Whatever Happens Pt. 1

Good evening. Welcome to Voice in the Wilderness. I'm Don

Noble of Pure Art Ministries, and I welcome you today

with exceedingly abundantly and overflowing joy. Before I get into

my message, I just want to make a note of

the fact that the Vatican has elected a new pope.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, sixty nine years old, was elected

pope on May eighth, becoming Pope Leo the fourteenth. And

I may have mentioned this not too long ago, but

I was in a gathering with several Christians. We were praying,

and this was I would say this happened in early February.

So as we were praying, I had a very quick

vision and I saw white smoke coming up like out

of a out of a pipe or something. I just

saw that white smoke for an instant and I quickly

thought to myself, Oh, my goodness, Pope Francis is going

to die. There's going to be a new Pope. And

at that point in time, Pope Francis was not in

the hospital, but then subsequently he developed a lot of

problems with pneumonia et cetera and ended up in the hospital,

and then most recently passed away, So I you know,

I was kind of bewildered about that vision because it

was so quick, so brief, But yet I knew in

my spirit, like when I saw the white smoke, I

knew in my spirit that Francis was going to pass

away and a new pope was going to come forth.

So just want to congratulate my Catholic friends and the

Catholic Church for electing this new pope. There are things

yet to discover about him, and this tonight's message is

not about him, but just to say that it's wonderful

to have an American being raised to the highest position

in the Catholic Church. And I think, at least from

what I've recently learned, he is very pro life, so

that is very good. He is against the transgender agenda

and that's positive, and against the LGBTQ agenda. So there

are some very positive things about this pope that I

hope we'll bring unity in the church. And I know

my conservative, very conservative Catholic friends and some family have

not not been happy with Francis, And to be honest,

he really was a Marxist in his thinking and beliefs.

So it'll be interesting to see how Pope Leo the

fourteenth navigates these future waters, political waters and spiritual things.

And we do pray that the Holy Spirit will guide

him in all his official matters and spiritual matters, and

certainly give him the wisdom of Heaven to know what

decisions would be best for the Catholic Church. So I

see that I'm hoping. I'm hoping and believing that this

will be a good candidate that they elected. So we

shall see in the coming days. Tonight's message is titled

whatever Happens. This is Part one. I will finish it

up next week with part two. How many times have

you told someone that you were in a conversation with

and you said to them, you won't believe what happened,

or you might say it this way, Can you believe

this happened to me? The result being something bad occurred

and you did not expect it. So is an unexpected

negative outcome and the plan that you thought was going

to unfold didn't and it was a different result. So

now you're upset, you're frustrated, disappointed, and you're asking God,

how did this happen? God? Where are you in this?

Why would you let this happen? Those are often the

questions that you and I and many believers ask of

the Lord when we perceive that the turn of events

are not what we certainly expected or prayed for. The

Apostle Paul in writing to the Philippian Church, which by

the way, supported Paul more than any other church, he

wrote in Chapter one of Philippians twenty seven and I'm

reading it out of the International New International Version, the NIV,

and this is what it says. Paul wrote, whatever happens,

conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

When I read that scripture recently, it was like a

dagger went into my heart. You talk about the Holy

Spirit bringing, you know, like conviction in a strong way,

not condemnation, but conviction. Wow, that scripture hit me so hard,

and I realized that there were certain situations where I

did not conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

Now I'm not saying that I went out and got

drunk or did some flagrant sin, but I just knew

when I read the scripture, and I felt the Spirit

really prick my heart just like ooh, I knew. I

just knew that I could have said things nicer I

could have avoided losing my temper. And for me it

was like a wake up call. I really hope that

this message tonight will be a wake up call for

you as much as it was a wake up call

for me. And as you know, we are it's almost

like we're inches away from Jesus' return to gather his

church and take us up the rapture. And so I

think sometimes these things have more weight to them because

he's trying to make his church what he called us

in Ephesians. In the Book of Ephesians, he called us

the glorious church, and He's coming back for the glorious,

triumphant Church. Amen. So for me it was like a

wake up call, and I began to really ask myself

some questions like do I really fear the Lord? Or

do I just say that I fear the Lord? And

was I truly being careful about my words and actions.

The apostle Paul was a man who knew about trials

and tribulations Acts twenty verse, verses thirteen through twenty four.

I just want to start there first. But you know

this apostle Paul, boy, what a guy. He He was

the real deal. And he and Now the Book of

Acts is written by Luke. So Luke's writing from verse

thirteen I'm reading to twenty four. It says, then we

went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assis, there

intending to take Paul on board, for so he had

given orders, intending himself to go on foot. And when

he met us at Asses, we took him on board

and came to Middeling. We sailed from there and the

next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived

at Samos and stayed at Tragillium. The next day we

came to Militis. So Luke is very detailed here. He's

telling us from what's the to what city to what city?

What city verse sixteen. For Paul had decided to sail

past Ephesus so that we would not have to spend

time in Asia, so that he would not have to

spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be

at Jerusalem if possible, on the day of Pentecost. Now

you may remember when you read the Old Testament, there

were three feasts that were mandated, mandated for every Jew

to attend right passover Pentecost Feast of Tabernacles. So there

were three feasts of the many feasts that were mandatory.

So Paul's trying to get to Jerusalem for the day

of Pentecost Verse seventeen From Milodus, he sent to Ephesus

and called for the elders of the Church. And when

they had come to him, he said to them, you

know from the first day that I came to Asia

in what manner I always lived among you, serving the

Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which

happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. How

I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it

to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God

and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see now

I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing

the things that will happen to me there, except that

the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains

and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me,

nor do I count my life dear to myself, so

that I may finish my race with joy and the

ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify

to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed,

now I know that you, all among whom I have

gone preaching the Kingdom of God, will see my face

no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that

I am innocent of the blood of all men, for

I have not shunned to declare to you the whole

counsel of God. Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to

all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made

you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God, which he

purchased with his own blood. For I know this that

after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you,

not sparing the flock, and also from among yourselves men

will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the

disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three

years I did not cease to warn every one night

and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you

to God and to the word of His grace, which

is able to build you up and give you an

inheritance among all those who are sanctified. The key scripture,

and that's in that set of set of scriptures, is

verse twenty four Paul says, but none of these things

move me. Now he tells us that he has a sense,

he says, because he says, I see now I go

bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things

that will happen to me there. But he, you know,

he has some sense that something's going to happen when

he gets to Jerusalem. And the Holy Spirit has shown

him that in every city he's had chains and tribulations

await him. Imagine if you're if you're listening to me,

and you are an evangelist, that means you've gone to

many cities to preach the gospel. Have you found chains

and tribulations awaiting you at every city that you've preached in?

I doubt it, But hear this, this man, this apostle,

Paul says, every city I go to, chains and tribulations

await me, and the Holy Spirit testifies to it. And

yet he can say, but none of these things, None

of these things move me. Nor do I count my

life dear to myself, so that I may finish my

race with sadness. No, No, Paul says, so that I

may finish my race with joy and the ministry, the

ministry I received from the Lord Jesus to testify of

the Gospel of the grace of God. I tell you

what a servant of the Lord, what a leader? So

do you think that Paul asks the question, Hey, can

you believe? Can you believe what happened to me when

I was in Melodis? Can you believe what happened to

me when I was in Aphesis? I mean, come on,

I have been to Chiaus and I've been to Assasin Trajillium.

I mean, why would the Lord allow all this tribulation

and chains for me? Hmmm? Acts fourteen, Let's go there,

And I think, Paul, who wrote this scripture, whatever happens,

whatever happens, chains, no chains, tribulations, no tribulations, whatever happens,

I'm going to conduct myself in a manner where they

of the Gospel of Christ. Okay, Acts Chapter fourteen. We're

gonna look at verses nineteen through twenty eight. Now it

says then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, came

where they came to Lystra. And so if you look

at the previous scriptures like verses one through eighteen, you'll

see the picture there. And the scripture tells us those

in that set of scriptures prior to verses nineteen through

twenty eight, that in Lystra, Paul had healed a lame man.

This man had been crippled from his mother's womb, he

had never walked, and it stirred up these people. It

stirred them up. They thought that Paul was a god,

and they were Barnabas was a god, and they thought

Paul was Hermes and Barnabas was Zeus. And they were

trying to lay wreaths at their feet and worship them.

And Paul was like, oh no, no, no, no, no,

we can't have any of this. No. So that's what

happens in the prior scripture. So then the Jews came

from Antioch and Iconium there to Lystra where all this

is taking place, and having persuaded the multitudes, that is,

the Jews persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged

him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

Now did we just not read that? Paul said, like,

none of these things move me. He was stoned, they

thought he was dead. He probably thought he was dead.

But see that didn't move Paul, It just didn't move him.

He said, none of these things. I don't count my life,

dear to myself. I've got to finish my race with joy. Period.

So we have to grasp that as believers, because he's

speaking that to us too. And whatever happens, whatever happens

in our life, we need to be able to say,

it's not gonna move me, and I don't count my life, dear.

I've got to finish my race with joy. That's where

we need to be. Okay, let me go on. So

they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,

supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered

around him, he rose up and went into the city,

so they obviously laid hands on him, prayed over him,

and boom, he comes back to life. And the next

day he departed with Barnabas to Derby, and when they

had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples,

then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Okay, I mean,

he's just asking for it. They just tried to stone

him and kill him, and boom, he's up back on

his feet. He goes to Derby, he's preaching again. He's

making a lot of disciples, and now he's going to

return to the place where these Jews were trying to

kill him. So he returns, and it says in verse

twenty two, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them.

It means encouraging them, cheering them on to continue in

the faith, saying, we must, through many tribulations, enter the

Kingdom of God. Oh my goodness, who's preaching that? Do

you hear that? Out of any pulpit in America? Does

anybody say that Paul said this, we must must, through

many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God. I have never

heard a preacher preach that. Never. And here we are

Paul sayg that. Who's he saying that too? He sang

it to you, and he sang it to me, and

he's sang it to every believer in Christ. Oh. Yeah, see,

you got to read your Bible because you'd think I

was making that up. I know you would think I

was making that up, But I am not. Its acts

Chapter fourteen, and it's verse twenty two, we must, through

many tribulations, enter the Kingdom of God. Oh. So, when

they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting,

they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphilia.

Now when they had preached the word in Perga, then

they went down to Italia. From there they sailed to Antioch,

where they had been commended to the grace of God

for the work which they had completed. I'll say one thing, Paul,

was a moving and grooving here they were going. They

were moving like a train. They were moving from city

to city, preaching the Gospel and making disciples. I mean,

no grass was growing under their feet Verse twenty seven. Now,

when they had come and gathered the church together, they

reported all that God had done with them, and that

he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Paul had an unction. He had a mission not only

to preach the gospel, not only to go to these

cities and share the good news of the Kingdom of

God and to get people saved. But it was more

than that. For Paul. He felt the important need to

disciple these new believers. You know that rarely goes on

in the churches today in America. It really does. Very

few people are discipled if they get saved, they're kind

of like on their own, like figured out for yourself.

That is so horrible. Jesus told us to make disciples.

He didn't say make converts. He said make disciples. We

are to be discipling those that we bring into the

Kingdom of God. And Paul that mandate was on his

life because he understood. And here's the thing. If you

bring someone to Christ and they don't get discipled, and

you aren't part of discipling them, they'll just fall back

into their old ways, into their old life, and they'll

never lead a victorious life. In fact, they'll just backslide.

It's mandatory to have discipleship for new believers, and being

a teacher I have. I have actually just it has

broken my heart to watch what happens in the churches

today where there's no discipleship, because I so strongly believe

in it. So I'm going to conclude this message tonight

with just saying this, because I'm definitely going to have

a part two, and I don't know, the Lord may

lead me to a part three. But whatever happens Philippians

one twenty seven, whatever happens conduct yourself in a manner

worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Paul conducted himself in

a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. And Paul

went through more tribulations, more difficulties than I would say

than any believer, certainly any believer in the New Testament,

and more than any believer today that I know of.

So your situation couldn't be as tough as Paul's. I

don't think anybody in the United States has ever been

stoned and left for dead. If you have, that's really

news to me. But you know, we all think that

these situations that we encounter that are tough and rough,

you know, we feel like it's the end of the world.

Where's God? Where you would let this happen to me? Lord?

Paul didn't say that. He didn't say, Paul, He didn't say, Lord,

you'd luck this happen to me. They stoned me. I

almost died. No, no, no, Paul said, none of these

things move me. And I don't count my life dear

to myself. Brother and sister, I'm speaking to myself as

much as I'm speaking to you. We must not count

our life so dear, and we shouldn't let all of

the things that seem to move us move us. But

just stick with this. Whatever happens, just say this to yourself.

I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of the

Gospel of Christ. Amen. Well, this is Don Noble. You

can go to www dot purehart dot today to listen

to this podcast again. You can download the iHeartRadio app,

go to podcasts Pure Heart Ministries and listen twenty four

to seven. I would really love for you to sew

a financial seed into this ministry. You can send a

check to Pure Heart Ministries PO Box eighty five, PO

Box eighty five, Grove West, Virginia, two six six. If

the Lord should move on your heart, I would be

ever so grateful and keep praying for this ministry. And

I'll tell you what, I certainly look forward to being

back with you again next week. And so this is

Don Noble saying Shalom shalom, Peace be unto you.