1. Grace Fellowship Church www.GraceDoctrine.org Pastor/Teacher - Jim Rickard Thursday, February 11, 2010

2. Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

3. Memory Verse John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

4. John 15:2 Suffering for Blessing Part 9

5. A. Introduction: Suffering acts as a guardian or parent in life. B. Suffering is used as a measure- ment of life. C. Suffering for Blessing Rationale. D. Five categories of suffering in the spiritual life.

6. E. Definition of the three stages of Spiritual Adulthood and accompanying Suffering for Blessing. F. Suffering and Spiritual Adulthood. G. Providential Preventative Suffering. H. Prayer and Suffering.

7. I. Momentum Testing 5 Categories: Disaster Testing People Testing Thought Testing System Testing Prosperity Testing

8. 2. Disaster Testing 2 Categories: 1) Personal 2) Historical

9. c. Six Characteristics: 1) Physical or mental pain and anguish. 2) Crime where you are the victim. 3) Persecution. 4) Privation; hunger, thirst, exposure, fatigue, etc. 5) Loss of loved ones, property, success, job, money, etc. 6) Disease and handicaps. c. Six Characteristics: 1) Physical or mental pain and anguish. 2) Crime where you are the victim. 3) Persecution. 4) Privation; hunger, thirst, exposure, fatigue, etc. 5) Loss of loved ones, property, success, job, money, etc. 6) Disease and handicaps.

10. d. Four characteristics of national disaster:

11. d. Four characteristics of national disaster: 1) Violence, crime, terrorism, murder, rampant drug and alcohol addiction.

12. d. Four characteristics of national disaster: 1) Violence, crime, terrorism, murder, rampant drug and alcohol addiction. 2) Warfare.

13. 3) Weather, including heat, cold, storms, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes.

14. 3) Weather, including heat, cold, storms, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes. 4) Cycles of discipline, Lev 26.

15. e. Disaster Testing always tests your emotions.

16. 1) A form of this tempts you to take the easy route, i.e., money, security, fame, etc., and lose forever your escrow blessing.

17. 2) The only wealth worth having is the wealth that God provides in escrow blessing, Rev 3:18.

18. Rev 3:18, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

19. f. There must be maximum faith and maximum SSE and maximum SA if you are going to have your escrow blessings and pass Disaster Testing.

20. 3. People Testing a. Problems with human relationships where SA is necessary for Biblical solutions.

21. b. Two Categories. 1) Personal love relationships where the object of your love controls your life or tempts you to be unhappy.

22. In wanting to please the object of your love, you become a different person, not following your normal function.

23. 2) In personal hatred or animosity, the object of your antagonism or irritation has control of your life or happiness.

24. c. God designed His Plan so that your happiness will always reside in you, so that you do not depend on people or things for your happiness.

25. Psa 5:11, “But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.”

26. Psa 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

27. 1) As a function of your Royal Priesthood, love and happiness comes from within.

28. 2) You are supposed to have control of your life through the application of God’s Word, a Personal Sense of Destiny, and Self ‑ Confidence from metabolized doctrine.

29. 3) Therefore, you have poise and command of self. As a result, you bring your happiness to others, but you do not lean on others or circumstances for your happiness.

30. Gal 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

31. 1 Thes 1:6, “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, …

32. … 7 so that you became an example to all the believers... 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, …, in every place your faith toward God has gone forth...”

33. Grace Fellowship Church Grace Fellowship Church Thursday, February 11, 2010 Tape # 10-017 Suffering for Blessing, Pt 9 Momentum Testing, Pt 2 Upper Room Discourse, Part 336 John 15:2-8 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2010