You're Not A Hostage Pastor Steven Furtick

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, 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 asks 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's a deeper meaning.

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 12, 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 it one time.

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

you hadn't, let me say it like he said it.

If you hadn't had a.

Head-on collision with the devil lately, you might be headed

in the same direction.

Somebody shout, 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 faith message tonight for somebody who.

Is 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 13, 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 chains 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 chains for Christ. Kind of like Joseph

in the Old Testament. You meant it for evil. God

meant it for good. So I know the why. 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 of 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, declare it.

I'm not a hostage on every location.

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, let's 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. God

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 18, Paul makes a shift.

Everybody say shift. Shift.

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 36 more months, but he looks forward.

And I'll show you how I know he looks forward.

Let's count the number of times. He says the word will.

In the next 10 verses. Every time I say the

word will. You count up.

Out loud. Every campus. Yes. Verse 18. And I will. Will.

continue to rejoice.

For I know that through your prayers and 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

we'll 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 believed 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? This will count at seven.

I choose.

I do not know. I'm 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 5,000 volunteers in this church that were

more concerned about somebody else's purpose than your sleep this week.

Thank you. Thank you.

What verse? He says, 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. But I'm convinced of this.

Verse 25. 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 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 more. Because he says in verse 26, so

that through my being with you again, you're boasting in

Christ Jesus.

Ten verses, ten times he says, I will.

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

doesn't know what's next. And yet 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. 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 20. We read it in English. It's

several words in English. I eagerly expect and hope. In

verse 20, I eagerly expect and hope.

In Greek, it's one 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? 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.

Improvision. Improvisation, but it's improvisation. She just made it up

on accident. Paul makes up a word on purpose. And

here's the word. And 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. And we'll have to take

it slow 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. I promise I'll be

a missionary.

God said, you already are one.

No.

I'm going to give you grace instead. And sometimes when

God won't change the situation, but he's changing you, you

need a little bit of apocara dokia in your life.

Three words.

Three words. Apo.

This side say Apo. You gonna mumble it like that?

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

You're gonna be shouting it by the time I finish. So,

this side of the room say Apo. You might want

to know this. Apo means to.

Turn away with concentration. Concentration. Ignoring other interests.

Apo.

Say it again now.

Apo. 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.

Apo.

I feel like I could preach a whole series.

On apo, a whole series just on the prefix.

But Paul isn't done. He says apo-kara. Middle section, say kara. Kara.

Just means head. That's all it means. All right. And

then this section, dokia.

Dokia.

Good. Dokia. Say it again.

Dokia.

Dokia. 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, Cara.

Dokiya say it apo kara dokiya 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 toward.

Your future Apple Cara Dokia. Apple Cara Dokia. Apple Cara Dokia.

Say it.

Apple Cara 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 preach or it'll get worse.

I'm not leaving this 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. Apokaradokia.

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 faith will make a way for the grace

of God to bring me.

Into a greater tomorrow.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no

way be ashamed.

Apokaradokia. Dokia. 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. Hey,

thanks for watching.

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