The Anatomy of an Apostle In the Madhouse of Persecution Fall Quarter

Transcription

1 The Anatomy of an Apostle In the Madhouse of Persecution Fall Quarter I. Introduction - 2 Corinthians 1:8 A. In our last two classes we studied the subject of being In the Schoolhouse of Suffering. A.1. They were two of the most emotional Bible classes I have ever taught. A.2. I think I saw more tears in this classroom during those two lessons than I have seen in all of my years of teaching combined. B. The words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 opened some deep wounds that we all have that will never fully heal in this life. B.1. B.2. We are going to read them again. Then, I want you to share with the class anything that you learned from this text. B.3. He said, (2 Cor 1:3-7 N.V.) {3} Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, {4} who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with

2 the comfort we ourselves have received from God. {5} For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. {6} If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. {7} And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. C. After reading Paul s words again, what did you learn from them? C.1. C.2. C.3. C.4. God is the ultimate comforter in our time of trouble. There is no pain so deep that He cannot soothe. Just as Christ suffered, we too will suffer as His followers. Yet, the same comfort God the Father made available to His Son is also available for us, the Corinthians and Paul himself. D. Suffering is a part of the human experience and that s why God equipped us with nerve endings and compassionate hearts. D.1. D.2. There is no escape from it and there are no exceptions to it. We will all suffer in this world.

3 E. Yet, most of what we discussed the last two weeks was normal suffering. E.1. The pain endured after a fall or the premature death of a loved one all occur in the passage of time. E.2. These are natural and normal suffering. F. Yet, there is another type of suffering that is far more difficult to endure. F.1. In fact, it is a type of pain which can blind us to God s purpose. F.2. The title of the message tonight is In the Madhouse of Persecution. G. In our last lesson, we visited In the Schoolhouse of Suffering because there are lessons to be learned there you can t get any where else and we discussed them at length. H. Yet, tonight, we are In the Madhouse of Persecution. H.1. H.2. H.3. A madhouse is an insane asylum. It is a place where people go who have lost grip on reality. The hope for those residents is that they can receive therapy and care for extreme mental illness.

4 H.4. And it s possible that at some point, the patient can return to normal life after a period of professional treatment. I. Yet, other residents are permanent because they have gone mad and they cannot be cured. I.1. I.2. No amount of comforting words will help them. No shock therapy will snap them out of it. J. However, when we have been tested to the limit and insanity seems to be a real possibility for us, we can find so much comfort in God s Word. Amen? K. Let s look at a few statements that Jesus made and see how much peace we can find in them. K.1. Jesus said, (Mat 5:11 N.V.) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. K.2. (Mat 5:44 N.V.) But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. K.3. (John 15:20 N.V.) Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

5 K.4. (Luke 9:23 N.V.) Then Jesus said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. L. Feel better yet? M. When you are persecuted for your faith, you find yourself in spiritual quicksand. M.1. A persecuted Christian is stunned and surprised that God has allowed you, His child, to suffer for doing good! M.2. You will ask, Lord, why are you allowing this evil person to harm me when I am serving you? N. Even though he didn t realize it at the time, Job was persecuted by the devil himself. N.1. Job did not know about the conversations that took place between God and Satan in the Heavenly court. N.2. This man was totally unaware of why he was suffering. O. Listen to the questions Job asked God after the deaths of ten children, the loss of all his wealth and the complete destruction of his health in (Job 7:20-21 N.V.) If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your

6 target? Have I become a burden to you? {21} Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more. P. I wonder if I faced all that Job endured, would I lose my grip on reality? P.1. Would I go insane if the Lord allowed Satan to do to me what He allowed the devil to do to Job? P.2. Would you go crazy in The Madhouse of Persecution? Q. Tonight, we are going to see that Paul was taken to the very brink of breaking. Q.1. There was a moment in his walk with the Lord that he believed was the last mile of his way. Q.2. Yet, even in the madhouse of persecution, Paul learned new lessons and discovered a new power to overcome it. Q.3. The same power that was available to the Apostle to the Gentiles is available to us. R. (2 Cor 1:8-11 N.V.) {8} We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure,

7 so that we despaired even of life. {9} Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. {10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, {11} as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. S. Remember, in the last section, Paul was gushing about God s comfort in his time of trouble. S.1. In this next section, we see the actual trouble that caused him to discover God s amazing ability to see us through the greatest tests of our lives. S.2. Those verses talked about why God comforted Paul but tonight we are going to see why it was necessary. S.3. The first thing Paul mentions is... II. The Hardships We Suffer A. (2 Cor 1:8-9 N.V.) {8} We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia.

8 We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. {9} Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. B. How bad were the hardships that Paul faced according to these verses? B.1. He was under great pressure, far beyond his ability to endure, he despaired that he was about to lose his life and thought God had passed down the sentence of death. B.2. Paul thought he was going to die in Asia. C. What was the event that caused the Apostle to think that his life on earth was finished? We don t know for sure. C.1. C.2. The text does not say. However, we can put some pieces together to make a good guess. C.3. It all started in Acts 19 when Paul went to visit the city of Ephesus which is in Asia as he also mentioned here in v.8. C.4. These are some of the dots we connect to put all this together. D. Do you remember the trouble that Paul caused in that city?

9 D.1. When the Apostle to the Gentiles would come to town two things would happen: a revival or a riot and sometimes both. D.2. And that is what happened during Paul s two year stay in the city of Ephesus. D.3. In the first six verses of that chapter, Paul baptized a group of twelve men who were believers but they had never been immersed into Christ E. Then, he butted heads with the Jews. E.1. We read in (Acts 19:8-9 N.V.) {8} Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. {9} But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. E.2. Throughout his years of ministry, the Jews were constantly a thorn in Paul s side. E.3. They laid many hardships on this good man.

10 E.4. In fact, later when Paul was meeting with the Ephesian elders he said in (Acts 20:19 N.V.) I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. E.5. E.6. On more than one occasion, the Jews plotted to kill Paul. We don t have a record of the actual occurrence in Ephesus but Paul said that his own people were putting a severe strain on him in that city and may well have tried to kill him like other Jews had. F. Yet, he also had troubles with the Gentiles in Ephesus. F.1. He was so successful in leading people out of idolatry to faith in Christ, that Paul began to hurt the idol making business in that town. F.2. What happens if you start to cut into someone s sales and hurt their pocketbook? You get their attention and then they get yours. F.3. While working in Ephesus, he wrote in (1 Cor 16:9 N.V.)... a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

11 F.4. It seems as if this movement against Paul and Christianity was building in Ephesus because they were beginning to make a difference in the economy there. G. Here s how it all unfolded in Ephesus in Asia in (Acts 19:23-41 N.V.) {23} About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. {24} A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. {25} He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. {26} And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. {27} There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty. {28} When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! {29} Soon the whole city

12 was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. {30} Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. {31} Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. {32} The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. {33} The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. {34} But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! {35} The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? {36} Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. {37} You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our

13 goddess. {38} If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. {39} If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. {40} As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it. {41} After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. H. Ephesus was a major metropolitan city and Paul had shaken the place to it s core with the message of the cross of Christ. H.1. Now, most of the city was out for the Apostle s blood because he was cutting into the profits of the idol makers and those who made money from tourists who came to worship in the temple of Artemis. H.2. That s why Paul said he was under great pressure, far beyond his ability to endure, he despaired even of his life and even felt he had been given the sentence of death. H.3. H.4. We don t see all of that in the account in the books of Acts. However, it looks like the Holy Spirit did.

14 H.5. You take the account in Acts 19 and 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 and combine them, you get an ugly picture of Paul nearly losing his life. I. Imagine, that nearly the entire city of Memphis, Tennessee suddenly wants you dead because of your faith in Christ. I.1. I.2. I.3. You are number one on the Ten Most Wanted list. The entire city comes together to seek and destroy you. How would you feel if that was happening to you? J. Maybe you feel that way already. K. As time passes, I feel like I am becoming enemy number one in my own country. Do you? K.1. Consider these facts: I m a white, male, conservative Christian. K.2. Who gets more scorn in the media than someone with those characteristics? K.3. It s automatically assumed that I m a racist, homophobic, bigot by many of my fellow Americans regardless of what the truth is about these matters.

15 K.4. The enemies of Christianity do not let facts get in their way today nor did they bother with the facts in Ephesus. K.5. The city official said that Paul wasn t guilty of any of the charges but those people we ready to kill him. L. Some of you are being persecuted on the job simply because of your faith or your ethnicity or your gender. L.1. Some of you have or will be passed over for job promotions even though you have earned them because of these issues. L.2. Some of you will not get certain business deals simply because you are follower of Jesus Christ. L.3. Some of your children may not get certain rewards in school because they are Christians. L.4. Some of them may even be silenced from mentioning the name of Jesus Christ among their friends at school. L.5. Do you think any of that is possible? M. There was a elementary school teacher in Indiana recently who wrote a letter to all the parents of the children in her classroom. The teacher urged parents to encourage their children to stop

16 using religious words in her classroom. The teacher wrote, I have had a group of about five students using the words God, Jesus and Devil in conversation. If you go to church or discuss these things at home, please have a talk with your child about there being an inappropriate time and place of talking about it. M.1. M.2. In her classroom, Jesus was not welcome. In her classroom, it was inappropriate to mention God, Jesus or the Devil. M.3. These are the types of hardships that are coming to Christians every where in America in rapid fire succession. M.4. Now more than ever, Jesus is not welcome and those who follow Him aren t either. N. However, that was not the end of the story in Indiana. N.1. N.2. Parents, did not remain silent. They pointed out trying to limit a student s view on religion is violating their first amendment rights and the teacher was actually reprimanded by the school district. O. These are the hardships we suffer and it s not new. O.1. Nor should it not be surprising.

17 O.2. O.3. Why? Jesus promised you that it was coming. (John 15:20 N.V.) Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. P. I m calling this lesson In the Madhouse of Persecution. P.1. P.2. Why is persecution for your faith so maddening? It seems unjust for people who Jesus called the salt of the earth to now be called the scum of the earth. P.3. Yet, it happened to Jesus and it will happen to all who follow Jesus. P.4. It happened to Paul and it will happen to all that Paul has influenced through his life and teaching. Q. This is why he wrote and said (2 Cor 1:8-9 N.V.) {8} We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. {9} Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. R. Let s think about the audience who received this letter the first time: the Corinthians.

18 R.1. We ve talked at length about Paul s relationship with that church and his rocky history with them. R.2. Why do you think he is making sure they were informed about his sufferings as he points out in v.9? R.3. Once again, he is rebuilding the broken relationships with those brothers in that city. S. Let me remind of what some of church members were saying about him in (2 Cor 10:10 N.V.) For some say, His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing. S.1. When he came to Corinth in person, do you remember how he appeared to them? S.2. (1 Cor 2:3 N.V.) I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. S.3. Before he went to Corinth the first time, he had just been laughed out of Athens by people who mocked his teachings about Jesus Christ and His resurrection. S.4. He was still shaking when he got to Corinth.

19 T. If I had to face the things that Paul did, I might do a lot trembling myself. Wouldn t you? T.1. I doubt I would be very impressive looking after traveling the same roads that Paul did. T.2. These all speak of the hardships we suffer. U. Questions or comments? V. Next there is... III. The Hope We See A. (2 Cor 1:9-10 N.V.) {9} Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. {10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. B. Brothers and sisters, Paul thought he was going to die in Ephesus in the riot. B.1. B.2. He felt the sentence of death had been handed down to him. Yet, why did all this happen to him according to v.9? But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God!

20 C. Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? C.1. Without mentioning places or people, is there anyone who is willing to share a story of how you have been persecuted for your faith in Christ? C.2. When these types of incidents occur, they are maddening to us. C.3. C.4. It seems like the world of sanity is turned upside down. It s like what Isaiah said in (Isa 5:20-23 N.V.) {20} Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. {21} Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. {22} Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, {23} who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. C.5. C.6. Doesn t that sound like modern day America? It seems as if our whole world has been turned upside down and now right is wrong and wrong is right and when you stand up for God, you better be prepared to duck.

21 D. When your world gets turned upside down by persecution for your faith, what has the Lord asked you to remember in v.9? (2 Cor 1:9 N.V.) This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. E. I believe up until this point in his life, Paul had a great dependence on himself. E.1. I believe that Paul had great confidence in his abilities leading up to this moment in his life. E.2. Why? Why might this man have had a high opinion of himself? E.3. Paul said this about himself in (Phil 3:4-6 N.V.) {4} If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: {5} circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; {6} as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. E.4. If you tally all the education this man possessed, Paul may have had the equivalent of a triple PH.D.

22 F. This man also came from a wealthy family because he was a student of Gamaliel in Jerusalem according to Acts 22:3. F.1. Paul s family lived in Tarsus and they sent him away to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem. F.2. Poor people don t send their kids off to private school in distant cities. F.3. Paul s family was wealthy and for majority of his life, he was most likely rich as well. F.4. After all, he was a Pharisee who were among the elite of Israel and he had always had prominence to support him. G. Paul was so confident himself, that he stood by and watched a good man stoned to death while he held the coats. Acts 7.58 G.1. If you could watch that and feel no qualms of conscience, and he didn t, you would have to have supreme confidence that you are right. G.2. After that, he went from house to house and town to town throwing people in jail who professed faith in Christ before he was arrested by Jesus Himself.

23 G.3. He did that all the name of God because he was confident in his own righteousness. H. This is what I am trying to say: Paul had always been supremely confident himself: wealthy, highly educated and a member of the religious elite. H.1. It appears that this Apostle to the Gentiles may have still been riding high until that riot in Ephesus that got his attention. H.2. Remember, he said he was put under great pressure, far beyond his ability to endure, he despaired of his life and felt the sentence of death had been passed down to him. H.3. Why did all that happen? V.9, This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. I. There are no throw away lines in the Bible. I.1. I.2. I.3. Nothing is written off the cuff. Always ask, Why did the writer include this statement? When you answer that question correctly, you unlock the majority of the Scriptures.

24 J. Do you see why the Lord may have allowed Satan to put you to the test by the persecution in your life? J.1. Do you see why you God may allow the devil to squeeze you until you think your eyeballs are about to pop out? J.2. V.9, This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. K. Paul thought he was going to die and the Lord brought him to a place where he concluded, If God allows me to die, then He will raise me from the dead if that is His will. K.1. Look at all the verse. (2 Cor 1:9 N.V.) Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. K.2. The man who had always been able to rely on his wealth, his education, his status in life, has finally come to the place where he had to rely on God who could raise him from the dead if necessary.

25 L. When all the problems in Ephesus began to blow up in Paul s face, I believe he may have turned down the avenue of education to talk his way out of it and God closed that door. L.1. I believe it s possible that when the crowds of idol makers wanted to kill him, Paul may have tried to use his wealth to buy his way out of trouble and God closed that door. L.2. I believe it s possible when the Jews may have wanted to turn his lights out, he may have played the religious elite card saying, I m a Pharisee. You can t kill me! but the Lord closed that door too. M. When all the doors on earth are closed to you, there is only one direction left. M.1. M.2. What is it? It s looking up through the window of Heaven. N. Listen, at times, the Lord allows all our other doors to be closed so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. O. Why do you suppose the Lord asked Abraham to take his son Isaac to the top of the mountain and sacrifice him after all those years of waiting for that boy s birth?

26 O.1. (Heb 11:17-19 N.V.) {11} By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, {18} even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. {19} Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. O.2. On one hand, God said, Abraham, I am going to bless the world through your son Isaac. O.3. On the other hand, God said, Abraham, take your son to the top of Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him. O.4. O.5. How did Abraham reconcile this problem in his mind? Abraham had faith that God would raise his son from the dead because he was the one through whom the Lord would deliver all the promises he had made to this man. O.6. Abraham said, God made this boy live even though my body was dead as far as having children. Now, He will just have to bring the boy back to life.

27 P. In the same vein, now we see that Paul was brought to the place where he no longer relied on himself but rather he put his faith in God saying, If the Lord allows me to be killed here in Ephesus in this riot but he still wants me to be the Apostle to these Gentiles, then he will raise me from the dead to get glory to Himself. Q. Notice the shift in Paul s confidence from self to God in (2 Cor 1:10 N.V.) He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. Q.1. Three times Paul said God has delivered us...he will deliver us...he will continue to deliver us. Q.2. In that one statement, you see the evolution of Paul s faith in God. Q.3. This is the hope we see. R. Brother and sisters, hope is not a blessed maybe. R.1. Paul is not saying, I hope God saves me but I don t think He will.

28 R.2. No, hope is this, God has delivered me, he will deliver me and He will continue to deliver me! R.3. R.4. That is rock solid hope in the power and promises of God! After nearly losing his life, Paul realized that the Lord comforted him through it all! S. Paul could see the Lord come to his deliverance in the heat of persecution in Ephesus. S.1. S.2. Have you seen the Lord ride to your rescue? Do you have personal experience with the God of Heaven and earth giving you hope in the middle of a life crisis? S.3. What was the moment you knew that God came to pull you out of the flames that were trying to incinerate you or He pulled you out the waves that were trying to drown you? T. Now that Paul has received God s comfort in the midst of his crisis, he peers over the pages of the text and says to fellow believers then and now, He will deliver us. T.1. And all of God s people said... T.2. This is the hope we see for the hardships we suffer. U. Questions or comments?

29 V. The last thing Paul shows us is... IV. The Help We Secure A. I ask you again, Why was Paul writing to these Corinthians and reminding them of the comfort God gives to him and these fellow believers? B. Paul was rebuilding the broken bridges with his brothers who were doubting his apostleship. B.1. His message was, God delivered me in Ephesus and He will deliver you because we all serve the same risen Lord. B.2. In fact, Paul then gives credit to the Corinthians for helping in his deliverance from his life threatening perils in Asia. C. How did the Corinthians help? (2 Cor 1:11 N.V.) As you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. C.1. Not only did Paul give credit to the Corinthians for his deliverance in Ephesus due to their prayers but he also gives credit to their future prayers on his behalf. C.2. Do you believe God answers the collective prayers of the church for deliverance?

30 D. I believe the Lord is going to deliver His people who have suffered the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. E. Don t you? F. The best help we can secure for those people are our daily prayers. F.1. F.2. Should we give our money and supplies to help? Yes Should we give our time to help clean up the mess? Yes G. Sometimes a weak Christian will look at a mess like these hurricanes cause and say, Well, I guess all we can do now is pray. G.1. G.2. God help us for taking such a low view of prayer. The prayers of the Corinthians were credited for saving Paul s life! H. Imagine we are sitting in church in Corinth and the reading of Paul s letter has just begun and then the one who is doing the public reading gets to Paul s statement in vv.10-11: (2 Cor 1:10-11 N.V.) {10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, {11} as you help us by your prayers. Then

31 many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. H.1. How would that make you feel if you were a member of the Corinthian church and you just heard that your prayers helped saved the life of an Apostle? H.2. You were able to help secure the power of Heaven through your prayers! V. Conclusion A. Do you see how Paul is rebuilding these bridges with these brothers? B. He shared with them the hardships he suffered at the hands of the Devil s crowd. C. Then he showed them the hope we see when God come to deliver us. D. Finally, he revealed the help we secure together through prayer by divine intervention. E. All that happened in response to the madhouse of persecution. F. The ways of the Lord are many and wondrous.

32 G. Once after facing a great trial in his life, David said in (Psa 138 N.V.) I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. {2} I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. {3} When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. {4} May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. {5} May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. {6} Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. {7} Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. {8} The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands. And all of God s people said...