Dwelling Place

Host Al Pittman: Today on the Dwelling Place. And the Bible tells us in Isaiah 61 that Jesus gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Can anybody claim that today for themselves? Because that's what he gives to you freely. The great exchange. God, take my troubles, take my problems, and grant me, Lord, your joy. Amen. Praise his holy name.

Announcer: Thank you for tuning into the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman and Calvary Worship Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We hope today's message is a blessing to you. If you'd like to partner with us financially, you can go to cwccs.org/give, text give to 719-354-2778, give directly on the OnePlace app, or mail a check to 501 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80904.

We appreciate your generosity to help us spread the gospel. Today we continue our new series, Strategic Living: A Believer's Journey in a Strange Land, in 1 Peter. Now, here's Pastor Al.

Host Al Pittman: God said, "You need this." When we were training for basketball, when I was back in the dark ages, we had high shorts and socks that would come all the way up. We thought we were rocking it. But the coach would have us training, and have you ever run the lines in basketball training? "Why do we have to do this, coach?" "You need it."

It was a need-be moment. He was trying to build up our endurance and our strength. There are times we go through trials and it's a need-be time. "Lord, I don't want this." Lord says, "You need it." "Lord, I don't need this." "Yes, you do." It's a need-be moment.

Paul the apostle faced a lot of need-be moments. One of them is recorded in 2 Corinthians chapter one where he said, "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves." In other words, Paul's saying, "We wanted to die." Have you ever been in that place? "Lord, if you came right now, if you took me home right now, it'd be alright." Sometimes you can get that low.

He said we despaired even of life. He says the reason this happened was that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us, in whom we trust that he will still deliver us. That's our God. Amen. Give him praise and glory.

Paul facing a need-be moment. Need-be moments occur when we feel pressed beyond measure and beyond our strength, when the burden is beyond our measure. What is our measure? It's beyond our estimation of time for the trial. We don't mind a trial, but we like to estimate them. "I can do this for a couple of days. I can do this for a week. I can do it for two weeks. Okay, maybe a month because I'm really holy." But when it goes on for years and it's beyond your strength, God says, "I'm not measuring like you measure. It's beyond your measure, but it's not beyond mine. Not beyond God's."

I'm trying to teach you something. What is he trying to teach you? To trust in God, God's grace and God's mercy, God's power, and God who raises the dead. If he can raise the dead, he can do anything. That's where he wants our faith to lie, to trust in him. So he'll send us those need-be moments. Lord, I needed that. I look back and I say, "Lord, I needed that." When I'm in the midst of it, it's like, "Lord, I don't need this." But he knows what we need.

There are need-be times, and we need that because Peter here says in 1 Peter chapter one, it's for authenticity. That your faith, which is more precious than gold, might be perfected. It's to refine our faith, verse seven tells us. God does not want fair-weather disciples, people who are there when the weather is fair, but then they're gone when the storm comes. He wants his disciples to be seasoned that they might be effective instruments in his hand. So he wants genuine believers and he wants them to have a genuine faith, not a pretend faith, not plastic fruit, but real fruit.

So he'll send us through those need-be times that our faith might rest in God. Our faith might be considered as we go through those need-be times, and some of us can say we've been walking with the Lord for a long while and we've gone through those times and we've come to that place where we understand that our faith in God is more precious than earthly riches. When you have a grandchild come to the Lord or pray for you, that's more precious than gold. That's more precious than the 401(k) you can leave them.

When you see the kingdom of God birthed in the life of your children and your grandchildren, your faith is more precious than gold. God's looking for men and women of God who believe that their faith in God is more precious than their 401(k), than their earthly riches, who believe in him, who love the Lord having not seen the Lord.

Remember doubting Thomas? He didn't see the Lord after his resurrection immediately. Jesus appeared to the disciples. Douating Thomas was out at the movies or something, but he wasn't there. I don't know what he was doing, but he shows up and they said, "The Lord is risen!" And he said, "Unless I can see it with my own eyes and put my fingers in the side and the holes in his hands, I'm not going to believe."

Jesus did appear to him, but he appeared to Thomas with a stern rebuke. What did he say? John 20:29, he says, "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet they have believed." Jesus is basically saying to Thomas that the real blessing, the real authentic faith, is in those who believe without seeing. That's authentic faith, believing without seeing. In fact, without faith you cannot please God.

So there are some things that you're trusting God for right now and you're believing God for. Continue to believe God. Continue to trust in God. And God will reward you because Jesus said, "Blessed are those who believe and have not seen." Continue to trust and to put your faith in God because God rewards that type of faith.

You're sitting in this building today. God gave me the faith to believe, and my wife and I faith to believe that God was going to build a facility here on this place. This was a field of weeds, not a field of dreams, a field of weeds. I was standing on that retaining wall looking over here and God gave me a vision for this building.

Announcer: Amen. What a great message so far. We did want to take a quick break from the teaching to hear a special message from Pastor Al. We're calling these the Pit Stop. Check this out.

Host Al Pittman: Hey, this is Pastor Al Pittman. I would like to welcome you to our first edition of what we call the Pit Stop. A little play on words there, but we just invite you to come and hopefully be encouraged in the next few minutes as I share just some insightful information from the word of God. Pray that it would truly be a blessing to you.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 23 to 25, the word of God says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." I mean, that's powerful in and of itself. Verse 24 goes on to say, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching."

The day is approaching. I think you will agree with me as we look at what's happening in the Middle East and around the world. Jesus said when these things start happening, "Look up for our redemption draws near." But I want to draw your attention to the fact that it says, "Let us consider how we might stir up one another," seeing the day approaching, to love and good works.

That phrase "let us consider," the Greek word for that phrase, it means to perceive, to remark, to observe, to understand, observe attentively, to fix one's mind or one's eyes upon something. What that means is simply that we are to seek to perceive, to understand one another in the Lord, and that is to seek how we might stir somebody up, encourage somebody in love and good works in the Lord.

The Greek phrase for "stir up," one translation says not to stir up one another, but to spur one another on. I think of the spurs on a cowboy's boots and spurring the horse to "giddy up" or whatever. As believers, we are to use those spurs not to spur somebody to cause harm, but to encourage one another in the Lord to love and good works. Stir one another up, encourage one another up in this way to love and good works.

Are you doing that today in somebody's life? There's somebody that the Lord may put in your life, in your way, your path today, and your job as a believer is to stir them up to love and good works, to stir up a fellow believer in love and good works. So important. In fact, the Greek word for "stir up," it also can be translated irritation, to irritate someone to love and good works.

I know we irritate people a lot of times, but how about irritating somebody to love and good works? So important that we do that. The apostle is dwelling on something here that we need to give attention to as believers, and that is our relationship with one another, how we should treat one another, spurring one another, stirring one another up to love and to good works.

This does not mean that we don't have a situation where if someone is correcting us that we should avoid correction. If someone is correcting me about something, they may feel like they're stirring me up to good works. But the trajectory of our correction when we correct someone should always be toward love and to good works.

Encouragement enables others to achieve the impossible. Do you know somebody you can encourage today? Maybe you need encouragement. God wants you to know he wants to stir you up to love and good works as well. When we encourage people, we're encouraging them to achieve the impossible. We're encouraging them to walk in their divine destiny.

God commanded Moses, I think it's interesting in Deuteronomy chapter three verse 28 where the Lord is commanding Moses after he tells Moses that he cannot go into the promised land. Moses had sinned against the Lord. He misrepresented God by not speaking to the rock as God commanded him when the people were demanding or they were asking for water. Instead of speaking to the rock, you know the story at the waters of Meribah where Moses hit the rock out of frustration. Because he misrepresented the Lord, the Lord said, "Moses, you will not take the people into the promised land."

After telling Moses that conversation in Deuteronomy chapter three, there in verse 28 he says, "You're not going into the land, but I want you to go in and encourage Joshua. He will lead the people into the land." As I thought about that, I thought, wow, what a great lesson there is, for one thing, for humility, that Moses obeyed God. He went and encouraged Joshua to take the people into the land.

But what was he doing? Think about it. For 40 years he was working toward taking the people into the promised land, a rebellious people. He finally gets to that point and God says, "You're not going to do it, but Joshua's going to do it." Moses was willing to encourage Joshua to be better than him, encourage Joshua to actually his star, if you will, to shine brighter than the star of Moses. What humility did that take?

I thought, what about us? A lot of times people don't want to encourage others out of fear that they might be better than them. No, encourage someone else even if their star might shine brighter than yours. It's only by the spirit of God that we can do that. We cannot do that in our flesh. Our flesh is envious and it's corrupt. But in the spirit of God, we can encourage other people to actually be better than us. Even if they shine brighter than us or get to take advantage of situations that maybe we've wanted to, we can still do that in the spirit of the Lord, encouraging them.

Why do we do that? Why did Moses do it with Joshua? It was so that God would be glorified. So Moses encouraged Joshua in taking the people into the promised land even though he himself would not be taking the people into the promised land. It's so important for us to understand that encouragement is so important in our relationships with one another.

But one thing I want you to know, this is really important, and that is that God is really the source of our encouragement as individuals. Our encouragement must come from the Lord. If we're waiting for someone to pat us on the back or to send us a note telling us that we've done a great job, you're going to be sorely disappointed because people can let you down. But God is always there to encourage. Let your encouragement be from the Lord.

The Lord is always encouraging us in the spirit. In fact, he meets us every morning with encouragement. How do I know that? Because his mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness. I love what John Piper said. He said, and I quote, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." Isn't that beautiful? When we are satisfied in him, man, we can encourage other people. Our satisfaction comes from the Lord, not my spouse, not from my friends, or from the church, but my satisfaction comes from the Lord. Therefore, I am able to encourage others just as I desire to be encouraged myself in the Lord.

Let us be Barnabases to one another. Barnabas, he encouraged Paul the apostle when no one wanted anything to do with Paul the apostle. Barnabas, his name means son of encouragement. You'll find that in Acts chapter four verse 36. Let us be Barnabas to one another. Let us reach out to someone today and encourage them. Why? Because we've been encouraged in the Lord and because we want to glorify God as we see the day approaching. May the Lord richly bless you. Thanks for stopping by the Pit Stop.

Announcer: What a great reminder and encourager to lift one another up in the Lord. Now, let's hear the conclusion of this message.

Host Al Pittman: And I was standing on that retaining wall looking over here and God gave me a vision for this building. He even told me it had a balcony on the second floor. This is true. Didn't see it, didn't have the money for it, didn't know how it was going to happen. We're in this old dilapidated brick building over here that's now been refurbished and all, but it was all dilapidated then. The roof leaked when it rained, the wiring sizzled out, the carpet was Pentecostal red with stains in it. It was a mess.

God gave me that vision and now you're sitting here. He rewards those who believe, who love him and yet they have not seen him. John chapter 16 verse 33 says this: Jesus said, "The things that I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Believe, for I have overcome the world."

Lord, we believe in you. Whatever you may be going through right now, say, "Lord, I believe in you. I'm trusting you for greater things." I want you to note that the inheritance that we have produces supernatural joy as well. Peter said, "Joy inexpressible." Another word is unspeakable. I can't even mouth it. That's a joy.

Have you experienced that joy in the Lord? There are times when things, the walls are closing in and stuff, and I have a joy. I know that it doesn't come from my circumstances, doesn't come from what people say about me or anything. It comes directly from the Lord. It's joy inexpressible. You know why? Because my focus is on my inheritance. My focus is on Jesus.

I know, Lord, no matter what's happening with all the things going wrong, with heaven before me, the best is always yet to come. So my focus is on you and I have this supernatural joy that I don't really understand. The devil doesn't want you to experience joy right now. You won't experience it if he can distract you from the inheritance. If he can distract you about the significance of the inheritance, he'll rob you of your joy.

He wants to rob you of your joy because he knows scripture too. In fact, the devil attends church more than anybody. He sits among us. He believes the word more than you believe the word, and he knows the word better than you know the word. So he knows that the joy of the Lord is your strength. So he wants to keep you from the joy of your inheritance. He wants you to forget who you are in Christ.

Settle for chicken feed, for the temporal things of the world, rather than feasting from the master's table, from his word, believing in his truth, his word. God gives us joy unspeakable and full of glory. The present joy of our inheritance is with us now. Yes, we have joy to come when Christ returns, but we can have joy even now.

Joy because of the great exchange. What is that great exchange? I like to speak about it often. I always share this, but it's so good and it speaks of the mission statement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There's a great exchange that took place when you came to Christ. You gave him your sorrow, your mourning, for joy.

And the Bible tells us in Isaiah 61 that Jesus gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Can anybody claim that today for themselves? Because that's what he gives to you freely. The great exchange. God, take my troubles, take my problems, and grant me, Lord, your joy. Amen. Praise his holy name.

In conclusion of this matter of inheritance, our inheritance is the basis for our strategic living. Why do I live a certain way? Why don't I flip the guy off that cut me off on the highway? Because I'm on my way to heaven. This is about strategic living. You got to know what your inheritance is because your inheritance has everything to do with your identity. I don't do that because I know where I'm going.

That fool that just cut me off, he don't know where he's going, but I know where I'm going. I'm sojourning, I'm traveling through this life while my eye is fixed upon the joyful inheritance I have in Christ. The joyful inheritance exhorts us just as the naturalist exhorts that eagle. You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings, your faith, and fly. Trust in the Lord. There's a great inheritance awaiting you. Live like it.

Someone told the story once about a young guy that got a job on the construction site. You're the new guy on the construction site and never worked on the construction site, but I've been worked around some real gruff guys. They're not really soft on the new guy. They picked on this guy every day, made fun of him, they set him up to make mistakes, and they had him do all the hard menial labor stuff, had him running errands for them. "Go down to the store and get me a Coke" or whatever. And he's doing it with a smile on his face.