You-re-Not-A-Hostage

This message only has two points, and these two points

are the master keys to living your Christian life by faith.

And the first thing I.

Found out about faith is that faith is an interpretation.

Faith is an ability to see a.

Situation, okay, like the valley of the Shadow of Death,

and say about it, even though I go through it,

I will fear no evil.

Because You're with me.

And the proof that God is with me in this

season of my life is not the fact that He

got me out of the valley, but that he saw

me through it.

That's an interpretation.

Some people would say that because you're going through the

valley right now, it's proof that God has left you.

Other people would say that the reason that you're going

through the valley right now is because there is something

so great on the other side, that God is leading

you through a place that you've never been before.

And when you see what He.

Has for you on the other side, these light and

momentary afflictions are not worthy to be compared with the

glory that will be revealed.

That's Paul.

Paul says, I have an interpretation of faith. An interpretation

is really important in marriage. It's really important because it's

a cross cultural relationship. It's an interesting thing when Holly

asked me a question sometimes because what she'll really be

asking me and what she asks me are two entirely

different things, and I had to learn to discern and

interpret her requests.

It is a deeper meaning first time.

And I'd like you to follow me through this passage

for a moment. This is really more like a Bible

study tonight that I wanted to give you to ask

the question.

Are you headed in the right direction?

Are you thinking the right way about the situation that

you're in?

Can these bones live again? You alone? Lord know faith

is an interpretation.

Paul says, I'm here in this prison, but I want

you to know, brothers and sisters, verse twelve, Please that

what has happened to me has actually served to advance.

Really cool word for advance.

It means to make progress or headway in spite of

severe blows. So when he says that the Gospel is

advancing in making progress, he means that it's making progress

in spite of having to make progress in the direction

of resistance. And many of us will interpret our difficulty

as a sign that God has not called us to

this assignment.

Paul's interpretation.

Is this the fact that I'm going through so much

is proof that the purpose of God is being accomplished,

because the enemy doesn't attack anybody that's not carrying anything.

Or this is how the country preacher said at one time.

You want to hear what he said. He said, if

you hadn't let me.

Say it like you said it, if you hadn't had

a head on collision with the devil lately, you might

be headed in the same direction.

Somebody shot. I'm carrying something. I'm carrying a calling.

I'm carrying the spirit of God, the spirit of revival.

I'm carrying an anointing.

I'm making progress in spite of I'm rolling with the punches.

I'm moving with the punches. The opposition does not hinder

the progress.

In fact, the very fact that I'm being opposed is

a sign to me that I'm a threat to the devil.

So I think I'll keep moving forward in spite of it.

I feel like preaching a fake message tonight for somebody.

Who was headed in the right direction.

He says, it's actually serving to advance the gospel. I

know it looks like things have slowed down since I've

been in this prison, but actually I'm here doing work,

and as long as God leaves me in this situation,

I refuse to have a hostage mentality. So as for

me verse thirteen, as a result of my being here

in this place, I wouldn't have chosen to be.

It has become.

Clear throughout the whole Palace guard and to everyone else

that I am in change for Christ. What a thing

to say. It's not that God put these chains on me.

I was actually put in chains by the Roman government.

But I'm in change for Christ like kind of like

Joseph in the Old Testament. You meant it for evil,

God meant it for good. So I know the why,

and that's how I can survive the what. I can

survive no matter what, because I.

Know the why.

Everywhere God puts me every season, I will find myself

in every situation that my life will encounter. I know

my why. And here's the good news. You can survive

any what when you know your why. I wonder, do

you know your why? Not to the extent that you

can give a perfect diagnosis for why every bad thing

happens to you. But Paul says, these chains are on

me for Christ. I'm choosing to see this situation, this limitation.

I'm choosing to see this even though it wasn't done

by God. God didn't put me in prison. God doesn't

make people sick. God didn't take your job away. God

didn't cause the betrayal.

But now that I'm in.

This situation, I choose to believe that God has me here.

God put me here. That's the message of Philippians chapter one.

God put me here, and I'm confident in this very

thing that He will begin a good work in me,

will be faithful to complete.

It to the day of Christ. God put me here.

Even if he used Judas to get Jesus to the cross,

it was God's will being accomplished when he was there.

So Paul says, I'm not a hostage. Don't cry for me,

don't feel sorry for me. I refuse to blame others.

I'm not a hostage. I won't spend one single verse

of Philippians chapter one complaining about the situation. I could,

but I won't. Maybe I should, but I won't because

I'm not a hostage. Come on, de Clare, and I'm

not a hostage. On every locale say it. So the

devil gets nervous I'm not a hostage. I'm not a

hostage to what people think about me. I'm not a

hostage to what people say about me. I'm not a

hostage to the opinions. I'm not a hostage to my situation.

I'm not a hostage to disability. I'm not a hostage

to lack. I'm not a hostage to shortage. I'm not

a hostage to heartbreak. I'm not a hostage to shame.

As a matter of fact, let's take it to another level.

I'm not a hostage.

I'm a weapon formed in the hand of God, aimed

at the darkness.

Created to do good works in Christ.

Jesus, come on less, worship him for a moment tonight,

because no weapon formed against me will be able to prosper.

Paul said, God, put me here. I'm a weapon.

Put me here, and when he takes me out, I'll

praise him. But I'm going to rejoice right now. And

then in verse eighteen, Paul makes a shift. Everybody say

shift happens, because up to this point it's been an interpretation.

Here's what happened, and here's how I see God's hand

in it. You can't always see it. While you're going

through it. Remember when the Bible says in Genesis, the

Lord was with Joseph, the Lord was with Joseph. The

Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph. The

Lord was with Joseph. That was not written while Joseph

was suffering. It was written looking back on what he

went through. Don't write your story while you're still in

the scene. We live in a world that doesn't know

the difference between a scene and a story, and the

enemy wants you to judge the story by the scene

that you're in. Now, wouldn't it be a shame for

you to give up on the story because.

You didn't like the scene. Paul said, this is just

a scene, it's not the story.

And watch the shift he moves from interpretation to anticipation.

Anticipation, he starts looking forward.

And it's interesting because he doesn't really know what's ahead

of him, but he looks forward to it. Anyway, he

doesn't know if he's going to live or die. That's

really out of his hands. He doesn't know if he

gets out Monday, or if he'll be here for thirty

six more months, but he looks forward. Now, show you

how I know he looks forward. Let's count the number

of times he says the word will in the next

ten verses. Every time I say the word, will, you

count up out loud every campus yes, verse eighteen. And

I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through

your prayers, in God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

what has happened to me.

Will turn out for my deliverance.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no

way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that

now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body,

whether by life or by death.

For to me to live as Christ and to die

is gain either way.

I'm coming out ahead, I said, either way, I'm coming

out ahead. I said, either way, I will come out ahead.

I would have despaired unless I believe that I would

see the goodness of the Lord.

In the land of the living. What verse are we on?

I lost my place.

If I am to go on living in the body,

this will mean fruitful labor for me.

Yet what shall that counts? As will count? At seven?

I choose, I do not know. I am torn between

the two.

I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is

better by far, but it is more necessary for.

You that I remain in the body.

I'm more concerned about your progress than my convenience. It's

not about me, It's about something bigger than me. Thank

God for five thousand volunteers in this church. That we're

more concerned about somebody else's purpose than your.

Sleep this week. Thank you, Thank you.

Well. Verse five, he says, I I think it's better

that I stay, better for you, not for me.

I want to go. I'm old, my back hurts, my

knees hurt.

Convinced of this verse twenty five, I know that I

will remain and I will continue with all of you

for your progress. What if it's not about you, it's

about your kids. What if they need to see you

stay in your chains and praise God.

Anyway, That's what my mom did.

She she stayed with my dad and showed me forgiveness

and because of her example when she could have chosen

to escape, but she embraced the pain of the situation

to bring about a greater purpose. She passed to me

a legacy of covenant. And I wonder are some of

you there? Oh, there's one way, Because he says in

verse twenty six, so that through my being with you again,

you're boasting in Christ Jesus ten verses.

Ten times he says will.

And it's weird that he says I will, because he

doesn't know what's next, and yet he he says, I'm

looking forward to it, looking forward to it. Faith is

anticipation minus anxiety. It's a weird concept. And even Paul,

as brilliant as he was, he didn't have a word

for it to describe the kind of faith that he

was trying to talk about. And so he's struggling for

the right word and he does something that I wouldn't

do this as a preacher. I wouldn't feel that I

was qualified, But he's Paul. So he just makes up

a word. It's in verse twenty. We read it in English.

It's several words in English, I eagerly expect in hope.

In verse twenty, I eagerly expect in hope. In Greek,

it's word one word and it was never used before

Paul used it, and it's only used one more time

in the New Testament, and he uses it, so it's

his word.

How many of you have your own word?

You just yeah? Do you make up words. Sometimes Holly

makes up words on accident. A lot of times.

She said, the other day, I'm not very good. What

was the word.

I'm not very good at im improvision, improvisation.

But it's improvision. Just made it up on accident.

Paul makes up a word on purpose, okay, And here's

the word. And just think, just think how gratifying it's

going to be to bust this out on your family

and friends this week when they ask what you learned

in church? Okay, And we'll have to take it slowly

because it's three words put together to make one, and

it's going to give you something new.

To fight the devil with. Because I know you've been.

Anxious, and I know you have reason to be, and

I know there are some things in your life that

you've been praying for God to take away and he won't.

And Paul experienced that too, when he asked God to

remove the thorn and God said no, and he said

pretty pretty please, and God said no again. And Paul said,

I'll do anything a promise, I'll be a missionary. God said,

you already are one. No, I'm gonna give you grace instead.

And sometimes when God won't change the situation, but he's

changing you.

You need a little bit of.

Apple, Kara Dokia in your life.

Three words.

Appo, decide say appo. You're gonna mumble it like that.

It's a very big word. It's it's a very beautiful word.

You'd be shouting it by the time I finish. So

this side of the room say appoy.

You you might want to know this.

Appo means to turn away with concentration, ignoring other interests.

Apple.

Say it again now, Appo turning away from things that

could consume my attention, things that could distract me, things.

That I used to think were important.

But I found out, like Paul, it really doesn't matter.

So I'm turning away with concentration, ignoring other interests.

Appo.

I feel like I could preach a whole series on appo,

a whole theories just on the prefix. But Paul isn't done.

He says, Appo kara middle section say Kara just means head,

that's all it means, all right, And then this section

Dokia good donkia say it again.

Dokyo. It means to stretch forward woo.

So Paul says, let me tell you what I'm doing

right now, I'm turning away my attention from some things

that could make me discouraged. I'm turning away from my

attention from offenses that could make me bitter. I'm turning

away from things that could preoccupy my mind that aren't

my real priority.

And I am stretching my head forward.

Apple Kara Dokia, Say it, Apple Kara Dokia.

So what are you gonna do this week?

When thoughts come to you about how you're not gonna

make it, You're gonna take a moment, look back on

the faithfulness of God and realize that if the lion

didn't kill you and the bear didn't kill you, this

joker doesn't have anything for you. Either, pick up your

rock and throw it and stretch your head towards your future.

Kara Dokia, Apple Kara Dokia, Applecara Dokia, Say it, Apple

Kara Dokia. I'm stretching my head forward. Are you headed

in the right direction? Some of us have our heads

so far up our past that we can't see what

God has out in front of us for our future.

Help me, Preacher, it'll get worse. I'm not leaving the

stage till you get it. So I can't dwell on

that any longer. I can't stay in the disappointment of

who left me. I've got to invest in the people

who are still with me. Apple Cara, Dokia, stretch your

head forward. I can't stay in my last mistake. It's

already covered by the blood of Christ. What I did

is what I did. But my face ape will make

a way for the grace of God to bring me

into it greater tomorrow. I eagerly expect, in hope that

I will in no way be ashamed.

Apple Kara, don't here. I'm looking forward to it.

I don't even know what it is yet, but I'm

looking forward to it because I know God is in it.

Are you headed in the right direction or have you

been so stuck in what was that you're missing what is?

I really feel like this is a message that you

can apply in any season of your life, where like Paul,

you can say, I got these chains on my feet,

so I can't move. I got these shackles on my hands,

so I'm limited. My mobility is limited. But they can't

chain this. I said, they can't chain this. And I'm

stretching my mind, and I'm stretching my expectation, and I

refuse to be defined by the disappointments of yesterday. I

refuse to look around me for signs of whether or

not God is with me. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not a hostage. They can chain my feet, they

can chain my hands, but they can't lock down my praise.

And right here in this prison, not when I feel better,

not when it gets better, Right here and right now,

I'm looking forward to it.

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