The Church Jesus Cherishes: Part 3 - Revelation 3: 8b-11

1:53We're looking at this church, and we've noted so far that there are two characteristics that distinguish this church from the others. It cherished his word and it cherished his name. This is what distinguishes a church. The church that Jesus cherishes cherishes his word and cherishes his name. And he celebrates those he cherishes. He loves them, he cherishes them, and therefore he expresses his love to them in practical and meaningful and extravagant ways. Last week we began looking at these expressions that Jesus bestows upon the church he cherishes. We looked at the fact that he opens the door to eternal honor. Verses 8.

2:54He says, Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut. So it is his. Expression of love that those who cherish him. He cherishes by opening the door to eternal glory, eternal honor. He sets before them an open door. He's the one in authority. He's the one in power. And what a privilege it is for him to give his people such an opportunity to be able to walk in his ways, to cherish his word, regardless of what's going on in the world, and not be ashamed of his name, regardless of what's going on or whatever pressures they may face. He opens the door to eternal honor. It's an expression of his love to great opportunities. It's what we do as well to our kids. We want to open the door and give them a bright and glorious future. And that's exactly what Christ does to the church, to the people, the congregation that cherish him. It's another expression of this love. He vindicates the church he cherishes before their enemies. Just like he did here in Philadelphia, look at verse 9. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie, I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know that I have loved you. For the one that Jesus cherishes, he's going to make that publicly known. There is coming a time, just like in the Time of Philadelphia, and I believe it was a time probably when those who once persecuted, once rose up in an adversarial position against this church, came to realize that this is the church that God Almighty loves. And it was through their testimony and God's work in their life that these Jews, the synagogue from Satan, came in conversion, bowed down, and esteemed them, came to understand just how much God loves his people. That's what God's going to do. Some point in time, he vindicates those who he loves before their enemies. And he'll do that gloriously and eternally. And sometimes he does that temporally. But he does. That's an expression of his love for his church. This morning, I want us to continue looking at these expressions of love. There are two more ways that I hope to cover this morning that Jesus expresses his love for his church. And I want us to look at these so that you and I will be emboldened and encouraged to cherish his word more deliberately and cherish his name more specifically in our world today.

6:00So, the third, for the church that Jesus cherishes, he delivers them from the great hour of testing. He delivers from the great hour of testing. Look at verse 10, that's where we'll pick up this morning. Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Fascinating verse. Lots of comments on this verse. Probably one of the ones that I think there have been more comments on than usual. Maybe one of the most commented-on verses in Revelation are certainly up there. But listen, I want you to look at this verse, and I want you to see what Jesus promises and why he promises. But first, we're going to look at the reason behind the promise, and then we'll come back to the other. First, we'll look at the reason, and then we're going to look at the promise itself. Verse 10: Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, because you have kept the perseverance of me. The word can be translated steadfastly.

7:32The word is staying under pressure, holding out under pressure, because you have kept the word of my perseverance. The same word is used to speak of Christ in 2 Thessalonians 3:5. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. You see, in Christ, there was a steadfastness, there was a perseverance, there was an ability to endure and to patiently endure the things that God set before him. And what in 2 Thessalonians, Paul is saying, I pray that the Lord will direct your hearts into this kind of likeness, into that steadfastness, that characteristic and quality of Christ, to endure the trials and hardships that his heavenly Father placed before him.

8:27In Hebrews 12, 3, we see a similar comment. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood, and you're striving against sin. Consider him as you struggle with sin. Consider him who endured incredible hostility and who patiently endured. Who held up under great, great trial. Consider him. This is the expression: because you have kept the word of my perseverance. Because you have kept and endured.

9:19What had they done? What is he commending them for? He is commending them for they had patiently endured his word, his teaching, all that came out as a result of that, they patiently endured. They patiently endured the trials of their times. Like you see, this concept of perseverance of the saints, this is the expression here. It comes up again in Revelation 13 and 13:10. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes. If anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the saints. Revelation 14:12, same expression. Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

10:25You know, and if I can impress two words. Upon your heart today, it would be these. Patiently endure. Patiently endure. Patiently endure whatever trials that come about because of your identification with God's Word or because of your identification with His Son's name. Endure patiently the trials. Patiently endure. We're all going to have to endure life, aren't we? You might as well do it in a God-honoring way. We're all going to have to endure whatever comes before us.

11:10Patiently endure. You remember we talked about Polycarp back when we studied the letter to Smyrna. You remember that faithful pastor at Smyrna? Well, there seems to be that Philadelphia and Smyrna had a lot in common. They had a synagogue of Satan that they were both dealing with. They were both commended and rewarded with the crown, crown of life. But you remember the letter that was written from the church of Smyrna to Philadelphia that outlined and recorded the very first martyr outside of the New Testament, the first martyr that's ever been recorded, was in this letter from Smyrna to this church, Philadelphia. And it is called The Martyrdom of Polycarp. We read it, and we spent actually a whole day going through it. So I'm not going to go back through that, but I do want to call to your mind a few of the highlights. You remember they were trying to get Polycarp, 86-year-old man, to offer up incense and worship Caesar as an expression of worship and loyalty, supreme loyalty to Caesar. And I'll just pick up the narrative. The magistrate said, Swear the oath, and I will release you. Revile Christ. Polycarp replied, For 86 years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? See the patience, endurance of Polycarp through this trial. But he, as he continued to insist, saying, Swear by the genius of Caesar, he answered, Polycarp answered, If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you request, and pretend not to know who I am, listen carefully. I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. That's who I am.

13:23So the proconsul said, I have wild beasts. I will throw you to them unless you You change your mind. But he said, Call for them. For repentance from better to worse is a change impossible for us. But it is a noble thing to change from that which is evil to that which is righteous. Then he said to him again, I will have you consumed by fire, since you despise the wild beasts, unless you change your mind. But Polycarp said, You threaten with a fire that burns only briefly, and after just a little while is extinguished. For you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you wish. And so Polycarp was burned at the stake.

14:25The whole episode may very well and probably have been orchestrated by the synagogue of Satan, the opposition, calling Polycarp traitors and bringing the magistrates against them. But it's clear that the Philadelphians also faced the same kind of opposition. Now, let me read to you a little comment at the very end of the letter. As they conclude, giving the whole story of what happened to Polycarp, then they say this. Such is the story of the Blessed Polycarp. Although he was martyred in Smyrna, along with 11 others from Philadelphia, 11 others.

15:19He alone is especially remembered by everyone, so that he is spoken of everywhere, even by pagans. He proved to not only be a distinguished teacher, but an outstanding martyr, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate, since it was in accord with the pattern of the gospel of Christ. In other words, there is a pattern of suffering that Christ laid out that was characteristic of Christ. And Polycarp embodied it. But not only Polycarp, who else? Eleven others from Philadelphia.

16:06Hardly even get a mention. Eleven Polycarps. In the shadows were 11 other individuals, faithful, just as faithful as Polycarp, who were suffering according to the pattern of Christ, who kept the word of his perseverance. 11. What a church. No wonder they were small. Remember Israel's problem in the wilderness. I could go through, if you read Exodus and you read Numbers, you find many, many examples of Israel's discontentment. It seemed like they were grumbling quite a bit, complaining. They were longing for God to do more for them.

17:01They were wanting God to give something else to them. They were wanting God to be something more than what He was from their perspective. God, you're not meeting our needs. God, you're not doing this. God, I think it'd be better if you brought us here. God, I think it'd be better if you gave us this. God, if you would just do this for us constantly, this is what's happening with Israel. They are discontent. Sound familiar? God, I need you to do more for me. I need you to give me more. God, I'm not really happy with how this is turning out. God, can't you just make this fall into place? All that.

17:48God led them around in the wilderness for 40 years. You remember? Why did he do that? Well, to test them. Really, to prove them. To prove them. Why do we go through physical discipline? Why do we go through eating healthy? If you want to have a physically fit body, guess what? You're going to have to go through some physical discipline. If you're going to, and diet discipline, that's how you get physical strength, physical health. Well, the same is true about spiritual health. How do you get spiritual discipline?

18:28How do you resolve? How do you steal the soul in obedience and loyalty to God? How does the fear of God get instilled permanently in the heart of a person? That doesn't happen without exercise, spiritual exercise, spiritual discipline. And that's exactly why God took them into the wilderness. And this is what he says in Exodus 20. 20. You remember where they come to Mount Sinai, they see the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the trumpet. They're frightened. Speak to us yourself. We can't handle listening or we don't want to speak to God. And then Moses in Exodus 20, 20 says this: Do not be afraid, for God has come in order to test you and in order that the fear of him may remain with you so that you may not sin. God has come. It's interesting. He says, Do not be afraid. And then he says, he's come so that the fear of God may remain in you.

19:38The idea is: do not be afraid. Don't be petrified of him. Come to him so that he may establish a holy reverence, a healthy reverence of his name. This is what spiritual health looks like: somebody who reveres God, who has the fear of God instilled in their heart, and it's not going to go away. That's what spiritual health is doing. So he takes them through the wilderness. And in Deuteronomy 8:15, he explains this a little more. Deuteronomy 8:15, he does three things. He led them, and he fed them for a purpose. Let me just read to you. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, beginning in verse 15, with its fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water. If you've ever been through the wilderness, the Judean wilderness, and where they wandered around, you know exactly what this means, what it feels like. It's hot. It's thirsty ground. He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. So he led you there. In the wilderness, he fed you manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you. And that he might test you to do good for you in the end. Sometimes we forget those words at the end. He might humble you. He led you, he fed you, that he might humble you, that he might test you to do good for you in the end. There is a good purpose. God doesn't know how to do anything else but good purpose because he is good.

21:28He wants to do good for them in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth. Verse 18, but you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who is giving you power to make wealth, that he may confirm his covenant with which he swore to your fathers as it is this day. It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. If you ever forget the Lord, Moses is saying, you will surely perish.

22:08Like the nations that were, like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God. And so, in God's goodness, he put Israel through the rigors of God's spiritual discipline. He put Pressure upon Israel to break their self-reliance and to instill a permanent fear, reverence, relationship with himself. He wanted to instill a permanent relationship of reverence with God. And that's what he wants to do in us. And he does so through a variety of means, but sometimes it's through the spiritual desolations and difficulties of life.

23:05But he wants, he has good at the end of all of it. He wants to break your self-reliance and to instill in you a permanent relationship of reverence for God. Why? Because there's so much good ahead and you need a permanent relationship of reverence with God instilled with you. You know, we're not really a patient people, are we? I know we want fast food, fast service. Post-COVID, we're getting used to a little slower food and less service. But especially as it comes to being content, we want God to do more, be more, accomplish more.

24:00But let me tell you, one of the greatest virtues that you can have is to patiently trust God in the midst of your trials, in the midst of your daily circumstances, whatever they may be. Because inevitably, you're going to find something that isn't quite right with Him. But then, on the other hand, you can be sure that the God Almighty is with you and to patiently trust, patiently endure. What defines you? Are you a complainer or are you a cherisher?

24:39What defines you? We all are going to have to endure life. We're all going to have to endure the circumstances of this life and the unique challenges that each one of us face. We all are going to have to endure. Might as well do it patiently. Might as well do it in a heart that trusts God because there is great reward at the end. There is great meaning, great purpose for patiently enduring. There's a frightening outcome for the grumblers and the complainers.

25:19Help us, Lord. I can assure you that God has a purpose for you. Going through some of the trials, the situations. Are you a complainer? Yeah. Let me just speak to wives for just a second. Is your husband a jerk? I mean, you know, 99.9% of husbands land somewhere on the jerk spectrum. Somewhere. Except for me, of course. I mean, I'm probably off the chart in the wrong way. But anyway. But how do you relate? I mean, think about it. Yes, we all have relationships that are off, but there's an opportunity. Are you willing to show the world how a godly woman lives with a jerk?

26:27Maybe a little more close to my own life, as recently buried my sister-in-law, who died of cancer, young age, leaving two children behind. Are you facing cancer? Are you facing cancer? If so, are you willing to boldly cherish his name and his word? As you do? And are you willing to boldly show the world what a Christian looks like when they're facing cancer? We could go through so many examples of the trials, the situations, the things that aren't quite right, the things that are really off. These are opportunities to endure patiently the situation that you have and put on display how a person who cherishes God's Word and cherishes His name faces the challenges of life. That's what this church in Philadelphia did. And I can assure you, and I know that's easier said than done, still, it is the standard of Christ Himself who patiently endured.

28:03Remember Isaiah 40:31. Those who wait upon the Lord will regain, will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, they will not get tired. They will walk, they will not become weary. I assure you, you are called to patiently endure the hardship and the unmet expectations. That comes with identifying with Christ and His Word. Well, that's what He, the reason for the promise. He makes a promise. Because you have kept the Word of My Perseverance.

28:47Now, let's look at what He promises. Back at verse 10, Because you have kept the Word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. Question: What is this hour of testing? Well, let's look carefully at its description. It is a time period of testing that is about to come upon the whole world. It's a time period of testing that's about to come upon the whole world, and it's clearly future from the perspective of Philadelphia. It's something that's going to happen in the future from Philadelphia's perspective.

29:34Notice its purpose. It's purpose. I will keep you from the hour of testing. It's an hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. It's a time. It's a period of testing. If you go to a time of testing when you're taking a class, what do you test? you going to expect to take? A test. There are times for tests. It's a time period.

30:12Just like the Old Testament, there's a testing. And testing has an ultimate good purpose. And what is that in Israel? And what is it? What is the purpose of testing? It's to instill, to impermanently instill. the fear and reverence of God in the hearts of people. That's the purpose of testing. God's instilling his government, his establishment of him upon the throne of the heart. So that's the description, its purpose. Now look at the scope. It's the whole world. The whole world.

30:51The Greek word there is for the entire inhabited earth. That which is about to come upon the whole world. It's a world that, it's the word for inhabited world, and it makes it very, the whole inhabited earth. And then it goes on, it says it again, to test those who dwell on the earth, upon the earth. It's upon the whole inhabited earth, upon the earth. This scope is the whole world. It's those who dwell upon the earth, the whole world. The language is very...

31:30Clear on this, also from Philadelphia's perspective. And we have to be consistent here. This cannot be a time of tribulation just upon the land of Jerusalem, as many would assert, or as some assert, put it all in 70 AD, that the tribulation that we're looking at in Revelation, beginning in chapter 6, all the way basically to the 18, is something that's just localized in Jerusalem. It cannot be, this text cannot square with that. And let me explain why.

32:14First of all, you can't be, and I mean, just I'll stay with just this text. Consistency. Consistency. It cannot be future from Philadelphia's time perspective and not global from their geographic perspective. You see what I'm saying here? Is it from Philadelphia's perspective or not? Yes. It's clearly from Philadelphia's time perspective and geographic perspective. The whole earth from Philadelphia's geographic perspective. Jerusalem, 70 AD. Local, but from the perspective of the geographical place in which the churches in Asia Minor were located, there is coming a great hour which is coming upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. The scope is clearly the whole world and will test every inhabitant of planet Earth. That's the hour of testing, which is coming up on, which is about to come upon, which is really the verge, the word is on the verge of happening. It can go at any time, kind of like the San Andreas Fault. It can go at any time. That's the idea here.

33:52Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is on the verge of coming upon the whole world. Now, the question becomes: what could possibly try every inhabitant on the earth? Well, the answer is very clear: the events of chapter 6 through chapter 18. The events of chapter 6 through 18 of Revelation, these are going to be global in scope. Think about how could. Could something happen that would impact the whole world? We're the COVID generation. That shouldn't be hard to understand.

34:38And that was a blip. Let me tell you: when you start getting into some of the plagues, some real plagues, wipe out a third of the earth's population, this is going to be globally felt. And as you read in the following chapters, there's plagues, there's famines, there's wars, there's large-scale environmental events like droughts, earthquakes, changes in the rivers, changes in the sun, the moon, the stars. Yeah, those are going to be felt by every inhabitant on the earth.

35:20So we looked at the reason for the promise. So that's just the reason. It's told us a little bit about the hour of testing. Now, let's look at the promise. I want to look again at the promise. Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing. I will keep you from the hour of testing. That's the promise. Underline it. I also will keep you from the hour of testing. Two observations about this. First of all, notice that he did not promise to merely keep them from the testing itself.

36:00He didn't just say, I will keep you from the testing. That's not what he says. I will keep you from the hour of testing. He promised to keep them from the time period of the testing. Notice carefully. I will keep you from the hour. The hour, the time period of testing. Second observation: notice the preposition from. I will keep you from the hour of testing. It's also the preposition, I will keep you away from. I will keep you from the out of. It's a better, it's really expressing the idea of out of. I will keep you out of the hour of testing. All legitimate translations. But the example. You understand prepositions. Prepositions are so important. Everybody thinks prepositions, you just. No, wake up. Prepositions are great. Football yesterday. Alabama. Wasn't that a close one? I didn't even watch it. I just heard about it. And I understand if I got this right, they are nearly upset except for a field gold right at the end. Did I say that right?

37:19Right? Okay, okay. I don't want to embarrass myself. Field gold, the importance of a field gold. Now, where do you think the code is? Told him to kick the ball. Go out there, kick the ball beside the uprights. That's a preposition. Near the uprights? What do you think he said? Through? Maybe. Yeah, I guess that would work. Through. I mean, but you think about it, through. I mean, yeah, you see it going like a hot, you know, like a going right through the goalpost, cutting it down. If you think through, you know, cut that one down. I guess, yeah, through works if you go right through. But you're really saying in between, right? Through, we're meaning in between the uprights, through, in between the uprights.

38:12I mean, the prepositions, that's the first thing we learn growing up. I remember it was one of the first things I learned when I was being potty trained. In the potty. Not beside the potty. What's wrong with on the potty? In the potty. Not over, not beside, not near, not underneath, not beyond, not through, but in. See how fun prepositions can be. Well, this is what his promise is. He's not saying, I will keep you in the hour of testing. He's not saying, I will keep you through the hour of testing. He is saying, I will. Keep you out of the hour of testing. You see the importance there? Very different.

39:09Which takes us to the whole idea of rapture. There's not much said about the rapture in Revelation, and certainly not enough to divide brothers and sisters over, for sure, anywhere, really. But it's like, but this verse is one of the rare places where the concept of rapture comes up. Rapture, it's a Latin term, and it means to be snatched away, to be carried off, or to be taken by an irresistible force. And what it does is that it's a theological concept that describes when the Lord returns from heaven and he will suddenly and supernaturally remove the church from the world.

39:58And there's not significant debate on the meaning. The debate is on the timing. When, when. Well, there's really two major views. A couple others, I'll mention them. But there's the post-tribulational view, and the idea is that Jesus will take the church out after the tribulation. After. And they would interpret this text along the lines of that Jesus is saying he will protect. His church through the hour of testing. Then you have the pre-tribulational view, the idea that Jesus will take the church out before the tribulation. Now, the view doesn't say that he takes out all saints. There's clearly tribulation saints. There's clearly Jewish saints that, and they're all going to be Christian, they're all going to be believers in Christ. They're going to come to that. Certainly, the tribulation, as God is testing the world and instilling his government in the hearts of people who didn't know him, there are going to be multitudes coming out of this tribulation, as we will see later. But the idea is that Jesus will take the church out before the tribulation. And the idea is that we take this verse to mean that Jesus intends to keep his church out of the time period of the testing. And think about that. If you're saying, okay, World War III is coming, there's a way to imagine that you could be kept away from World War III in a remote location that doesn't see it, that kind of thing. But if you say you're going to be taken out before the time period of the World War III, what are you saying? You're not going to be here.

41:51I think that's what Jesus is saying here. It's like he's saying, you've been tested enough. And he goes and he takes his bride. Then there's the mid-tribulational view, which is the idea that the church will be removed in the middle of the time period. And really, it just differs from the mainstream pre-tribulational view in that it sees, it kind of redefines the hour of testing or the hour of trial, and it relegates it to the last three and a half years. That's the mid-tribulation. Then there's the partial rapture, partial rapture. And this idea is: well, some are going to go at certain times and some are not. I mean, you could think about like Philadelphia. Okay, maybe Philadelphia, he's made this promise, or I'm going to take you to the faithful church, I'm taking you out. But then there's a lot of churches that are being left that maybe Pergamum needs to go through a little more fire, kind of almost like a purgatory idea. Okay, you need to cook a little more until you get faithful, and then you're coming out, that sort of deal.

43:04I think, but based upon the simple grammar of this verse, he takes them out. He keeps them out of the time period. Keeps them out of the time period. Now, as I said, there's so I believe the pre-tribulational position is best. Still, brothers and sisters, if you don't agree with me on this. But I would encourage you, I mean, I believe that's, if I summarize it, put it all together, I think that's what the Bible is teaching on this subject. Now, if, but I encourage you to be pre-tribulational, if I can speak right, and you can be pre-trib with me, because I know it's going to get really bad. And so, if the post-trib is the right position, I encourage all of us as a church to go down to Antichrist headquarters, preach until we get our heads cut off, and then that way we will be pre-tribulational.

44:10Either way, we can be pre-trib. But let me take this, let me think about this. Why? Why? Personal application here. What Jesus is doing, and he's not trying to sort out, obviously, rapture doctrine here. I mention that because it touches upon the theology. But what's very clear here is the personal application and what he's trying to do, and that's where I want to emphasize. Why does Jesus keep the church from this great hour of testing? Why?

44:51The answer is they have already been tested, he isn't going to make them go. Through another testing period, God has already been instilled in their hearts. It's very clear they've already endured so much. Maybe the reason why they're so little, 11 of them when Polycarp goes. This is the characteristic of this church. They endured their times and they had a shalom about them. They faced all the things that the other churches were doing. They were tested.

45:34They belonged to him. It's like you hear the heart of Christ just saying, no more testing for you. It's over. It's done. I am going to keep you from the greatest hour of testing that's ever going to come up on planet Earth. I'm keeping you from that. You belong to me. I am yours. You are mine. That's settled. Come home. And certainly that's the heart. That's the heart of God with his people. I don't find it very comforting or encouraging to think that they're going to.

46:25Some people would say, well, they're just being kept from God's testing. But you're still going to get your head cut off. If you go through, there's a lot of persecution, a lot of trial that comes from unbelievers. And the realm of the Antichrist, in the world of the Antichrist. I mean, yeah, I don't get hit by a big salt brick, but man, that axe felt like it hurt pretty bad. He encourages them, I'm keeping you from that time period.

47:00Listen, just as they patiently endured their times, we can do the same. We have first-world problems compared to their problems. Our problems may be paled in comparison. But our problems are real. We still have to wrestle through the basic issues of life. God, are we going to come under your sovereignty or are we going to assert our own sovereignty? But we can do this. We can endure our times cherishing his word and cherishing his name. And we can do this not from our perspective, but from an eternal perspective. Listen, if this world were all there was, then I can understand being discontent because there's a lot of things that are off in this world. And broken, and some things that we're going to have to deal with all the rest of our lives. And if this world were all there is, then I could say, yeah, I can understand discontentment because we don't see certain promises coming to light and fulfillment. But it's not all. From God's perspective, He has all eternity to make good on all of His promises to all of His people, and He's going to abundantly and over the top. And what He's doing in your situation and in my situation is He is instilling something in our heart that enables us to accept His government forever and His goodness, in His goodness, He is accomplishing something very good in us.

48:48Children, learn to properly relate to your parents. Because you know what? If you don't get that right in this phase of life, you're going to have more challenges in the next phase of life. To the unmarried, I say this: wait. Wait for God's purpose. Wait for God's timing. Don't compromise standards. I think the last thing you need to do is get married to the wrong person. Because, boy, that's going to usher in a whole nother challenge in the next phase of life. And if your marriage is going awry, then you might be tempted to get a divorce and then get remarried. And guess what? You're going to have another challenge in the next phase of life. The idea is patiently endure. The phase of life that you're in, so that you will not come under more difficulties and more trials in the next phase of life. They tend to get more complicated as you go.

49:42Patiently endure. To the married woman who's married to someone on the jerk spectrum, you can do this. Patiently endure. To the, I'm sorry, I'm about out of time. No, I am out of time. I've passed the time. Patiently endure. God's word is so clear, and He rewards those who do by delivering them from the great hour of testing. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you again for your truth. Thank you for your love for your bride. Thank you that you have your eyes on each of us. You know what we're going through. You know us intimately. You know what we are facing. You know the longings. You know our sins. You know everything about us. And, Father, you call us to cherish your word, and what a good word it is. What a great word it is. You call us to cherish your name. What a great name your name is to. Cherish and Father, we just thank you for this great privilege.

51:06Thank you, and maybe respond appropriately to you. In Jesus' name, amen.