Joy in Spite of Trials

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Joy in spite of the trials.

As we began this series, we were looking at the Apostle Paul, and he was writing this letter after he had received the letter from Aphroditus.

Because the church at Philippi was very concerned about Paul, and they were also very concerned about the featherance of the gospel.

This had been ten years since Paul had been at the church at Philippi.

Now that he's in jail in Rome.

And so, I mean, you know, they're wondering what's going to happen.

Is the church over?

Is the church age over?

Is the gospel no longer going to be, you know, feathered?

So they've got two main concerns.

One main concern, they were very worried about Paul.

They loved him so much.

And they had taken up offerings.

They had taken sent him money, a monetary gift while he was there in Rome through Ephroditus.

And so we see with an eye on the letter which he had just received from Ephroditus from the church at Philippi, Paul now begins to answer some of these questions that were confusing and perplexing the Christians at Philippi.

They were very, very concerned.

Would it end?

Would the church end in tragedy?

Would Paul's life end in tragedy?

Who would carry on the leadership that Paul had been given to all the churches that he had established?

The church at Ephesus, the church at Corinth, the church at Thessalonica.

I meant several churches had been started.

So they were very, very distressed and distraught.

But Paul says, not at all.

Rather, Paul shows that his imprisonment and his seemly trying circumstances were for the purpose of not what?

Defeating the gospel.

Not, hey, not what?

Causing the gospel to be, the gospel light to be put out, but in fact, it was going to expand it.

It was going to feather the gospel.

Amen?

Because you've got to realize something here.

What's very important in Romans chapter 1, verse 15, Paul said about Rome, the church at Rome.

Romans 1:15

He says, I am eager.

Paul had written years before this, I am eager to come to Rome and, hey, encourage you and help preach the gospel to what?

The city of Rome.

He says, I'm eager.

I can't wait to get there.

Now, guess what?

Paul's plan would not have been the plan that he ended up receiving.

I'm sure he didn't say, I can't wait to go to Rome and be put in jail.

No, that was not his plan.

Not at all.

He was, hey, he was eager to go to Rome and to go into the Sanhedrin, possibly, and begin to teach and preach and help encourage the church already there that they would go out and, hey, reach, hey, the palace, to reach Caesar, to reach, you know, the Romans, to reach the Jewish people, the Greeks, the Gentiles, everyone in the city of Rome.

He was looking forward to doing that.

So you got to realize his purpose was to go to Rome.

But his plan was not exactly the plan that God gave him.

Now let me give you good advice.

Don't you miss this.

This is worth you coming.

God's plan may not be the plan that you think it should be.

Amen.

You listening to me?

Your plan may not be God's plan, but let me encourage you.

I can promise you, God's plan's better.

Well, yeah, wait a minute, but not if it means going to jail, but when I get through, you'll see why.

Amen.

So with that said, we see Paul shows that the imprisonments and trials that he had experienced only served to advance the gospel.

So with that said, I want us to outline three things.

Somebody looked at the outline today and said, Good grief.

I think it was David or Benji.

Said, man, that's going to be a short sermon.

Don't let the outline fool you.

Amen.

Folks, listen, you can't get, yeah, I study 20, 25, 30 hours.

I am not going to preach 15 minutes.

I'm sorry.

I can't do that.

Never have, never will.

I'll go preach to the fish.

Amen.

And hopefully, this church is built on clear biblical truth.

You didn't come here for a 15-minute sermonette.

You came here to hear the truth.

Amen.

And if any of you are college graduates, you know you can sit 50 minutes.

Amen.

You can sit 50 minutes in a class.

Amen.

Okay, so I'm a professor as well.

All right.

Now let's look at it.

This is exciting.

Here we see Paul says, all right, now I'm going to give you three things which illustrate not the deterrent of the gospel, but the furtherance of the gospel.

Evidence number one, the evidences of this evangelistic preaching.

Look at what he says.

Number one, the evidences.

Here it is, of this evangelistic advancement.

Number one, verse 13.

So that my bonds in Christ.

Well, first of all, let's no, let's go back to verse 12.

You got to see verse 12, too.

But I would you should, hey, but I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me may fallen out rather unto the fothers of the gospel.

Now that phrase I would ye should understand, which he says, wait a minute.

I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm about to tell you.

That's what that means.

Don't misunderstand what I'm writing to you.

Okay?

Very important you understand that.

So he said, now don't misunderstand this.

In spite of, and indeed because of, he says, don't misunderstand it.

It's because of my circumstances, it's because of my imprisonment that the gospel is going to be feathered, not hindered.

You got to understand that.

He wanted them to know right up, everything's okay.

Don't be worried about me.

Don't be worrying about the gospel.

It is going to be feathered.

It's going to be advanced.

That's what he said.

Right up front, the first thing he says.

So, and here's what he said.

In spite of, and indeed because of his imprisonment, number one, his captors and the city, woo, would be evangelized.

Not only, hey, hey, his captors and the whole city is going to be evangelized because of my imprisonment.

Oh my, my.

What an unbelievable answer.

In other words, what he's saying is God has worked out a far better plan than I could have.

His ministry had not been shut down.

Here's what Paul said.

Don't miss this.

My ministry is not being shut down.

My ministry is being expanded.

Whoa, that's good.

Let me repeat that.

You didn't get it.

My ministry is not being shut down.

My ministry is being expanded.

Wow.

Isn't that great?

Look at what he says.

That's exactly what he said.

Verse 13.

So that my bonds, that means change, in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places.

In fact, turn over in your Bible just a few pages to chapter 4, verse 22, and you see at the end of the chapter, at the end of the book, Paul is writing and he says, All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Amen.

Woo! The gospel has now reached the whole household of Caesar.

Good grief.

He would have never had planned to be able to preach the gospel to Caesar's house this way.

He thought he'd be debating it in the synagogue and hoping, hoping, mind you, that he might get an opportunity to be brought before Caesar and the household of Caesar.

But notice he said, this is unbelievable.

Can you imagine?

The whole Imperial Guard.

Paul had been changed to these men.

Now, I got a little excited because I wouldn't want to say, what does the Imperial Guard mean?

There in the Praetorium.

Here's what it meant.

There were anywhere from about 6,000 Imperial Guardsmen there in Rome, and they guarded Caesar's palace and the ruler, Caesar.

They took care of him.

These were the armed forces elite.

These were the Green Beret.

These were the SEALs.

These were the best of the best, professionally trained soldiers.

Now you've got to realize, Paul was chained.

That's what that word there in bonds means.

In fact, in Ephesians 6.20, Paul says, I am an ambassador in bonds that I may speak boldly to the things I ought to speak.

In other words, I'm in chains to my Lord Jesus Christ to preach the gospel wherever I go.

Amen.

Wow.

I'm in bonds.

I'm in chains.

Now, he was chained to an imperial guardsman 24-7.

They swapped out every six hours.

So that means every 24 hours he had four imperial guardsmen.

Now I kind of did a little math.

I hope play this mass right.

I'm not guaranteeing.

But 365 days times two is 730 days times six is four thousand three hundred and eighty soldiers that were chained to Paul in two years.

4,380 soldiers every day heard the gospel for six hours uninterrupted.

Woo! Can you imagine?

Could you imagine being chained to me 24-7?

Poor Susan.

Twenty-four-seven.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

No wonder the gospel spread so quickly through the whole Caesar's palace.

Can you imagine?

Unbelievable.

So Paul is really excited.

I mean, hey, he had been brought into vital contact with the radiant.

Hey, all these soldiers had been brought in vital contact with the radiant man of God.

In other words, which I really believe this, he had turned his prison cell into an evangelistic pulpit.

Wow.

Man, that's good.

And that's what we see right here.

What Paul could never have done, listen to me, as a free man in Rome, he had accomplished through his imprisonment.

Wow, wow, wow.

God's plan, God's plan is always better than our plan.

Can I hear an amen?

Always.

Why?

Because God's plan has one purpose to further the advancement of the gospel.

Amen.

So we see that right here.

He had influenced the highest levels of the Roman life.

Now let me tell you something.

When you reach the highest level, it always trickles down.

Can I get an amen?

God put him right in the right place at the right time with the right position to reach the highest of the highest authorities in Rome.

Wow.

So, when it looks like you're going down, folks, ha ha, maybe you're going up.

Amen.

So we see that right here.

Tremendously.

What a lesson to be learned here.

We talk of being imprisoned sometimes by our sickness.

But a study of the church history reveals that some of the greatest prayer warriors have been people who have been confined to the bed.

My grandmother was confined to her bed for 13 years.

I am where I am today because of the grace of God and the prayers of my grandmother.

There is no doubt in my mind.

No doubt.

And she's still up there interceding for me.

No doubt about it.

I can remember my mom saying, Danny boy, God's going to get you.

God's going to get you.

And I say, Don't say that.

I said, I don't want God to get me.

She said, No, but God's going to get you and you're going to preach.

I don't want to preach.

I want to coach.

You're going to preach.

God showed me.

I'm praying.

Danny boy, and when I was running those two and a half years, almost to file for a divorce, and with my wife that died, and just in turmoil.

Just all kinds.

Mama used to say, Danny boy, your problem is you're running from God.

That's how I don't want to hear that.

I knew I was running from God as fast as I could.

But when I surrendered, only God knows what God was going to do in my life.

But it was because of the faithful prayers of my grandmother.

Mom's, dad, grandma's, grandmas, listen to me.

Mothers, listen to me.

Don't you dare think that your prayers don't affect your children and your family.

If you just cry out to God and not give up, war.

Go to her and say, God, I'm not giving up to you.

Save my child.

I'm not giving up to you.

Hey, bring my wayward son or daughter back home.

I'm here every day.

And I'm expecting him like the great father looking at the prodigal son.

I got up every morning knowing that he's coming.

She's coming home today.

Preach.

Now you want something to happen.

You start praying like that.

You start praying like that.

It'll happen.

If we would spend as much time in prayer as we do other things, we'd see a major difference in our own life and in our church life.

I want this church to become a church of prayer.

Let me tell you the difference in the great churches and the average churches.

Prayer.

It's not the teaching of the word, it's not the great, great worship, not the fellowship.

Hey, it's the prayer warriors that make the difference.

God's prayer, hey, when you get into the throne of God, you have the power of God.

Glory.

Amen.

Now, all of those are vitally important.

But what is the hardest for you to do?

Is it hard for me to study?

No.

Is it hard for us to worship?

Is it our hard for us service?

No.

Is it hard for us to eat and fellowship with God?

No.

What's the hard thing for us to do?

Pray together.

Teach.

We can fellowship for hours, but we can pray for five minutes.

Hello.

The difference in this church, if we're really going to be a biblical New Testament church, is Acts 2.42, where they, yes, they came, they broke bread together, but the last thing they did was they prayed together.

Amen.

Amen.

The prayer of the warriors.

It was the prayers of the Philippians church that made the difference in Paul's life.

He even acknowledges that here.

So we talk about being imprisoned by jobs.

Have we ever thought of turning our so-called prison or our job that we don't like into a pulpit or a place of work into a place for witness?

Paul never accepted any situation but as being, and I love this, the perfect or permissive will of God.

Listen to me.

God's got a plan for your life.

And it's a fantastic plan.

It's a great plan.

But that plan involves you sharing and furthering the what?

The gospel of Jesus Christ.

Everywhere you're placed, you're placed to be a witness.

Silently, yes, but speech-wise as well.

Bo.

Amen.

By the way, you can't speak it if you're not living it.

Oh, you can, but it won't go anywhere.

Amen.

Amen.

You're writing a gospel, a chapter each day by the deeds that you do and the words that you say.

Men read what you write, distorted to true.

What is the gospel according to you?

We are, Paul said, God's letter, written in the hearts of the people, known and read by all men.

Second Corinthians chapter three.

Amen?

So, whether in silence or in speech, Paul's manner of life always made an evangelistic impact.

Are you making an impact on the people that you're the closest to?

Right now.

Are you?

Are you making an impact on those that you work with?

Are you?

That's the question you have to answer.

Are you making an impact?

Guess what?

Let me help you.

You're making an impact.

One way or the other.

Well, I don't say anything.

Well, that's pretty obvious.

You're making an impact.

You say, how can I be making an impact and I'm not saying anything?

If your God's no better to you than to say nothing, you got a problem.

Amen.

My God's an awesome God.

My God's a blessing God.

My God's a healing God.

My God's a supplying God.

My God is an awesome God.

And I cannot but say something about my God.

You get up this morning.

Most of you did.

You hear, aren't you?

Are you breathing?

Are you?

Did you look?

You are blessed.

Say I'm blessed this morning.

That's because of God.

You ought to get excited about it.

Amen.

We get excited about ball.

Everybody's watching NBA playoffs.

I love it.

Yeah, I'm watching them.

Nobody's going to stop Jordan.

Not Jordan, but LeBron.

LeBron is the Jordan of this day.

But let me tell you, if I can get excited and sit there three hours and watch commercials and not get tired, why can't we come to church for two hours and enjoy and get radical and get excited about an awesome God?

Amen.

Folks, we want a church to be real different.

We don't want to just go to church.

God wants folks to.

We want to go to church because we want to.

There's a big difference.

People that have a heart for God, you don't have to, you don't have to.

You don't have to, you don't have to bring guilt on them.

You don't have to try to offer them stuff to come to worship an awesome God.

They can't wait to get here.

Not forsaking the assemblies of ourselves together, as a manner of some are, but exhorting one another so much more as you see the day approaching.

You can't wait to get to church.

Hebrews 10, 25.

I look forward to coming to church.

Why?

Because God's going to teach me.

Notice the second thing.

Not only were his captors in the whole city evangelized.

But look at number two.

And let me let me remind you something.

If God does not see fit to change your negative or bad circumstances, guess what?

I'm going to help you here.

He's got planned for you through those circumstances.

That's good, preacher.

Let me repeat that.

If God does not seem fit to change your bad circumstances or negative circumstances, God's got a plan to use them for the featherance of the gospel.

Did you hear me?

If you handle it rightly.

Amen.

Man, that's good.

I know that's a little deep, but that's good.

Number two, not only were his captors, the city evangelized.

Number two, look at what?

His colleagues were encouraged.

Oh yeah.

Look at verse 14, verse 17.

Many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds, because I am chained here in prison, and they see me witnessing and preaching 24 7.

It has encouraged them who were afraid to say anything now to get out into the streets and start preaching.

The gospel themselves.

You are an influencer.

When you're not ashamed, guess what?

You'll influence people not to be ashamed.

Romans 1:16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Romans 1:16

For it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone to believe to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.

I love our young people.

And one of the things that I love is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

When they were young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they didn't bow.

They didn't bend, and bless God, they didn't burn.

Amen.

Daniel, he didn't.

He didn't bow down.

He didn't back up.

He said, I'd rather be thrown.

Hey, they said I'd rather be thrown in the fiery furnace than the bow of that false God.

Daniel said, I'd rather be thrown in the lines then than not to go to my place of prayer and kick open the black uh the shutters and pray openly to face Jerusalem so that people could see him to his God.

Most of us, you know what we'd have done?

We'd have gone, we'd gone back to our prayer closet, but we would not have opened the shutters.

We would have kept them closed and we'd say, now, God, you know that I'm better.

Hey, I can be used more greatly by you if I'm alive and not dead.

So I'm not going to open the shutters so everybody can see me praying.

Because if they do, I know I'm going to be thrown in line.

That's not what he did.

He went up to his prayer closet and he threw open the shutters like he did every time, every day, three times a day, and he started praying to Jehovah Jirah, the Lord that provides.

Jesus.

Amen.

So we see this confidence.

Costly Christianity.

Listen to me.

Costly Christianity has always produced courageous Christianity.

Example after example of people dying for the faith.

Martin Luther.

And how God used their death more to further the gospel than they did their life.

Amen.

Amen.

Out of this Paul's suffering was born a violent and courageous preaching.

And preachers who would not otherwise have opened their mouths or preached the gospel at all.

Hey, if God be for us, say it with me.

Romans 8, Romans 8.

I love Proverbs 28:1.

Proverbs 28:1

The righteous are bold as a lion.

Nay, in all things we've been made more than conquerors through him that loves us.

Romans 8, 31 and 37.

Amen.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

The whole armor.

Now notice the third thing.

Not only was the captors in the city evangelized, not only were his colleagues and his preacher friends and the church encouraged to do what they're supposed to do.

But thirdly, his critics were exposed.

Uh-oh, critics?

Uh-huh.

Critics?

You got to be kidding me.

Nobody's going to criticize you for preaching the gospel.

Are you kidding me?

You know, we have tried to stamp out our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and Christianity in America today.

Do you realize we are the third leading country over India and China right now that missionaries are being sent because they, hey, the country needs the gospel.

Did you hear me?

It's India, China, and America in need of the gospel now.

Where have we gone these 214 years?

We have been going downward, downward, downward.

We are no longer a what?

A Christian nation.

We need evangelizing.

God help us.

We have as many missionaries being sent to America as we are sending missionaries now.

Actually, more.

The recent statistics by Barner.

More missionaries are being sent to America now than we're sending to other countries.

You think we're in trouble?

What's the answer?

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face in turn for their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7, 14.

So we see the critics.

Now watch verses 15 and 16.

Now you got to understand something.

Well, let's read the verses.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill.

The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds.

Now, understand something.

These were not the heretics.

No, like those in Corinth were, not like them, whom Paul severely denounced in Corinth.

Nor were they Judaizers like those of Galatia who preached another gospel.

These were the third-rate preachers, so filled with envy and jealousy, that they were criticizing Paul.

They were critical.

They were jealous of him because of his giftiness.

He was an unbelievable, gifted speaker and preacher and intelligent man.

He was just off the charts.

I think they were jealous because he had literally had a personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

I meant they were jealous of this man unbelievably.

In fact, I went back and they were jealous and they were contentious.

They tried to discredit Paul through slander, accusations, and criticism.

Here's what they said.

Paul, you know what they said?

They said, first of all, Paul was being chastised.

There must be some sin in his life.

He's being chastised, that's why he's in prison.

Secondly, they said, hey, Paul has lost God's power.

Thirdly, they said Paul was being replaced.

And guess who they were suggesting?

I'm sure some of them.

And then they said, well, Paul is being politically correct.

I mean, they gave every excuse they could.

Paul's distractors had selfish ambitions.

Verse 17 shows us that.

Look at what it uh 16.

The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other's out of love.

So we see the difference.

But notice what else we see here.

We see that they, hey, they had the right message.

Now don't miss this.

Boy, this, boy, you'll enjoy this, preacher.

Sylvester, you'll enjoy this.

Church, you'll enjoy.

They had the right motives.

Excuse me.

Wrong.

They had the right message, but the wrong motives.

Let me repeat that.

They had the right message, but the wrong motives.

Have you ever seen somebody you know not living like you ought to be living, or she's not living like she, but yet it seems like God's using them.

Let me tell you, He's not using them, he's using the message.

Teach.

If the message is the absolute truth, the word of God, it will never return void.

Amen.

That's helped me a lot in my Christianity.

When I've seen people I know.

And my first inclination is why God, why are you blessing them?

Hey, he's not blessing them, he's blessing the message.

Amen.

He'll always bless the message.

This book will never return void.

That'll help you.

That'll help you.

That'll help you.

Now, what he blesses the most is that the man and the message what?

Coincide.

They are the same.

Can I get an amen?

That's when you see God open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing.

When the man of God's the real thing.

Not perfect, but real.

Amen.

Amen, church.

That in fact, you Paul, let me show you what Paul said.

2 Corinthians 4, 5.

Here's what he said.

For we preach not ourselves.

That's it.

We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord in ourselves, your servant for Jesus' sake.

They were upset with these third-rate preachers.

And he said, Paul didn't get upset.

Paul didn't, hey, Paul didn't get critical.

Paul didn't, he rejoiced.

Why?

Because Jesus Christ was being preached.

And he knew that if Jesus is lifted up, he'll draw all men unto him.

Say, I'm fired up this morning, folks.

Preach that word.

If you get this, if we get this, this church, you just wait.

It's not about us, it's about him.

It's not about any of us in here.

It's all about him.

We will have critics.

We will have critics.

Jesus said in Luke 6, 26, woe unto you if all speak well of you.

Hello.

I've learned out of 32 wonderful years of serving my master, I'm either loved or hated.

There is no in-between with me.

And I really don't know why I'm hated, other than I don't compromise the book.

It's not what I think, it's not even sometimes how I feel, it's what God says that matters.

Amen.

It hurts.

I know the truth hurts sometimes.

It's sharper than any two-edged sword.

It'll cut you open and reveal what you really are.

And sometimes we are ugly.

Hello.

We are ugly.

And we don't like it when somebody shows our ugliness, especially when we're trying to be something we're not.

Amen.

Hello.

Hello.

Search me, oh God.

Know my heart.

Try me.

Know my thoughts.

See if there be any wicked way in me.

And lead me in the way of everlasting.

You know, the whole theme of this book is joy.

And I wrote this at the very beginning.

When Paul said, Rejoice, yes, I will rejoice, right here in verse 18, where he is being lambasted.

Here's what I wrote to myself.

A believer's spiritual maturity can only be measured by what it takes to still his joy.

I'm gonna say it again.

A spiritual Christian's maturity can only be measured by what it takes to still his joy.

Jesus said, no man takes your joy from you but you.

John 16, 22.

You with me?

Let me tell what Falwell, I grew up as a student, and every time I'd hear my my mentor who's with the Lord now, Jerry Falwell, who founded Liberty University, the largest evangelical Christian university in the world, over 100,000 students.

I'm proud to be a graduate of Liberty University.

Can I get an amen back here?

Matt.

Matt's a graduate of Liberty University.

All right, now listen, my wife got a doctorate at Liberty University.

Now listen to me.

Falwell used to say, the greatness of a man is determined.

Now listen to me.

The greatness of a man is determined by what it takes to discourage him.

Did you hear that?

The greatness of a man is determined by what it takes to discourage him.

Not his giftiness, not his talent, but what it takes to discourage him.

What it takes to get him to quit.

What it takes him, hey, to get him to just go sit down and quit being an influencer for the cause of Christ.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

That's it.

What does it take?

I found this.

Listen to this.

The poet Tasso, upon receiving reports from friends that a certain enemy was spreading gossip about him.

Watch this.

Observed.

I'm not disturbed, he said.

How much better it is that he speak ill of me to the world than all the world should speak ill of me.

He said, Let him.

But I know in my heart that my motives are pure.

I know that I am true.

Can you believe that?

Can you believe that?

Well, let's go on.

Man, that's good.

Number two, the experiences of evangelism preaching.

We've seen the evidences.

Now look at what Paul says in verse 12 and verse 19.

But I would you should understand.

Now don't, here's again that same say he says, now don't misunderstand this, brethren, that the things which happen unto me have fallen out rather into the fathers of the gospel.

Verse 19, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation.

The word salvation there means deliverance, through your prayers and through the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Here Paul speaks of two main experiences.

Don't miss this.

Oh, this is so good.

The apostle was mature enough in the Christian faith to know that there can be no advancement in the work of God without suffering.

Let me repeat that.

There can be no advancements of God without suffering.

Wow.

What did Paul say in Philippians 3.10?

That I might know him and the power.

Now watch this.

And the power of his what?

Now we all want that.

We want the power of God on our life.

Can I get an amen?

Do we not want that?

But now notice what he says next, because this is the secret to the power of God on your life.

And the fellowship of his say it with me.

And the fellowship of what?

Being made what?

His likeness.

To his death, his likeness.

Philippians 3.

Hey, hey, hey.

No suffering, no power.

No suffering?

No power.

I'm going to tell you something for all young preachers.

You'll never know the power of God on your life until you go through some major trials in your life and in your ministry.

I never understood that.

But right out of the gate, when my wife died in my arms, trust me.

I was, I was, hey, I was definitely ordained.

I wasn't ordained by man.

I was ordained by God.

Now I had been ordained.

But that was a real ordination.

Because I had every right to quit right then.

I'd only been in the church two weeks.

I'd only graduated seminary two weeks.

Two weeks.

I had the I had there was not one person would have said anything if I'd said, I can't do this.

I'm out of here.

I couldn't.

I couldn't.

I couldn't.

Because in that shower of that morning, when the Holy Spirit showed up, he said, Either the book is real and I'm real, or it's all a fake and phony.

But I knew it wasn't.

And he said, My grace is sufficient, preacher.

I'll take you through this.

And boy, did he take me through it.

My God will.

My God will.

And he went on to help us build one of the greatest evangelistic churches in that whole region.

200 plus people saved and baptized every year for 11 straight years.

That's the featherance of the gospel.

I led the guy at the rest station to the Lord, carrying my wife's casket to Sylvester to bury her.

I said, My wife's out there, she died unexpectedly two days ago.

But I said, I know where she is.

She's in heaven, and I'm going to get to see her again.

Let me ask you, sir, kind sir, if you'd have die right now.

If you were in that casket, she was just living last Sunday at another funeral with me.

Then she died this past Thursday, three days ago.

She's in heaven.

Where are you going to be?

He started crying like a baby.

He said, I don't know, I don't know, but I want to know.

And I led him to Jesus right there.

Amen.

Over 300 decisions made at the graveside service in my hometown.

I begged the Lord to let me and Becky go back and preach the gospel to all my friends that knew me before I got saved.

And over we got there at the funeral home, there was a line around the corner, and we started at 5:30.

And at 10 o'clock that night, the last person walked through.

Over five, six hundred people had come through that night, and every one of them at the head of the casket, looking at my wife, I asked them if you were to die today, are you sure you'd go to heaven?

Jesus.

I preached to my whole high school at my wife's funeral.

Woo! The father's of the gospel.

What looks to be a tragedy.

Would I have chosen to do it that way?

Absolutely not.

But God's plan was better than my plan.

You say, how do you can you say that?

Because I know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

It's not my purpose, it's his purpose.

And his purpose for my life is the featherance of the gospel.

Amen.

Amen, church.

That's powerful.

So powerful.

God uses these sufferings to conform us into his image.

Verse 29.

Hey, hey, there's physical suffering.

Number two, there's spiritual suffering.

Verse 16.

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time there.

Because that just means I'm going to be criticized.

Means you're going to be criticized.

It means, but that's okay.

Folks, that's okay as long as we're living the truth of the gospel.

Because God uses that to feather his gospel.

When you understand that, you can go through your attacks a lot easier.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

I look at Sonia back there.

I'm glad you're in service today, girl.

And by the way, anytime you can help in the nursery, thank you.

So we can rotate some of our ladies in and out.

That's such a blessing.

They do such a great job with your kids, too.

They do.

But Sonia was at open door all those years.

And when I would knock on the door, one of two things.

I'd either puck her up for a kiss or duck.

They start swinging.

There was no in-between.

We took.

Do you know there wouldn't be a church?

Every time there was a uh a debate on the university campus about ethics, guess who ended up debating?

Me.

Not because I was that good.

It was none of the other preachers would do it.

I'd say, yeah, I'll preach the gospel.

And it didn't matter.

Everything they said, well, in fact, one of the moderators said, Dr.

Lovett, why is it?

I don't care what question we get, you come back to the gospel.

I said, because it's the answer for all your questions.

Hello?

Hello.

I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

Well, there was personal suffering.

Number two, there was personal strengthening.

Look at verse 19.

Woo! For I know that this shall turn to my deliverance, even though he.

Now let me let me show you his deliverance.

His deliverance wasn't that he was going to be let out of jail, which he was at this time, and then two years later he's rearrested, and this that time he's executed.

But this time he is released.

But notice what he said.

Hey, I'm gonna be delivered one way or the other.

In fact, it really doesn't matter to me.

All that matters to me is that the gospel of Jesus.

Christ is preached.

If that means I need to die, so be it.

For me to live is Christ, but to die is what?

Gain.

So hey, he said, I'm gonna be delivered either way.

Now, I got to thinking about that.

Let me, I got to think about, wrote some things down.

Let me, I've always been intrigued by Paul's final verses in this passage right here.

His thoughts on balance and the benefits of living and dying.

It's pretty good.

I mean, he said, hey, if I live, I've got one purpose.

If I live, I need to produce fruit for my master.

But to die is verse 23, far better.

Now watch this.

I broke down Paul's options this way.

If he stays here, he has a temporary residence, and he's just a tent dweller.

Okay?

But if he departs to go with the Lord, he's got a permanent house.

He's got a mansion.

In my father's house, are many mansions.

For not some of I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself and where I am.

Whoa, you may be also.

I got a mansion waiting for me.

I don't have a log cabin, bless God.

I got a mansion.

I don't mind the log cabin, though, by the way.

If he stays here, he has suffering mixed with joy.

If he goes to be with the Lord, he has joy unmixed with any suffering at all.

There'll be no curse up here.

Woo! If he stays here, he has suffering for a little while.

If he goes there, he has joy forever.

Duh.

If he stays here, he is absent from the Lord.

If he goes there, he's at home with the Lord.

If he stays here, he has If he stays here, he has to stay in the fight.

If he goes there, he's ready for the feast.

If he stays here, he lives in the realm of sin, tempted all the time, tried all the time.

If he goes there, he lives in the pure absence of sin.

Woohoo! Don't tell me to die is lost.

To die is the game.

Now you understand why he said, hey, I'd far more rather go be with him.

Now think a minute.

He's been tortured, he's been left for dead three times, he's now in jail.

And he has been bitten by the snake.

We're not doing this just to be doing it.

Come on.

Whew.

Mm-mm.

Then he goes on and he says, If through the prayers of the saints, they were on their knees night and day praying for him for victory.

With the supplication of the saints, there was, look at verse 19, the supply of the Spirit.

James 5.16 says, the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman availeth much.

Can I get an amen?

In Ephesians 6, 18 and 19, you got to see this.

Ephesians 6, 18 and 19, he talks about rejoicing and praying.

He says, and be not drunk with wine, wearing his excess, but be filled with the Spirit and speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit of God.

Paul was confident.

Watch this.

Three things.

Paul was confident in the prayers of the saints.

He knew that their prayers would not return void.

Secondly, Paul was confident in the provision of the Holy Spirit.

The word supply there.

That's a Greek, the Greek word there for supply means provisions, but here's what it means: total resources.

Everything God has is at your disposal when you're walking in the Spirit.

Can I get an Amen?

Let me repeat that again.

All of God's resources is at your disposal when you're walking in the Spirit of God.

Woo! You didn't get that.

You know why?

Because most of us don't walk there.

Most of us walk with one foot in the flesh and one foot in the spirit.

Try to have one foot in the church and one foot in the world.

Won't work.

You know what you have?

You have average Christianity.

You want supernatural Christianity?

You got to be all out.

Either you're for me or against me.

There is no straddling with him.

But when you all in, look out.

Katie barred the door.

There's nothing impossible with my God.

Did you hear me?

Nothing is impossible with my God.

You'll see the supernatural.

We wonder why Reuben, when he comes over here and he talks about the supernatural things, I'll tell you why, because they don't have the worldly things drawing them away from the things of God like America does.

Amen.

We are just lambarded with the worldly affluence and the worldly prestige and positions and power and money.

And I could go on and on.

Hollywood.

On and on.

You don't have that in third world countries.

All they have is God.

And they're depending on God for their hey, supply that day.

Big difference, folks.

Ask Christy.

Ask Deedra.

They just got back.

Carolyn, ask them.

They know the poverty.

But you know what?

Let me help you something.

Let me tell you what you'll see when you do that.

Go on a short-term mission trip.

Listen to me.

You go there with this expectation, oh man, they got it bad.

They don't know they got it bad.

In fact, let me tell you something.

They don't have it bad.

Because they're all in with Jesus, those that are radically saved.

Amen.

They don't think.

In fact, you know what Reuben told me the last time he was with us here when we were that morning before he left?

He says, America has too much.

It's hard for them to depend on God.

What truth.

What truth.

The tares and the cares of this world strangle the word of God.

And the by in Matthew 13, and he says, we become unprofitable.

And Paul's whole hypothesis, whole purpose here was to feather the gospel.

That's good.

Let's go to the last thing.

Oh, oh, one other thing.

Paul was confident in God's plan for his life and his promise of heaven.

Paul knew he was going to heaven.

Let me give you a verse.

Matthew 10, 32.

I don't want you to miss these two verses.

Matthew 10, 32 and 33.

Jesus said, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my father, which is in heaven.

Whosoever, verse 33, shall deny me before men.

Him will I deny before my father, which is in heaven.

Folks, I'm here to tell you.

Our job is to speak up about Christ here.

And if we speak up for Christ here, he will speak up for us there.

Is that not exciting?

Is that not exciting?

And you think I'm gonna shut up?

I'm gonna get worse.

The older I get because they'll say, well, he's just old.

Cripple.

He really doesn't know what he's saying.

I don't know what I'm saying.

Jesus is awesome! I was young.

They said I was too young to know better.

Either way, he's magnified.

Amen.

Don't be ashamed of the gospel.

Don't be ashamed.

Last thing, the expectations.

Mm-mm.

Of this evangelism advancement.

Look at it.

Verse 20, according to my earnest, my greatest desire, my greatest expectation, and my greatest hope, that is nothing I shall be.

Hey, in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ should be magnified in my body, whether by my life or by the I got one purpose, and it doesn't matter.

Anything doesn't matter.

Nothing matters to me at all except Jesus and him crucified.

God forbid if I should glory in anything except the cross, by whom the world is crucified in me and I unto the world.

Galatians 6, 14.

Wow.

The goal toward which Paul pressed was to be like Christ and to magnify Christ.

How do you do that?

Two ways.

Number one, consecrated living.

Look at verse 21.

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul's supreme expectation was Christ.

Living for him, Christ was all that he lived for.

Christ in his thinking?

Let me ask something.

How's your thinking this morning?

Did you wake up this morning thinking about Christ?

Did you wake up this morning thinking about going to church?

Did you wake up this morning saying, I'm blessed that I'm alive, I'm blessed that I'm saved.

I'm blessed that I got a family that's living.

I'm blessed.

I'm blessed.

I'm blessed.

I'm blessed.

Amen.

Or did you get up and say, oh, another day?

Well, I guess I need to go to church.

Teach.

Well, it looks like it's going to rain.

You know my arthritis.

Come on.

Amen.

You know?

It'd be dangerous out there.

Raining, traffic.

Oh, I gotta go do this.

I need to go do this.

How do you think that's gonna resonate when you get to heaven?

Amen.

Folks, I'm trying to help us.

We need help.

Who's first in your life?

Consecrated living means that your thinking's right.

Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and that's a battle for every one of us every day.

Amen.

That's why we memorize Scripture.

Garbage in, garbage out, garbage out.

Righteousness in, righteousness out.

Consecrated living in our thinking and our speaking.

Amen.

You know what?

I have made up my mind, and God has so convicted me, I am not saying anything negative about another preacher unless he's a false preacher.

That means he's not preaching the real gospel.

But for these jealous, envious, contentious preachers, that man, you know, if here's how it happens.

If a church starts being blessed more than another church, they try to make it other preachers that are jealous try to make excuses of that church.

You know what?

Praise God if Liberty or my brother down here on the right.

If God's blessing them, if God's blessing them, amen.

Amen.

Amen.

In fact, if it just, hey, hey, we'll go down there and get in on it.

Amen.

We're to work together.

We're in God's business, hey, we're in the kingdom business, not, hey, our own business.

Can I get an amen?

Consecrated living.

Christ in his speaking and in our acting.

Christ in our everything.

Let the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight.

Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Psalms 19, 14.

I say that every morning.

Sometimes I make it all day, and sometimes I have to ask him forgiveness at the end of the day.

Amen.

I do.

But I'm trying.

I want to be that way.

Confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin.

And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, look at his objective, verse 22.

But if I live in the flesh, that is the fruit of my labor.

And then look at verse 25.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your feathers and joy of faith.

In other words, he says, if I live to help you bear fruit.

Our church is here to bear fruit to our community and to the world.

Can I get an amen?

And if we're not doing that, we're not what the church ought to be.

Consecrated dying.

Consecrated living?

How about consecrated dying?

I've been there.

I've seen people that were ready to die.

Anybody been there?

You've seen people ready to die?

I've seen several people that were ready to die.

In fact, they said, I'm ready to go.

My other mentor mentor, Dr.

John Rylance, he was sitting at his desk.

He was 98 years old, had the mind that I have.

He was everything.

And then he got to the point, and I wasn't there, but his son, who's 84, was a close friend of mine that I worked for them for a year, helped them start Bible institutes.

They own camps all over the world.

Just unbelievable work they've done by reaching teenagers.

Here's what he said to Herb.

He said, Herb, I'm going home.

He said, Well, you don't feel good, Pop?

He said, No.

I'm not talking about going to my house.

I'm going to be with Jesus.

He said, What do you mean?

He said, I'm going.

I'm through.

Not eating anymore.

I'm going to be with Jesus.

That was on a Friday.

Tuesday, he died and went to be with Jesus.

He said, I've been here long enough, done all I can do.

It's time for me to go.

That's consecrated dying, folks.

98 years.

God had used him to build some of the one of the greatest churches ever.

Back in the early 40s, they're running four and five thousand radio television with nobody else to do it.

The man was just a walking Bible.

And he had mentored me all those years I was at liberty.

So I'm going home.

Now don't forget Paul said that.

Paul said, I'm now ready to be offered up.

I fought a good fight.

I finished the course.

I kept the faith.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me that day, but not only to me, but also to them that love his appearing.

2 Timothy 4, 7 and 8.

Are you ready to die?

Are you?

And I know what your first inclination is, I don't want to die.

Now wait a minute.

I don't think any of us are ready to get on the bus today.

But the question is, are you ready?

What if your bus number, your tickets, punch today?

Are you ready?

Are you having a guy on the words that you work with?

Because if you don't, you're not ready.

Is the Lord first in your life?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

All these other things should be added unto you.

That's a serious question, folks.

Are you ready?

Because if you're ready, here's what your thinking should be.

For me to live as Christ, as long as I'm here, I'm gonna be an influence for Christ.

I'm gonna keep producing fruit.

But if not, if I can't produce any more fruit for you, take me home.

That's my prayer.

If I can't produce for him, I want to go home.

You know why?

Why else live?

It's not for me to live for materialism.

It's not for me to live to build some kind of elaborate sanctuary here.

I've enjoyed, I enjoy this.

I enjoy those woods.

I've been out there again on that four-wheel.

I love it.

I can man, we can get out there.

We can throw an old tent up and have revival out there on that land.

It's not about buildings, folks.

It's about people.

Can I get an amen?

It's about people.

That's why I'm a lot more excited about the land than any building.

We can reach a lot of people, that land.

And I get horses out there, whatever.

I mean, you can do about anything you want to out there.

To bring people to Christ.

To bring them under the gospel.

Are you chained to Christ today?

Here's the question.

Are you chained to Christ?

See, Paul was not a slave or a prisoner to Rome.

Paul was a slave and a prisoner to Christ.

Big difference.

He's in jail having a spell.

I just came up with that.

He's in jail having a spell.

Amen.

But he was.

He was rejoicing.

He didn't care if they were gonna kill him.

He said, all that matters to me, which one's gonna be give more glory to him.

Woo! Every head bow, every eye closed.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.