians will be directed by the revelation of God's ever present inspection and involvement in their affairs. Never forget, he's the living God.

And so he warns them in a sense with that truth. But then when he comes and he reintroduces this truth again in this letter, it's not necessarily to promote this healthy fear. It's to provide and to empower them to endure in their convictions and their ventures for Christ. Yeah. I told you he was the living God concerning your behavior in the church, but let me remind you again that he's the living God so you can keep moving on.

And you can set your life for godliness for the rest of your days, and trust that, what? What does it mean for him to be the living What does that have to do with me toiling and striving? Yeah. God is alive. You can ask some people that are not even Christian and say, yeah.

There's a God somewhere out there. I believe there's some deity out there. So does that help them live godly? No. It's not just understanding that there is a God that exists.

It's much more deep than that. It's much more complex than that. It's much more glorious than that. And today, I wanna show from the word of God, and there when there are men and women in the scriptures, who have been really convinced that God is aware, and that God is alive, it never failed to provide the necessary strength to persist in godliness. I have to ask you what it means for God to be alive.

What would your answer be? Well, here's something to consider. Number one, because God is alive, you can make radical, uncompromising stands for Christ. And I wanna show you how that's true in Daniel chapter three. Turn there with me.

You know the story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I love those guys. You know why? Because whenever they're mentioned, they're mentioned together.

They're just a group of buddies that are living in a corrupt and twisted age, but are standing for God together. And in this scene, you're familiar with it I'm sure. Nebuchadnezzar, unfortunately, misinterpreted the dream that Daniel interpreted concerning his kingdom. Remember that statue? What piece represented his kingdom?

It was the head, was it nine? What was it made out of? Someone tell me. Gold. Gold.

Thank you. It was made out of gold. And the whole point of the dream was that there was a sequence of kingdoms with different materials, and that one day God's kingdom would crush all other kingdoms. And instead of humbling himself to worship the true and living God, Nebuchadnezzar receives that interpretation. And instead of being the statue of gold pertaining to the head, he makes an entire statue made out of gold representing himself.

Do you realize what he's trying to say by that? If God thinks he's gonna crush me, I'm gonna make a statue of myself, and I'm gonna make a statement. I'm here to stay. So he makes a statue of gold and he goes beyond that. He calls for all men everywhere in the province to worship, to bow down to this statue.

And as you read on, you realize that there's a band of brothers, these three guys that choose not to. They stand up when everybody bows down. And because of that, they were reported, and they were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, and King Nebuchadnezzar asked them, is this true? What I hear? I've been told that when the music played, you did not bend the knee.

You know, it's easy to make a stand for Christ at one moment, but when you are pressed upon, that's when it gets difficult. He gave him an opportunity again to compromise. Is this true? Satan doesn't give much thought into giving you a second chance to compromise. He'll do it.

And as they, open their mouths, we are told here in verse 17 of this chapter, why it is that they did not bow. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, oh king. But if not, be it known to you, o king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. We're not gonna do it. We will not bow.

And what's amazing is that Daniel is not on the scene with them. Have you noticed that? He's absent. For one reason or another, we don't know. But that's important because Daniel played such a crucial important role in their lives.

He influenced them mightily, and you know that from Daniel chapter one. Daniel was the one who resolved in his heart first that he would not eat the king's food or his drink. And then his friends followed suit. He inspired them. He stirred them to make that stand.

And just two chapters later, we read that that source of influence was no longer there, and now these three that were stirred by him, do not have that man to perhaps stir them again. Which is an interesting thought because it is true that there will be many instances in life where you will you will have to do this on your own. That you will have to make a choice to rely on God's strength and to stand for God, not because somebody that you like makes a stand for God, or somebody that you're inspired by. And so you can almost say that the Lord allowed this in his providence. So that these men would prove that their genuine sincere devotion to Christ was in fact, real.

So they say, we're not doing it. We're not gonna bow down. We are not going to surrender. And you can imagine that as they are standing there, who knows what ran through their minds? What would run through your mind?

Nebuchadnezzar was not telling to deny Yahweh, he was just saying, worship another God. You don't have to say that you don't acknowledge your God, just add this one. Or can you imagine the thought, well, if we just bow down, you know, God knows our hearts. We're just paying respect to the king, and we can just move on, and we can do what we were called to do here. They did not budge.

They did not compromise. They did not settle. They stood firm. And as they stood firm, willing to die, Nebuchadnezzar's reaction was not given in words, but was performed as a reflection by turning up that furnace seven times hotter than its original state. And you can imagine that as these three men stood there, and Nebuchadnezzar looked at them and realized that they did not bite, and his face was fuming, and he says, turn it up, that the heat of that furnace was perhaps brushing off their face and even burning their skin to a certain degree.

And what's so admirable is that neither the flaming threats of Nebuchadnezzar or the real flames of this oven made these men bend. They are more solid than that golden statue that they were supposedly supposed to worship. Then they stood firm. And here is their confidence. You ready?

They believed God was able to intervene. They really trusted that in that very moment, God can step into the scene and actually deliver them. They believe he was alive, that he was not unaware of what was happening. He was very present, and he was capable of defending them. And so their confidence was in who God was and the fact that he was real.

And he was there. Now notice what they said. This is a very powerful statement they make. The God whom we serve is able to deliver us, but even if he doesn't, but even if he doesn't, here's where their confidence was was in. That God was able, not that he would.

Big difference. Big difference. Their trust was not that God would deliver them, but that God was able to deliver them. You're saying, well, what's what's the big deal? Here's the big deal, that you were setting yourself up for much disappointment.

If you suppose that God will do something that he doesn't guarantee, and he doesn't pull through as you expected. That's where many people feel abandoned, disappointed, and discouraged. Because they put a claim on what God should do or would do, instead of just believing that he was able to do it, and then trusting in his wisdom of performing what he's able to do. Do you see? I must believe that God is able to do anything and everything.

Yes. But I must also simultaneously trust in his will, that if he chooses not to do what I desire in the moment, that he has a greater testimony in mind than if he had done it. That's why they're so confident. Now, if you frame your belief in God in such a way, there will be no room for disappointment. There'll be no room for fear or anxiety because you're not just putting your confidence that he will do it, but that he's able to do it and then you trust in his performance of it.

Whether it's in your timing or your preference or not. That's why they were unshaken. They said, throw us in and we'll still worship him. We'll worship him as we're burning and sizzling alive for that matter. And if you have that faith, let me tell you what you'll be like.

You'll be like Job who says, though he slay me, yet I will hope in him. God can slay me, and I will know that it was because of his glory, and for my good. It's that illustration that we heard at the conference about Charles Spurgeon when he spoke about the difference between a man with a knife in his hand approaching you, and with a surgeon with a sharp instrument in his hand approaching you. Knowing who that person is holding that instrument makes all the difference for your comfort and trust. You know, one is out there to destroy you, to harm you, and to take something from you, and the other is there to cut something out, so that he can heal you, and liberate you, and restore you.

So how you view God will make all the difference of how you interpret the events in your life. And in this case, they believe that God, if he delivered them, it would be for his glory. If not, it would be for his glory. And we know how the story concludes, don't we? They're thrown into the furnace.

And as they're there, Nebuchadnezzar sees something. He sees a fourth man, and we know this. It's the pre incarnate Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who manifest his protective power and is in the midst of the fire with them. Now God could have saved them from falling into the furnace, but instead he illustrates something from this example so that all people, for all ages would understand this, that God often does not deliver us from the trials and the fires of life, but promises to be with us in the midst of them. To protect us from being burned that we are engulfed by these different things.

Some people rush to that truth of the obvious manifestation of the Son of God in those flames, and they fail to realize that God was even there before that. God was there even before that. Here's proof of that. Look at chapter three verse 22. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Amazing, isn't it? What happened to these officers? They were commanded to take these men that were bound and to bring them to the furnaces. As they were approaching the mouth of that oven that was spewing out fire, the very fire that was organized to kill these Jewish men, instead killed the men that were trying to kill them. The very substance, the very circumstance that was supposed to overtake these faithful individuals ended up destroying the unbelieving.

I read then, I draw this principle that God is able to preserve his people, that which would overcome the common man. Because we have an omnipotent hand that holds us and guides us and protects us. We have something that nobody else has, the living God, on our side. And because of that, he knows just what to do with the temperature of trials and temptations in our lives. He knows what temperature to set it at, so that it can have its sanctifying purpose, and not harm us in the process.

That is how aware, and that is how alert, and that is how careful he is with each of our lives. And what would destroy somebody else, you can endure because you have God. You can be sustained and you can be protected. And not only that, you can be sanctified. Do you realize that God was not just in the midst of the fire, he actually redirected the fire.

He was in total control. So much so that when they were thrown in, and then finally, Nebuchadnezzar sees them, we have to read our bibles very closely. Look what it says here in verse 25. He answered and said, but I see four men, unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. We we we just look at the overall picture and say they were unhurt, they were unharmed, and they came out and it was a wonderful testimony.

But read what is being said here. It's very specific what Nebuchadnezzar notices. I see four men unbound. Why is that important? Because when they fell into the furnace, they were fell what?

Bound. Just read the previous verses and you realize that they were tied, and then they fell in. And then when they came into the fire, God not only commanded the fire to protect his people, but he also commanded that the fire would do one thing, and that was snap the very instruments that hindered them from total liberation. You realize that? The only thing that was affected by those flames was the very things that were keeping them bound.

And they were able to walk, and they were able to be free. And I believe with all my heart that this is a wonderful picture of how God is able to take the trials and the tests of this life to never allow them to harm us, but only to further liberate us. And like these men as we are told, we too can walk in the fire. Notice, they were walking. They weren't just standing there.

They were actually walking with the Son of God in the fire. So what does that tell you and me? You too can fellowship with him, know a peace, know an ease, know a grace, because there's somebody with you in it. And as you're in it, God is able to do something through it, as he did with these men. What a wonderful picture.

How can we not persevere in godliness? The living God is able, and even if he doesn't, we know that his ways are greater. So stand for Christ. Remain in Christ. Live for Christ.

And whatever you think you might lose for doing so, in reality, you never lose because when you place your life in the hands of the living God, there's so much that he gives with it. He's capable of redirecting the flames. He's capable of shielding us from the flames. And he's capable of commanding the torrents of fire and to turn it into means of freedom like he did for these three men. So I don't fear anything.

I can look at any issue of life, any circumstance in life, any threat in life, and know that I can walk through it, and you can as well. Because he's the living God. But on top of that, here's a second point concerning that truth. There's so much more to realize in that aspect. And another thought to consider is that as we think about what just happened with these three men, it expands, it opens up a doctrine known as providence.

Providence. Have you heard the term? God's providence. Divine providence. How do we make sense of that?

It's very simple. When we say God working in his providence, what we're saying is that the Lord intervenes, guides, and redirects matters of this world to ultimately fulfill his ultimate goal. His providence does not necessarily mean that he uses the miraculous to accomplish his work. I believe what providence means more than anything is that God uses the ordinary things in life, The actors and their actions of this universe and orchestrates them in such a way where he creates a masterpiece of a testimony for his glory. That's what it means for God's providence to be known.

You all can testify of God's providence as you look back in your life. And the Bible is filled with story after story to declare divine providence. Think of Joseph. That's the theme of the the story. That's the theme of the story.

He's sold to these men that are going to Egypt by his brothers, then he's thrown into prison for a false accusation, and he meets Pharaoh's employees, and then he happens to ask them a question on a day where they had dreams, and he interprets those dreams. And through that interpretation, two years later, one of those men would remind Pharaoh in his dreams that there was somebody that helped him. And so who? Joseph comes up before him, interprets the dreams, and then he's made commander, second in command, to protect the people, provide for the people from a famine, and ultimately preserve the Jewish people. Providence.

The right pieces at the right time, and Joseph just walked through them. And what's amazing about it is that the word, God, is very silent throughout that story. But you and I have sanctified eyes. We understand the character of God from the totality of scripture. So we see, that's God.

That's God. The timing? God. Esther. Esther.

Scholars in the theological world, so you can be a scholar and still not have things right. Disagree, or are not favorable rather toward the book of Esther because God is not mentioned in that book once. God is not mentioned at all in that book. And they're disturbed by that. But I wonder if the reason why you're disturbed is because you don't understand providence.

That's the whole purpose of the book. That is by divine design. That you would read it and see God behind the scenes. That even though he's not directly mentioned, you see him in his providence. And it's so obvious.

Right? It's almost humorous. You have the king who's sleepless one night, and he calls for his men to read the records of different things that happened in his kingdom. And Mordecai saved this king from a planned assassination. And as he's being read these bedtime stories, strange bedtime stories, but whatever works.

He was realizing that Mordecai did something for him, and that he was not rewarded for it. And so Haman, who was the enemy of the Jews, walks in, and the king asked Haman, what is it that should be given to the man who and then he begins to explain, that is worthy of a reward. And Haman thinks she's talking about him, so he he he gives this wonderful description of what should be granted to such a man. And Haman hated Mordecai, and he wanted to kill the Jews because of Mordecai. Remember?

And then King says, I'm glad you said that because we're gonna do that for Mordecai. You can just imagine the man's face just flushing white. And he hangs up the gallows, remember? To hang Mordecai, and it was the very same gallows that he was hung on. That night, that sleepless night that doesn't mention God or anything else, is so obviously God's providence and has set off a series of events that would deliver the nation of Israel.

Providence. And God's providence is known, as you zoom out in human history, and it is experienced in each of his children's lives. And there in the obvious stories in the word of God and sometimes in the not so obvious. You wanna see a not so obvious one? Go to Acts chapter one with me.

And let's look at the beginning of this wonderful book. Acts one verse eight. Jesus is about to ascend into heaven. And notice what he says to his disciples. A very familiar passage, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

This is how it begins. He makes a declaration and a guarantee. Disciples, you're gonna start in your city, then you're gonna zoom out and expand to the territory in Judea, and then Samaria, and then you're gonna go to nations that you only heard of throughout your life. That's what's gonna happen. Now to us, that's exciting.

But to them, that must have been more intimidating and challenging than anything else. Jerusalem, our own people, we're familiar, it makes sense. And then he begins to say, Samaria. Samaria. Well, we know how the Jews felt about the Samaritans, and we know how the Samaritans felt about the Jews.

And then, these nations beyond their borders, we're talking about pagan worshipers, who knows the stories that they heard of false gods and these practices. And so they were told, yes, you're gonna go there. And perhaps in their minds, who knows what kind of hesitation they might have had? Or even just thinking, how is this actually going to happen? How are we going to move into these areas?

I mean, you're talking about a 120 people that were stuffed in an apartment praying that would change the world with the gospel. And Jesus, it's gonna happen. And so, they take up his word and they start in Jerusalem. And as they start in Jerusalem, it was extremely fruitful. Thousands upon thousands, but very quickly was it met with resistance and threats.

And as you're reading it, you wonder, they haven't even made it out of Jerusalem. How are they gonna go to Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth? And it becomes so intense that early on in this Christian movement, one of these Christians, these followers of the way, dies a gruesome death and is stoned. You know his name, Stephen. And all for a sudden, you almost get the impression that maybe they won't be as successful.

Because they're still in the neighborhood, and already they're being trampled on, and crushed, and ripped out of their homes, and thrown into prison, and even killed. And they're only in phase one of the mission that Jesus proclaimed. Until, until you read the first verse after Stephen's death in acts, not one eight, but eight one. And notice what we are told. And perhaps you will see divine providence in it.

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church where? In Jerusalem. Now look what happens as a result of it. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Do we realize what's happening here? Christ in acts one eight desired his people to go to Judea and Samaria with the gospel. And in acts eight one, Saul wanted to make sure that the gospel would not leave Jerusalem. But that it would be eradicated before it had any more influence. Which purpose do you think is gonna prevail?

Providence. God could have killed Saul. Never mind striking him with blindness. He could have just struck his heart and ended the whole matter for daring to even tamper with the early infant stages of his church. But instead of just removing Saul, he instead recycles his persecution.

Oh, you want to persecute my people? Okay. Fine. I'm gonna use it to push them to where I want them to go. Because they're supposed to go to Judea, and they're supposed to go to Samaria.

So threaten them. Chase them out. Scatter them. You're fulfilling my purpose without even realizing it. Providence.

God able to take the evil of the world and to use it for his ultimate good. I want you to think about it. Perhaps in Saul's mind, when he saw these Christians being chased out of their homes, not even having time to pack, scrambling, he thought he was dispersing them and that's one way of scattering. You can scatter something in a way to make it disappear. Right?

So that you can get rid of it. But there's another way of scattering. When you take seed and you scatter it, it's not to make something disappear, it's to plant something so that a harvest can grow. And so in Saul's mind, he's scattering these Christians. Thinking that he's gonna remove them from the scene, when in fact, he was spreading.

He was spreading God's word. Look at eight Acts eight four. Now those who were scattered went abroad preaching the word. Preaching the word. So in Acts one eight, you wonder how is this gonna happen?

How is God gonna send forth his people to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth? Then you come to acts eight one and you see that persecution comes. Is this over? No. It's the means.

It's the way. It's the very thing that's gonna propel them to fulfill the will of God. You can't lose in the Christian life. When you're in the will of God, and you have providence on your side, Some of the greatest men of God in church history that we are inspired by and that we would esteem and perhaps in their day we wouldn't be too fond of because of their ways. But some of the greatest men that we read about, and we're we love, and that we praise, if you look at their stories, often, many of them were kicked out of their churches first, were stripped from their ministry licenses, were despised by religious organizations.

And what happened? Well, they just forced them to go out into the streets and see revivals instead. Because God often can recycle the pains, the accusations, the trials, the pressures of life, to birth something for his ultimate glory. That's providence. You and I see it.

We get to see the whole scheme, the whole story and say, oh, that's how you did it, Lord. That's how you did it. And it's not only until we travel through life a little bit that we look back in hindsight, we look back in retrospect and say, that was God. And that is the wonders of providence. That perhaps in the moment you don't realize that it's the Lord orchestrating.

It's in fact very painful. And sometimes you even question, how is God even allowing this? When in fact, you keep toiling and striving, and you realize he's the living God. He's the one behind these circumstances. He's the one who allowed it.

And look what it produced. In John 13, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, what a precious sight. His disciples were shocked at the sight. They couldn't even imagine how is the Lord of glory bending down and removing the dirt from our toes and underneath our feet. Is he not supposed to be served?

Are we not supposed to lavish him with such gratitude and service? And Jesus utters this phrase in verse seven of John 13. Jesus answered him, because Peter couldn't fathom the idea. He couldn't even accept it. Jesus answered them, what I am doing you do not understand now, but afterwards you will understand.

You think that was just true for Peter in that moment? Or that's true for many of us as we walk with Christ? You don't understand what I'm doing now. You don't get it. You can't put it together.

You can't calculate. You can't understand even how this can be God. But afterward, you will. When you look back, you will understand what this means and why I allowed it to happen and why I did it this way. Take this verse and place it over your life.

Take this verse and may it be a lens for you to interpret all things in life, no matter what it is. If you're his child and you're set to live a godly life, providence is on your side. What does this mean for us? It means that this is our portion too. It's not just for the disciples.

It's not just for those three men. It's not just for the early church. It's for his people. Today, it's for you. This is God's obligation in your life.

His holy obligation. And I can't think of a greater way to live. If there's any reward as Paul told Timothy for this life and godliness is that providence manifest itself in amazing ways. And you see Okay. That's why the Lord shut that door.

And you see even That's why the Lord afflicted my body. You see, that's why the Lord prolong the season. You understand? That's why the Lord moved me from this place when I felt like I needed to stay. And you know that God, the living God, is providentially leading you and guiding you.

What a joy. Now, if we can make uncompromising stands for Christ, if we can be confident to know that we have a living God who orchestrates our lives, what else is left? What else is left to draw from understanding that he's the living God? Well, let's go back to our main text. In first Timothy four ten, for to this end, we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God who is the savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Because he is the living God, he has become and will be our savior today and forever. He's a savior of all people. Be careful now. This verse has been taken out of context to be interpreted as a way to promote universalism. You know what universalism is?

That whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, all people will be saved. And because he died on the cross, his love is so extravagant and wonderful that all men, all things, all creation will end up coming to him and having eternal life. It's a nice thought, but it's not true. And they'll use this verse.

Look, he's a savior of all people, especially those who believe. That's not what's being said here. This is not promoting universalism. What it is saying though, is that his sacrifice, his love on the cross has a universal range. And that it makes salvation available to all people.

And it's an invitation now for all men of all ages to respond. His atonement is not limited. It is extended to all men. And as it is extended to all men, it is only effective by those who, what? Believe.

He's the savior of all people. He's the only savior of all people, but he's only effective to those who respond by repentance and faith. That's what this verse means. And what is included in our salvation? What is the culmination, the finality of our salvation?

It's resurrection. It's resurrection hope. I challenge you to read the book of Acts and I challenge you to see that the essence of much of the preaching and evangelizing is resurrection. Resurrection. Resurrection.

Resurrection. That's the hope that we have. That's the hope that we have. And in fact, resurrection power was so important to Paul that it was the very thing that kept him going. He often said, even when he stood before rulers and kings, it is for this hope, the hope of the resurrection, that I stand in trial today.

It's because I preach the resurrection. It's because I believe in the resurrection that you can put me in chains and put me in the most filthy prison. The resurrection. And so powerful was the resurrection. The the knowledge of the resurrection.

Not the experience of it that we will all come to, but just the knowledge of it. Just the belief of it. The anticipation of it. The thrill of it. The hope of it was so real, was so streaming in his blood that he even gives believers the invitation to embrace the same power.

Because in that famous chapter that we explored on one Sunday morning in first Corinthians 15, when he teaches so deeply about the resurrection in detail, what's gonna happen to your body, what's gonna happen to your frame, what's gonna happen to your outlook and your in look, all these wonderful things. He concludes it with a therefore. He concludes that chapter with a therefore because Paul, if you left theology in this place, Paul loved to use therefores. He would get so deep into some truth and watch him in his epistles, it will often take a different turn with this word, therefore. Meaning what?

Now that you've learned so much about the gospel, about the spirit, about salvation, about resurrection. Here's how it applies to your life in a very real way now. And in that chapter, he says, therefore, the last verse of it, all in the context of the resurrection, And here's where our message comes full circle with first Timothy four ten. He says, therefore, first Corinthians fifteen fifty eight. My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

That's the practical application of what? The fact that God is alive and that he will raise you up from the dead one day. This is what's gonna keep you strong. The more you've rehearsed in your soul, that you will come before a living God, who will give you very real reward and very real commendation. It's the resurrection that helps you interpret pain and suffering.

Is it not? Do you wanna know how these Christians in different nations are being absolutely bullied? And blows coming towards their bodies and even psychologically. Do you know what keeps them in those prisons for years? With joy and sanity with a song in their mouth?

You better believe it's because they understand the resurrection. God is alive. This will only be for such amount of time until I step into a weight of glory that is incomparable to what I'm experiencing now. And so the more you believe that he's alive and that you too one day will be alive in a way that you've never felt life before. You can be able today, now, remain steadfast.

You can abound in the good work of the Lord. You can toil and strive. Why? Because he's the living God. And resurrection is your final destination.

And resurrection will ensure you a final prize. And this is what he says. And you can almost say as we come back to first Timothy that verse nine, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. People debate, is that for what he said prior to this verse? About godliness and training yourself up in it?

Or is it about the introduction to this truth in verse 10? That if we toil and strive, we'll be fine because we we have the living God on our side. Why can't it be both? Why can't it hinge on both? So let me say it this way.

What I just said about the living God, this saying is a trustworthy and it is deserving of full acceptance. He's the living God. And the more you believe that, and the more you ask God to make that real in your life, the more you'll be able to toil and strive in godliness with joy and a happiness that can be unmatched to any other thrill that this life can offer you. And that is the message this morning as we seek the living God together. Let's pray.

Father, we come before you knowing that you hear us and that you see us and that you're with us. We may not be able to perceive you with our senses, but Lord, you've called us to trust you in truth. And Lord, just like those three men, everything around us can be more real to our senses than you being alive. The blazing furnace, the enraged face of Nebuchadnezzar, the music of compromise in the background, the stares of all other men wanting us to compromise. Oh Lord, help us and heighten our senses to trust that you are more real than all these things.

Lord, we pray that if there's anybody here who lacks hope and feels like they're being broken down, feels like they can't even see another day or another week with joy or trust or hope, tranquility and peace. Lord, let this be fresh igniting to their faith. Lord, may we be a people of hope, hoping in one thing that you're alive and well. Lord, help us understand that there are no stands that we can make that we should ever be fear afraid of. Help us understand that there's a story being written for your glory in our lives.

And like any good story, Lord, you love to take and recycle all the evil and all the wrong to ultimately show the world that there's nothing that can be thrown at your child without you doing something about it for your ultimate glory. Help us, like Paul, be able to stand before any man, any trial, any season of disparity because we've preached to our souls the resurrection. And, Lord, if there's anybody in here that doesn't know you, doesn't know that you're alive, may they sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to receive Christ as Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.