We know who we are

“You gotta have the divine viewpoint of tribulations to be bold in tribulation,” says Jordan. “You’ve got to have the divine viewpoint of what’s going on in your life so you’ve got to understand the issue of basic justification in order for you to not be ashamed in tribulations, but to have that boldness that God wants you to have.

“With growth there’s all kind of different problems that come along. Growth always does that, folks. So what you do is, when the problems come, you look at them and by relying on God’s Word and a clear understanding of what we are because we’re justified, of who we are in Christ Jesus, we can endure and go through the problems with peace under whatever the pressure is. What that does is give you skill; ability in handling bigger problems—even greater problems. And that results in hope and confidence in the Lord’s working.

“Of course, people say, ‘Well, wait a minute, if it results in me being able to handle bigger problems, what happens?’ A bigger problem comes.

“I’ve seen saints of God handle problems and I look at them and I say, ‘You know, if that thing was on my shoulders it would kill me.’

“Now, you know how they got so they can handle that kind of problems? Handle littler ones.

“ . . . Listen, people, talk’s cheap. It isn’t easy. It hurts sometime and it’s inconvenient but we don’t work by feelings, do we?

“Romans 5:5 says, ‘And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ Now that’s the whole gist of the thing. Verses 3-5 bring you to the place that all of a sudden you can appreciate the love that God has for us in a way that you never could appreciate it before. You see, all those things demonstrate God’s love. And you say, ‘Are you sure about that, Charlie?’

“ . . . If I ask you on a test what does ‘agape’ mean, the answer is it’s a mental-attitude love of value and esteem. That definition is by W.E. Vines.

“By ‘knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed,’ we’re learning how much God loves us. How highly it is that He values and esteems us. We begin to see His love and His value and His esteem for us. And it says that love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

“ . . . Basic information Paul assumes that you understand is that you and I are possessors of God the Holy Spirit that He’s given to us and that He has a purpose. He sheds the love of God abroad in our heart. That ‘shed abroad’ is like a great river coursing and flowing over our soul. It just comes in and courses in and flows in over us.

“You know that commercial that says, ‘Take the Nestea Plunge?’ and you see this old hot guy that just falls off into that pool and you almost want to go, ‘Ahhh,’ when you see him go under.

“That’s this idea. It’s just the love of God completely flowing over you and refreshing you. It’s the Holy Spirit that takes all of these things as they happen to us. It’s the Holy Spirit that takes the Word of God that we understand and builds up in our soul strength. We’re strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man.

“People, it’s the Word of God that energizes us. God’s Spirit works through His Word, and He takes what we know about these things, and as He takes that Word and builds up in our soul what’s going on here, there’s strengthening—keep relying on the Book—and it’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

“You and I have a hope that the world doesn’t have but we’ve also been ‘left’ in this world. Now the world has tribulation; the world has trouble. If the world has trouble, they can’t boast in the trouble.  That’s just what comes.

“But we’re able to boast in the trouble. So He leaves us here and we suffer the common lot of the world but whereas the world wrings it’s hands and says, ‘Oh, me, oh my,’ we look at it and say, ‘Oh, gee, it’s wonderful.’ We know those things work; they have a purpose in our life. We know what’s going on. We know where we’re going and we know who we are.”