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[0:00] If you will, turn with me in your copy to God's Word, in God's Word to Luke chapter 16.! Luke chapter 16. I'll begin reading at verse 19. This is Luke chapter 16.

[0:22] There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.

[0:37] Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

[0:50] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.

[1:11] But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

[1:25] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.

[1:38] He answered, Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.

[1:52] Abraham replied, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them. No, Father Abraham, he said, But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.

[2:05] He said to him, If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead. Would you open your Bibles to the book of James?

[2:21] We'll have another one-off sermon in the series of great texts in the Bible. Texts that in one or two verses capture wonderful truths to live by.

[2:36] And here in the letter from James, he starts out in verse 2 with a command, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

[2:52] And right away we might wonder, Is this even possible? Well, to be sure, it is a tall order. But with the command, he gives us reasons for doing so.

[3:06] And if we grasp the reasons, then it will not appear unreasonable to do this. Nor will it be impossible. And so in his letter, James gives us many reasons for joy in our trials.

[3:21] I just want to consider one verse this morning and let it lead us into fullness of joy. Yes, even in our trials of many kinds. It's verse 9. So James 1.9, our text for this morning.

[3:36] It's a short verse. And it says simply, The brother in humble circumstances ought to rejoice in his high position. The brother in humble circumstances ought to rejoice in his high position.

[3:53] Now let's be sure we understand the terms. And I'll break it down quickly. First of all, it says the brother. This is not a text for everyone. This is a text for those who belong to the family of God.

[4:07] The brother, the sister that are in the family of God. And you get into the family of God, not by birth, but by the new birth.

[4:19] By being born again and by being adopted through the merits of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus said one day when they came to him and said, Your brother and mother are outside and want to see you.

[4:32] And he responded, Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and my sister and my mother. So this is a word in James 1.9 exclusively for believers.

[4:46] But it goes on, the brother in humble circumstances. We ought to know what that means. In lowly situations in life, whatever they may be.

[4:59] It corresponds to his earlier statement in verse 2 of trials of many kind. Trials that don't leave us thinking that we've got the world by our tail, but have us laid low.

[5:12] And perhaps even singing the blues. Trials, trials big or small. In humble circumstances. The brother in humble, lowly circumstances.

[5:25] The next phrase, ought to rejoice. The word ought reflects the fact that this is a command. This is an imperative. This is a duty, an obligation that the brother in Christ, the sister in Christ has.

[5:40] And it's a duty to rejoice. What good commands our God gives us. He ought to rejoice. He ought to glory. He ought to boast.

[5:50] He ought to joyfully exalt. And in what? In his high position. His exalted state.

[6:01] His elevated condition. So here we have it. The brother in humble conditions ought to rejoice in his high position.

[6:12] So, how are you doing? Not bad under the circumstances. What are you doing under there? When you could be rejoicing in your high position.

[6:25] We must look beyond our lowly circumstances to our high position in Christ and rejoice that it is so.

[6:35] So, how are you doing? We often answer that question almost thoughtlessly, don't we? But this morning I'd like for each of us to give it serious thought.

[6:47] And believing that doing so will do us much good. As we take inventory. How am I doing? How are you doing? Helen Lemmel was born in a minister's family in England back in 1863.

[7:02] At age 12, they immigrated to the United States. She loved music and her parents gave her the best training they could find. She even spent four years in Germany, further developing her voice.

[7:14] And when she returned to the States, she sang in concerts all over the Midwest, here where we live. Eventually, she was married to a wealthy European. Things were going ever so well for Helen.

[7:28] And then two things turned her world upside down. First of all, she became blind. And second, because of that, her husband left her. So, here she is now, unable to see, despised, rejected, alone.

[7:45] But she looked to Jesus and she found in him more than enough for her. And later, at age 55, she wrote these words. Oh, soul, are you weary and troubled?

[7:57] No light in the darkness you see. There's light for a look at the Savior. And life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

[8:09] Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. She did not sit down to spend the rest of her life licking her wounds in self-pity or in anger against God.

[8:27] How could you treat me this way? She found in the Lord himself motivation and power to serve him all the days of her life. She taught music, voice at Moody Bible Institute.

[8:40] She wrote children's literature and over 500 hymns. And she was actively serving the Lord when she died just two weeks before her 98th birthday. She made a huge impression upon a little 13-year-old boy who used to visit her with his parents toward the end of her life.

[9:00] And they always found her so full of life and enthusiasm and joy. And he later wrote that in spite of all her infirmities and old age, forsakenness and nearly destitute living with government assistance in a sparse bedroom.

[9:18] He said whenever we asked her, how are you doing? She always answered, I'm doing well in the things that count. Doing well in the things that count.

[9:34] A woman in humble circumstances rejoicing in her high position, outwardly wasting away, inwardly being renewed day by day.

[9:46] No circumstance so low that it could rob her of her joy in her high position in the Lord Jesus. So I'm asking you this morning, how are you doing?

[9:58] Can you say I'm doing well in the things that count? Some of you are doing far better than you may realize and may feel like this morning.

[10:10] Others of you, perhaps far worse. So right away we need to define what we mean by the things that count. And the Bible does define that for us, doesn't it?

[10:23] There are two entirely different value systems for determining the things that count. There's the world's value system, and it's all about temporal things, earthly realities, our circumstances.

[10:41] And then there's God's way of evaluating things. He focuses on eternal things, spiritual realities, the believer's high position. So we're taking inventory of our lives.

[10:54] We're wanting to see how we're doing. And your answer will be different depending upon which value system you use, God's or the world's.

[11:05] So let's consider first the world's value system in answering the question, how are you doing? Well, it answers by looking at your health, your medical records, your financial statements.

[11:21] If you come back from the doctor's office, the clean bill of health, all your vitals are good, your blood counts, your sugar and cholesterol counts, all in their range.

[11:33] If you're able to be up and about doing the things you like to do, then you answer, I'm doing well. I'm doing well. And if you have enough money to buy what you want and pay your bills, and your financial planner tells you you're sitting well for the future, retirement, then you answer, I'm doing well.

[11:51] Thank you. Health and wealth are a major part of the world's evaluation of how they're doing. These are core values in the world's system.

[12:04] The world has no stake in eternity. And so it's all about the here and now. And that's why the health and wealth and prosperity gospel is so popular.

[12:16] It is no gospel. It is no good news at all. And yet it dominates in Kenya. It dominates in much of Africa, much of South America, and yes, in our own United States.

[12:30] And it's nothing new. 2,000 years ago, Jesus exposed this temporal value system of his own hearers in his day. He sounded throughout his teaching a clear note on this matter.

[12:43] Consider two of his parables. The first is found in Luke chapter 12, verses 13 to 21. It's the parable of the rich fool. Well, what was the circumstance that caused Jesus to tell this parable?

[12:57] Well, as Jesus was teaching the people that day, someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. Jesus replied, Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?

[13:13] And then he said to them all, Watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

[13:25] Now, many today, as then, are thinking that a man's life consists in the abundance of his possessions. And Jesus challenged that temporal value system by telling a parable.

[13:39] He said, The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. And he thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Well, then he said, This is what I'll do.

[13:52] I'll tear down my barns and I'll build bigger ones. And there I will store all my grain and all my goods. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.

[14:05] Take life easy. Eat, drink, and be merry. So you meet this fellow uptown and you ask him, How are you doing? Quite well, thank you.

[14:16] You see, I've got plenty of good things laid up for many years. I'm financially set to enjoy an early retirement. To take life easy. I've worked hard enough.

[14:28] Just to enjoy myself now. He's wealthy. And he's healthy. He's planning on the party lasting for many years. And so the world would agree, Wow, this guy, he's doing very well.

[14:42] Put him on the cover of Forbes magazine. Let him tell his story. But Jesus comes to an entirely different conclusion about how he's doing based on things that count. Jesus continues and concludes his parable.

[14:56] But God said to him, You fool. This night, your life will be demanded from you. Then, who will get what you've prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself, but is not rich toward God.

[15:15] Not rich in faith. Not rich in hope. Not rich in love. Not rich in obedience. We don't read that this man was a bad man, as society defines badness.

[15:29] After all, he was hardworking, industrious, a good planner, many positive traits. But the fatal flaw in all of his planning was he failed to plan for eternity. He had nothing that would survive the fires of judgment.

[15:44] All his good things were limited to this short life. Nothing of value for the next life. He was not rich toward God. So, we've got to ask, What does death do to your portfolio?

[16:00] Are there any investments that you have that will go on past your death? Job said that we all came into this world naked and we're going out the same way.

[16:11] You can't take it with you. Do you have any treasures laid up in heaven? You see, until you've factored in death, you really don't know how you're doing in the things that count.

[16:21] God's value system is different from the world's. And Jesus is telling us, Eternity weighs heavily in God's way of valuing the things that count.

[16:37] And that only stands to reason. 80, 90 years, 80, 90 years if you have them versus eternity, which should have the greater weight. It's clear, isn't it?

[16:48] And Jesus makes it clear. It has to do with your relationship to God more than your bottom line financially or your medical report physically.

[17:02] The second section seems to be a parable in Luke 16 that was read for us. The rich man and Lazarus, the beggar, at his gate.

[17:12] And one day you stop in for a visit with this rich man. And one of his servants ushers you into his lavish home and you say, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing?

[17:24] Oh, I'm doing fine. You see, I'm dressed in the finest threads. I'm living in luxury every day. There's not very many who are able to afford this lifestyle. And besides that, I'm healthy.

[17:37] As they say, if a man's got his health, he's got a lot. And on your way out, you notice the beggar at his door. He's happy just to get the scraps that fall from the rich man's table.

[17:48] Besides that, his health is not good. He's covered with sores and the dogs are licking them. So you don't even bother to ask him how he's doing. Because you think it's so obvious he's not doing well at all.

[18:00] But be careful as you walk away from this house. Because if you just take things as they appear, you'll miss the truth of the matter. That the beggar is doing far better than the rich man in the things that count.

[18:14] And again, the thing that will reveal how they're really doing is death. What happens at death? Death tells the real story. Who was really rich? Who was really poor? The beggar knew God.

[18:25] He was spiritually rich. And he died and he went to heaven. The rich man did not know God. And he died. And in the torments of hell, he woke without any hope of escape.

[18:41] Death revealed the true condition. That all along, the beggar was far better off than the rich man. In the things that really count. Paul sums up the world's value system in Philippians 3 and verse 19.

[18:57] When he says, their mind is on earthly things. That's what they look at. That's what they listen to. That's what they take into their mind.

[19:07] Their eyes. Their ears. It's all earthly things. And that's why God says, you fool. You have neglected the more important things.

[19:18] The things that really count. So back to the life of Helen Lemel. How was she doing? Well, the world looks her over and sees that she's blind.

[19:31] She's old. She's weak. She's sick. She's rejected. She's alone. She's nearly broke and concludes she's not doing well at all. Well, nobody in the world would want to trade places with Helen.

[19:44] But Helen's not measuring with the world's standards. But with God's spiritual and eternal values and view. She's looking past her low, humble circumstances.

[19:54] And she's seeing her high position. And so she's able to say of a truth. I'm doing well in the things that count. The things that really count.

[20:06] I'm doing great. And a day is coming when billions of people will acknowledge that she was the real winner. And they were the losers.

[20:17] And that for all eternity. So my concern this morning is not with the rich man. Not with Lazarus. Not with Helen Lemel. But with you, my friend.

[20:29] How are you doing in the things that really count? If you've not received Jesus Christ as your savior. And as your master to rule your life.

[20:42] Well, if you've never turned from being your own boss and going your own way. And you're not trusting Christ to save you. Then you're a whole lot worse than you may realize.

[20:54] Regardless of your health and wealth. Your family and friends. Earthly things going forward. You're not doing well at all in the things that count. In fact, you're to be pitied far more than this bankrupt beggar with the dogs licking his sores.

[21:11] Because you have a bigger problem. You've sinned against a holy God. And he says there's a hell to pay for sin. And you have nothing to write the record in heaven.

[21:23] No amount of your good deeds can lessen the weight of your bad deeds by one sin. You say, well, I'm trying my best. That won't cut it.

[21:34] God requires perfect righteousness for entrance into heaven. You have none. Your boasted righteousness, the Bible says, is as filthy rags. And far from helping you out in the view of God, it rather is offensive to him.

[21:50] That you would think that by doing some religious deeds, by trying to be a good neighbor or keep the golden rule or to keep the Ten Commandments, that you would think that you could undo the offense of your sin before God.

[22:04] That doesn't add to your credit. It adds to your demerit. The pride, the arrogance of it. God says that the problem was so great that nothing could solve it but the agonizing suffering and death of my son on the cross.

[22:18] And I send him to die that death that the sinner deserved. And you say, it's unnecessary. All I have to do is try to do my best. Oh, no.

[22:30] No, someone must pay for your sins against God. And neither you for all eternity are the only substitute for sinners. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God.

[22:42] God's wrath against sin is only appeased by what Jesus has done. For the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.

[22:53] So only trusting in his death to atone for sins are you forgiven and made right with God, made justified, declared right in the courtroom of God.

[23:06] So the poet writes, upon a life I did not live. Upon a death I did not die. Another's life, another's death. I stake my whole eternity.

[23:17] It's Christ's life, his death, that gives me a right standing in heaven. Faith that looks away from anything in ourselves and hangs all of our trust on Christ alone.

[23:33] Lost friend, that's what you need. You need to rest your soul on Jesus and what he has done for sinners. And all the things that really matter are found in him.

[23:43] Receive him today. And begin the eternal life that he came to give. For this is life eternal. That we might know the one true God in Jesus Christ whom he sent.

[23:56] To have a relationship with the living God. It starts here and now. That's the life he came. The more abundant life. And this life is in his Son. So that he who has the Son has life.

[24:08] But he who has not the Son of God has not life. Helen was doing good in the things that count. Because she had Christ as her Lord and Savior.

[24:21] And I want that for everyone here. That you might be able to answer. I too. I'm going through trouble. I've got a lot of problems. But I'm doing great in the things that really count.

[24:34] But my concern this morning is also for true believers. Because living in this world we can easily slip into evaluating our situation by the world's standards.

[24:46] From an earthly temporal value system. And so what do we miss? We miss the joy of fixing our eyes on our high position in Christ.

[24:57] That was Asaph's problem wasn't it? In Psalm 73 that Old Testament worship leader. It nearly ruined him. He evaluated his life by the world's standards.

[25:10] And so we ask him how are you doing Asaph? Oh not good at all. To be honest I'm in a pitiful condition. I'm plagued with problems every day.

[25:22] They never go away. They meet me every new morning. Financial problems. Health problems. Nothing's going my way. But if you want to see someone who's doing well.

[25:34] It's that wicked person over there. He's got life by the tail. They have no struggles. Their bodies are healthy and strong.

[25:45] They're free from the burdens common to man. They're always carefree. Increasing in wealth. They're to be envied. I'm to be pitied. I wish I was in their shoes. It was oppressive to him.

[25:58] He tells us. His feet were slipping. He was about to chuck the whole thing. And go back to the world. He wanted to be like them. But he found himself where you find yourself this morning.

[26:12] He went into the sanctuary of God. He met with God. In the worship of God. And that changed everything there. His whole perspective.

[26:22] As his thoughts were sorted out. And he came to understand that those people he was envying. Their final destiny. Is destruction. They're on slippery ice.

[26:34] At any moment they could be in hell forever. Again it was the reality of death. And what lies beyond death. That helped Asaph. Poor Asaph.

[26:45] To start seeing and thinking clearly again. About what really counts in this life. And so we see him coming out of the sanctuary. And we ask him again. How are you doing now Asaph?

[26:58] Oh with a twinkle in his eye. He says I'm doing very well now. Thank you. And we say oh the kids are better. Your physical problem's been healed. Your financial woes ended.

[27:08] You got your job back. No brother. None of that's changed. I still have all of that every day. But I'm doing well in the things that count. You see I've got God.

[27:20] And they don't. They're a breath away from swift and eternal punishment. But God is always holding me by my right hand. And afterwards he will take me into glory.

[27:32] Oh yes my flesh and my heart may fail. But God is the strength of my heart. And my portion forever. Amen. I've come to see again that the good life is to be near to God.

[27:45] It's to have the sovereign Lord as my refuge. Surely God is good to Israel. What happened in the sanctuary? Well the glasses of the world's value system were taken off.

[27:59] And the glasses of God's eternal value system were put back on. He begins to see reality as it really is. And nothing looks the same.

[28:10] It changed his entire outlook. He now looks at himself and says I am so rich and to be envied. And he looks over at the same prosperous wicked and he says they are so poor and to be pitied.

[28:25] How rich I am since Jesus came my way. Redeemed my soul. Turn my night today. How rich. How very rich I am.

[28:35] When you see the lives of the rich and famous who ignore God. Do you envy them or do you pity them? You drive by the mansion of the man without God.

[28:47] You see his cars and all this stuff. What do you feel? Envy or pity? Be sure you got the right glasses on brothers and sisters. They're poor pitiful people.

[28:58] Who will come to the judgment seat of God. With nothing that really counts. And matters for eternity.

[29:11] And may our times of worship together. In the presence of the Lord. With his word before us. Ever be reorienting and readjusting our value system to God's.

[29:25] Correcting our vision. So that when we leave. We go rejoicing. However low our condition. We go rejoicing in our high position. And the things that are true of us.

[29:37] That really matter. And this is part of one of the ways that we encourage one another. As brothers and sisters. In the Lord. With true fellowship.

[29:47] That sharpens one another. We remind each other. Of our high position in Christ. Of the unsearchable riches that are ours in Jesus. Now it will take.

[30:00] Heaven's eternal ages to unpack our high position. But in the time remaining. Let me just remind you. Of your high position. The things that really count.

[30:11] And I want to do so. Just simply with a couple lines. From a hymn. By Henry Light. That express it well. His hymn is Jesus. I my cross have taken.

[30:22] And in it he recites some of the low circumstances. That the children of God. Find themselves in this life. Destitute. Despised. Despised. Forsaken. Man troubling and distressing.

[30:35] Life with trials hard may press me. Yeah. It's all there in the hymn. It's not pretending. It's giving life as it really is for the Christian. In this fallen world. But each time.

[30:47] From the low circumstances. He pivots. To rejoicing in. The high position. The things that really count. Yet how rich is my condition.

[31:02] God and heaven are still my own. This God. Is my God. This God is our God. Forever. And ever.

[31:13] And he's for us. And Romans 8 31 says. If he's for us. It doesn't matter who's against us. Even what Satan and others mean for evil in my life.

[31:24] He overturns and works it for my good. Even to conform me to the image of his son. You can't lose. That's your higher treasure.

[31:36] Your higher position. And when the Bible says that God is for you. It means our triune God. It's a triple blessing. We have God the father for us.

[31:46] We have God the son for us. And we have God the Holy Spirit for us. And here's the two lines from the hymn. That point to our high position. Whatever may be our lowly circumstances.

[31:57] It's this. Think what spirit dwells within you. What a father's smile is thine. What a savior died to win you.

[32:08] Child of heaven shouldst thou repine. There you have it. You have God the spirit. God the father. God the son.

[32:19] Think. Consider. Meditate. Think who is for you. The father, son, and spirit. So we start. I want to just work through these very quickly.

[32:31] Think what spirit dwells within you. Do you know the very spirit that hovered over the waters of the deep in Genesis 1 and verse 2. That brought life and order out of the chaos.

[32:43] And filled the earth teeming with life. That spirit that caused our astronauts to stand in awe at the privileged planet. That stands out here as a glorious place in the midst of a dark wasteland.

[32:58] That spirit dwells in you. Think what spirit dwells within you. The same spirit that was with the children of Israel in the wilderness. The same spirit that rested upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the spirit of wisdom and of understanding.

[33:14] The spirit of counsel and of power. The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. That same spirit that led him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

[33:25] That same spirit that equipped him with all the strength that his humanity needed to resist the devil. And to carry out his three years of ministry.

[33:38] And by that same eternal spirit he offered himself as a sacrifice unto God. Hebrews 9.14. By that same eternal spirit.

[33:50] That spirit that dwelled in Jesus dwells in you brothers and sisters. Think of it. Think of it. The same spirit that raised our Savior from the dead on the third day dwells in you.

[34:03] And one day will raise your body from the dead to eternal life. Think what spirit dwells within you. Not an unclean spirit. Like Mary Magdalene who had seven of them cast out.

[34:17] No, the Holy Spirit. And he dwells in you precisely to make you holy. To sanctify you. To make you more and more into the likeness of Christ. To read with you the very words that he inspired.

[34:29] To show you Christ here. And in seeing him to make you more and more like him. This is the spirit that dwells within you. You're a walking temple of the living Holy Spirit.

[34:45] Think of it. And then think what a father's smile is thine. Now we all knew what it was to receive our father's frowns.

[34:56] Didn't we? And it cast a shadow over our day. Whatever we were enjoying. If we saw our father frowning. We knew we were in trouble. So with God.

[35:08] But the frown is gone. If we are in Christ. We're accepted in the beloved. Justice now smiles and asks no more. The father's smile now rests upon you.

[35:20] Dear Christian. Think what father's smile is thine. When's the last time you've been to a wedding. And saw the bridegroom standing up front.

[35:32] And seen the smile on his face. As his bride walks down the aisle. To give herself to him for life. And God says to us.

[35:43] As the bridegroom rejoices in the bride. So shall your God rejoice over you. He will rejoice over you with singing. Fathers you know the joy.

[35:54] Of giving good gifts to your children. And though you be evil. Yet you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your father in heaven. Delight to give good gifts.

[36:06] To those who ask him. Oh he's a God who delights. In his children. He smiles. At his children. Some of you knew Ed Withrow.

[36:16] And you knew when he smiled. His whole face lit up. That's what it means when it says. Lord we want your face to shine upon us. We want to see your smile.

[36:27] Your favor. Your pleasure in us. Think what smile. What a father's smile is thine. Jesus took the frown.

[36:38] The angry frown. That you might have the smile. Of God's favor. Forever. Forever. And then. Think what a savior died to win thee.

[36:52] Willingly. Voluntarily. Coming to live and die for all those the father gave him. Here I am. Here I am. It's written in the scroll. I've come to do your will. Oh God. While we were helpless and without strength.

[37:06] And ungodly. And God's enemies. Christ died for us. No one has ever been more for you. Than he was. And is. He was for you in that eternal covenant of redemption.

[37:19] When he compacted with the father. To come and to live and die for you. He was for you in Bethlehem. When he humbled himself and became a man for you. He was for you in the wilderness.

[37:31] Where he was tempted and tried for you. And perfectly obeyed God's law for you. He was for you in Gethsemane when he bowed his will. To drink the cup of wrath instead of you. He was for you on Golgotha.

[37:43] Where he poured out his life. His life's blood. To save you. Instead of saving himself. And he was for you on resurrection Sunday. When he rose again for your justification.

[37:55] He's for you now as he's ascended into heaven. And he's there on the throne that rules the universe. And he's ruling and reigning for you. For your good. And he's there as your advocate.

[38:05] So that when you sin. You have an advocate in heaven. An advocate with the father. That his very presence there at the father's right hand.

[38:16] Guarantees your forgiveness. His very presence. He was the sacrifice for your sin. And just his presence before the father. Guarantees that your sins have been paid for in full.

[38:29] Testifies to the father. She's mine. I've paid in full for her sins. And it wins the smile of God. God was the one that sent his son to do that for you.

[38:40] And he's pleased. With the Savior's work on the cross. Think what Savior died to win thee. To win you over from the kingdom of darkness.

[38:52] From serving sin and Satan. To win you over to the kingdom that is marked by love. The kingdom of the son that he loves.

[39:05] He's won you over. Father. Child of heaven. Shouldst thou repine. No not repine. But rejoice in your high position.

[39:16] The triune God. Is for you. He's yours. Live in the reality of it. More happy but not more secure. The glorified spirits in heaven.

[39:27] They may be more happy. But they're not more secure. Than any child of God. Who has the spirit. The father's smile. And what a Savior.

[39:38] Who died to win us. So no matter how low the circumstances of your life. Pivot to all that is yours.

[39:52] In the Savior. That cannot rob you of him. And of the blessings that are found in him. Then let the brother in humble circumstances rejoice. In his high position.

[40:04] And the next time you're out in the world. And someone asks you. How are you? Tell him. Tell him. Be strong and courageous. Like we were told in Joshua 1. Tell him you're doing well.

[40:15] And the things that count. And then tell him a few of those things that count. All my sins are forgiven. For Jesus' sake. I'm doing very well. Thank you. Jesus loves me.

[40:29] I guess that says it all. My God reigns. And he's working everything out for my good. So how are you doing?

[40:41] We might ask that question of Horatio Spafford. How are you doing? Mr. Spafford. Whatever my lot. God has taught me to say. It is well. It is well with my soul.

[40:54] Oh but. But you've just lost four of your daughters. In a shipwreck that hit an iceberg. Oh yes. But Christ has regarded my helpless estate.

[41:05] And has shed his own blood for my soul. And my sin. Not in part. But the whole. Was nailed to his cross. And I bear it no more. And that's why I can say in any situation.

[41:17] It is well. It is well. With my soul. And if you're in Christ. You can say that this morning. And you can sing that. You can sing it to each other. You can sing it to the Savior.

[41:28] Who has made all things well for you. Father remind us of these things. When we are under humble lowly circumstances. Oh that your word would ever be upon our lips.

[41:40] That might ever be reminding us. And speaking it to ourselves. Preaching to ourselves. To one another. To the devil if needs be. And into your lovely smiling face.

[41:53] That we're doing well in the things that count. Help us to treasure those things. Help us to. Despise what the world counts as treasures. And apart from the Savior.

[42:06] Make us. Like him. Who despised even the shame. And endured the cross. For the joy set before him. Lord what joys are set before us.

[42:18] Joys here and now. But then joys when you return for us. So send us on our way rejoicing in it. And we pray that you would bring others. Who do not know the Savior this day.

[42:31] To come to him. And to be saved. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you.