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Philippians 1:19,26 -Christ Magnified- Pastor Rick Beaudry 2026-08-02
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Philippians one nineteen through 26. Philippians one nineteen through 26. Would you please stand with me as we read God's holy word together? For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I know not. For I'm in a straight between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for my coming again unto you. To you again. Father, we thank you for your holy word, and Lord, we pray that as we study, Lord, that you would be our teacher. We pray, Lord, that we would be led and guide by your spirit into all truth. We pray, Lord, that we would not tolerate lies, half truths. We would not be those who succumb to the great, great deception that's taking place in our culture today and all over the world. Lord, we pray that as we're seeking your face, Lord, and asking for wisdom, that you, Lord, in fact, would give us that wisdom. That you would give us discernment and help us to prove all things to hold fast that which is good. Help us, Lord, to see the apostle Paul here in prison, and to see his attitude, to feel the the the temperament, his his ethos, his pathos, the way that he's just refuses to back down to evil. And Lord, we pray that we could garner, that we could glean some of that courage, that boldness in our last days, not care about how big the church is, how small the church is, who likes us, who doesn't like us. But Lord, that we'd magnify you, that you'd be magnified, that we'd walk and live in all truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Would you please be seated? Paul is in prison rejoicing. Verse 18, what then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ has preached, and I therein do rejoice and will rejoice. So it doesn't matter if there's, you know, other guys trying to get him, you know, to be beaten more, people that didn't like him and trying to stir the pot, stir things up. Paul says, hey, I I rejoice. I don't care what church they're from, what place they're from, who they're from. If they're preaching the gospel and and how it affects me personally, I don't care. I'm not in competition with any of these guys. So no matter what happens to Paul, he will continue to rejoice knowing that Christ will be magnified through his body, whether by life or by death. And so he's submitting himself to the sovereignty of God. He's in prison. He's awaiting trial with Nero. He doesn't know how it's gonna go. He doesn't know if he's going to die or be released, you know, the whole thing. And so he's he's completely trusting and dependent upon the Lord knowing that he is in God's will. When you face a trial, it's important to understand, I'm in God's will. God allowed these circumstances in my life. Now sometimes we find ourself in things that we're in those circumstances because God's not mocked, whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap. We're there because we've been disobedient unto God. So we might find ourself in a jail cell because we got arrested for a DUI. And you can't rejoice in that situation. That situation, you you know, you should be ashamed of yourself, and it should be a wake up call. And you should be thanking the sheriffs and everybody for getting you off the road, not hurting anybody else, and thanking them that maybe for the first time in a long time, you're gonna experience some sobriety. And it's a wake up call to get right with God and to, come to that place of repentance and all. But, again, looking at it from the standpoint of I could have died or I could have killed somebody, you're in God's will. He loving you as a child of God or maybe not a child of God, He's using those circumstances to curtail your actions, to bring you into a place of introspection and looking up and maybe to that place of repentance, convicted conviction and repentance. And it's a godly sorrow that leads to repentance, not a worldly sorrow that, oh, I got caught or oh, what a what a loser I am. What a bummer it is. But it's more of I sinned against God. And I need to get right with God. God has something much much better for me. But Paul's not in this situation because he's a criminal. He's not in this situation because he's living a riotous disobedient rebellious life against God. He's in this situation, he finds himself in a Roman prison because he refuses to back down. Nobody's gonna silence him. He's gonna continue to preach the truth. In fact, if he thinks about his own calling, Jesus told Ananias, show him what things he must suffer for my name's sake. Suffering is part of it. Paul anticipated suffering. Paul anticipated rejection. It broke his heart that his own countrymen, the Jews would reject him, but he wasn't going to faint out of fear when Agabus would show a belt to the guy that owns his belt is gonna be bound. Paul says, don't, you know, don't don't think that you're gonna stop me, you know, by by with your tears and all that. I'm not only willing to be incarcerated, I'm willing to die. So he settled it in his heart. He counted the cost of serving Jesus. And he says, alright. It's settled. For me to live as Christ, to die is gain. If I'm gonna live, I'm gonna live for Christ. If I die, that's the worst the devil can do. Jesus said, don't fear him that can kill the body, but fear him that can not only kill your body, but cast your soul into hell. And only God determines where your soul is gonna go. For the Christian, dying death is just moving. You're moving out of this body into your new glorified body. And Paul's body has been beat on and beat on and beat on and beat on. And he's he's really dealing with pain management, I'm sure. And and it's it's it's not looking good. You know? He's taken a lot of clubbing, a lot of cat o' nine tails. He's he's been shipwrecked and peril and and people beating on him and all. And in Acts 16, him and Silas were beaten there by the jailer in Philippi. And so he's well acquainted with adversity and and people resisting him and trying to hurt him and all. And but to get a new body, to move on to this old body, how many of you want a new body? Are are you ready? Yeah. We're ready. Aren't we? We we can't keep crimping this thing and Botox in it and rubbing it and lotions and hair plugs and all these things we try to do to keep this thing going, you know. And it just it's inevitable. Second law of thermodynamics. The kids came up to me the other day and had two of the go karts were broken. And Evie was so compassionate toward me, and I don't know where they got the idea that that it would bum me out if they break. Things break. I told her, honey, there's a yellow truck over there that needs a motor. There's a blue car over there that needs a motor. Your van needs a motor. Everything breaks. We just have to learn how to fix them. That's all. Or get somebody to fix them. Our bodies are breaking. Everything's breaking down. Everything's waxing worse. And so the for me to live as Christ, to die is gain. How do I gain? I get a new glorified body. No more pain. No more sorrow. No more tears. And I get I get to leave this earth and be asked from the bodies to be present with the Lord. So why do we fear death? Why do we fear? Paul's not afraid. So he's evaluating the benefit of going to be with the Lord, of being released. If he's released, then he can continue his ministry. If he's received by the Lord, the Lord says, alright, Paul. I'm gonna bring you home by means of execution, which eventually will happen. He's gonna be executed by Nero later on. In this particular case, Paul is gonna be released, history tells us. But then he's gonna be reincarcerated at a later time, and you'll see in second Timothy chapter four, Paul says, the time of my departure is at hand. That departure is breaking of a tent, breaking of a temporary abode, this tent. And he's got a new body, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. And so he he knows in chapter four that, hey, I've run a good course. I've run a good race. And I finished I finished my course, and there's now lay therefore laid up for me a crown of righteousness, and not just for me, but all they that, you know, love is appearing. And so he was excited in second Timothy four, letting Timothy know that, hey, it's almost time almost time for me to go. But in this case, this is one of the earlier incarcerations, and Paul is saying, you know what, Lord? My life's in your hand. I don't know if I can convince you to let me stay or if it's my time to go. But, Lord, you make that decision. If you want this to work toward my salvation, my being released through the prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, great. If you wanna receive me, that's great too. If you want me to remain so that I can be a benefit and a blessing to the body of Christ, then I'll remain. One of the things I've noticed in my life is that when we've had people in our lives like grandma and grandpas, moms and dads, who've been strong with the Lord their whole life long, sometimes pastors, pastors, wives. And we they're a treasure in the body of Christ, and they've been a treasure in our lives. They help keep us on track. Your influence as a grandma, a grandpa, a son, a daughter, a cousin, in your family of believers, the people at your church. When the Lord says, hey, I'm gonna take that person home. In many cases, it it leaves a huge vacuum, a huge void. And we we we kinda stutter. We're kinda like, where is that person? For many of us, we we start to drift a little bit. Well, it's it's more beneficial. It's more profitable maybe for Paul to remain so that he can continue to minister to the church of Philippi that's having a hard time. So he says it might be more profitable for me to remain. But if the decision were up to me, I'm ready to go. Mhmm. Is that your attitude? You're ready to go? Why are you here in Bremerton? I know why I'm here in Bremerton. I was called here to minister the gospel. I was called here to teach the Bible. And after thirty one years, it's becoming more and more unique that a church is a Bible teaching church. From Genesis to Revelation is a very unique thing. So I see my little niche, my little tiny place within the body here in Bremerton. Now I could go back to the party, back to Jerusalem, and just enjoy life. You know, where Jesus is in in the in the stadium filled with 40,000 people and people flooding the the the grass down below receiving Christ, that's exhilarating. That's exciting. But to be here fighting the battle with demons in hand to hand combat Over and over and over, a little momentum, you move forward. Boom. You're knocked back down. Little bit of momentum moving forward. Boom. You're knocked back down. What's been like for thirty one years? You think, oh, I'm gonna get over the hump. Oh, we're finally oh. And then boom, you get knocked back down. And you get back up and you say, alright. The dust settling. Alright. Who remains? Anybody here still? Alright. Well, there's still a few people here. I guess I'm supposed to keep going. The the keyword at the pastor's conference now is transition. That's the number one word at the pastor's conference I've been told, is transition. What do they mean by that? They're retiring. They're gonna transition their ministries to the next person to take to take it from these guys. They're getting old. I don't identify as a senior and old person, so I'm staying right where I'm at. I'm in denial. And so it's it's very clear to me what God has for me to do. It's a very simple ministry day by day to be grandpa, to be a husband, to be a father, to be a pastor here in Bremerton. And the apostle Paul, he's evaluating where he's at, what his function is within the body, where he fits, and he's not quite sure. He doesn't have an absolute thus saith the Lord for us. He's not dogmatic about what's gonna happen, nor do I. Nor do I try to talk to you in sensationalism and say, the Lord gave me a vision and try to manipulate you with my vision. I don't do that. Unless the Lord really did give me a vision because I don't wanna be stoned for being a false prophet. So I'm very careful in how I represent the Lord, thus saith the Lord. Very careful. I don't try to posture myself as ultra spiritual, more spiritual than you. And I can manipulate you and convince you because I had a vision, I had a dream. Now some people do have visions and dreams. But boy, they better make sure when they bring that forth to people that it truly is a word from the Lord. He looks down on that, be not many teachers. Your judgment's gonna be far far more severe. So I'd rather teach the word and allow God to speak through through the teaching of his word. Right? Get out of the way. Allow the word of God to come out through my mouth. So when we get together, we try to look to God's word. We're seeking God's will. And the best way to learn and to discover God's will is in his word. God will never contradict his word. And then for you and I individually, personally, there may be a rhema of God, the God speaking to your heart, God letting you know what he wants you to do. The apostle Paul doesn't have a distinct word from the Lord yet. He said, I know you guys are praying for me, and I know God's gonna supply the information. God's gonna supply and move move the king. God takes hold of the king's heart, and he moves it like a river whithersoever he wills. God can move in Nebbe's heart. God can move in Cyrus's heart. God can move in the king's heart. So God Paul knows that God's the one that's the king. God's the one that's sovereign. But it's through prayer as we pray and as we seek the mind of the Lord that the Holy Spirit begins to reveal and to orchestrate to move these circumstances in a direction that fulfills God's will. So Paul is humble enough to say, thank you for your prayers. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit through your prayers. Because I'm waiting on the Lord, and and and for me, it's all good. For me to live as Christ, I'm not living for myself anymore. I'm not trying to be a part of the Sanhedrin anymore. I'm not trying to be the Pharisee of Pharisees, a great man in Judaism anymore. I'm simply Saul of Tarsus. One apprehended on the road to Damascus, and I don't even understand it. I was an enemy of God. I was wasting the church. I was a blasphemer. But he says, you're a chosen vessel unto me. A chosen vessel? I'm gonna show you what great things, great things you must suffer for my name's sake. So for Paul, he's gonna finish up chapter one by talking about how it's not only incumbent upon us to believe in the Lord, but to also suffer for his name's sake. In verse 25. Friend, to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. When we present the gospel, do we present a gospel with suffering in it? Do we present a gospel in Iran that may mean we're gonna die if we believe in Jesus? Not in America. In America, it's the Bless Me Club. It's the name it and claim it. Blab it and grab it. Positive confession. Healthy, wealthy, wise. If you don't if you're not healthy, if you're not wise, if you don't have money, it's because you lack faith. You don't have enough faith. We've seen that prosperity gospel come through, your best life now and such. And people want to believe that and they buy into it. It's like a Tony Robbins, you know, motivational speaker going on. The life coaches, the therapy, the feel goods. And so Paul says, hey, I'm gonna magnify the Lord through my body, whether it be by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Is this true of you? Of me? Paul rejoices in the thought of Christ being magnified through number one, his release. Verse 19. I'm really stoked. I'm I'm excited that if Christ releases me, that's gonna magnify his name. That I'm here before the the most powerful emperor, the most powerful king on the planet right now, but my life's in God's hands. His very my very breath is in the palm of his hand. An arrow can't touch one hair of my head unless God allows him to. Right? There's that confidence. He says, for I know that this shall turn. So I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. That word salvation means deliverance to be released. Paul's not saying I'm gonna get saved again. No. I'm not going to Catholic mass and get saved every week. Resaved at Pentecostal church, you sinned, you lost your salvation, I'm gonna go get saved again. No. The the word salvation means deliverance. He's saying this is gonna turn to my deliverance possibly. Deliverance to be released. So Paul expects to be released from prison. This word supply speaks of a chorus, a generous lavish supply released through the prayers and the supply of the Holy Spirit. So Paul's not bringing forth a polyanic sentimentalism, feely, touchy feely, you know, kinda, I think, I hope so. This is based upon facts. This is based upon the mind of the Lord and through prayer, we collectively as we pray and we seek the mind of the Lord, and we we see Jesus as our example in the Garden Of Gethsemane. Father, if you're willing, remove this cup from me, but nevertheless not as I will, but thy will be done. And so we submit to the sovereignty of God, but we petition God, we seek God, we cry out to God like Hezekiah did when he was sick. And the prophet Nathan came to him and said, the sickness is unto death. Get your or Isaiah came to him, the sickness is unto death. Get your house in order. And what was Hezekiah's response? He went over to the wall and began to weep and cry out to God. And God's heart was touched. And God sent the prophet back and said, alright, you got fifteen more years. And then they took and they had him put a balm on the on the boil that was festering that was gonna cause him to die from it, and he was healed. And he got fifteen more years. And so God God works and he moves, but he's given us the privilege of prayer. And he's saying, church at Philippi, I know that you're praying for me. And this is gonna work toward my salvation through your prayer as the Holy Spirit is unleashed. As the Holy Spirit moves and works on our behalf. And so he's expecting. He's got a confident expectation in the based upon the, you know, based upon the character of God. In a sense of discernment of what time it was, you know. It may it may not be time for me to go yet. So I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna ask for a release. But if God says no, like Shadrach, Meshach, and bending on the fiery furnace, even if our Lord doesn't deliver us, oh king, we still won't bow down to you. So Paul's ready to die if if need be. Lord, it's your decision. You hold open hands, your hands are open. You're not holding on, demanding. I spent much of my Christian life as a young believer, my twenties, insisting. Not really demanding, but kinda insisting, kinda trying to exert my will. Trying to figure God out and figure me out and figure us out and and then pray a certain way, work a certain way, give a certain way, and then I expected reward. I expected great grace to be poured out upon me. And then I began to look at other people and see how they were being blessed, and I expected God to bless me that way, and comparisons, and this isn't fair. Did the whole thing for about ten years. It was the Christianity that I was immersed in. If you pray and work hard enough, you're gonna be blessed. Everyone was being blessed. And I was being blessed too. And I'm still being blessed. I'm radically blessed till to this day. But I don't try to order God around. I have more questions now. Lord, what do you wanna do? What would you have me do? And there's a whole lot of praise and thankfulness. Lord, thank you. I I could I could thank the Lord for just a a pin that dropped to the ground and I find a thank you Lord for this pin. Every little minute detail I find myself thanking the Lord for. Constantly thanking him. Thank you for little Ruthie that's here. Tap tap tap at the door and it's Ruthie. It's Toby. Thank you Lord for this moment. There's a lot of parents. There's a lot of grandparents that don't get to see their grandkids. And Lord, they're right here. They're right next door. Lord, this is a great season in our life. This is a great season. Thank you for this season, Lord. Thank you for this food. I don't take food for granted. I thank the Lord for every everything I eat, everything that he provides. Lord, thank you that my car didn't break down today, that I made it here. Thank you that Kathy's not coughing, that she's feeling good, that she's she's in good health. Thank you, Lord, for your hand upon the folks in the church that we love, that we don't wanna say goodbye to. Thank you for sparing their lives, Lord. Lord, please, no more funerals. No more funerals, Lord. Let's go in the rapture. Let's all go together. Always something to praise the Lord for and to thank the Lord. Paul's not sitting here in prison bad mouthing God, angry at God. He's encouraging the church of Philippi. You guys are doing the right things. This isn't a polyanic optimism, a gushy feelings based upon facts, based upon the word of God and how God works in the lives of of the church. God's in control. God's not broke. He purchased me that I might glorify, that I might magnify him. Have you received your circumstances? Or are you rejecting the circumstances that God has ordained in your life? Are you in God's will? How do you know you're in God's will? I wanna suggest to you the way that you know you're in God's will is peace. You have peace in your heart in the midst of the storm. He keep you in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on thee. How do you lose that peace? By fighting against God, fighting against those circumstances. Should you just acquiesce and give in and not exert effort to improve your health or whatever, or your situation, go out and get a job, work, whatever? No. We we we do our best, pastor Chuck would say, than commit our commit the rest. We're not God. We can't be God. We can't force things to happen. We don't have any fixer except the Holy Spirit. I wish I had a fixer. Wish I had somebody many times in my life, hey, go fix these problems for me. Well, I might have to kill that guy, we'll kill him then. That's how the globalists work. It's exactly how they work. You get in their way, you're a whistleblower, you expose them, they'll take you out. Assassination's part of their whole part of government, of governing. All throughout history, assassinations. People being taken out because you're a threat to the globalist bankers. But nobody can touch a hair of their head if God says no to that. Many assassination attempts have failed too, where God says no. Not time yet. But we don't fear death. We as Christians, when we're a threat to the to the devil, he thinks nothing of martyrdom, of killing Christians who are a threat to his kingdom of darkness. How are we to live in fear? Cowering fear? Or do we have a boldness that I am in God's will? For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. I'm already it's already settled in my heart. I'm already ready to go. To magnify Christ. First Peter one verse seven, Peter said, the trial of your faith. So it's a test. You're gonna go through a test. Paul is taking a test. He's in a trial. The trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with the fire might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Satan is a really good psychiatrist. Satan is a really good student of human behavior. He's watched human beings, you know, since the garden. And he comes to God in book of Job, and he God asked Job where or asked Satan where you've been, and oh, neither here nor there. Walking to and fro throughout the earth, you know. And God says, have you considered my servant Job? Perfect and upright in all of his ways, a man that fears God and eschews evil? This is a good guy. And Satan, being a great psychiatrist, psychologist, study student of human behavior, he says, you know what? These people don't love you. They don't love you for who you are. You're delusional, God. They'd rather love me. Take away all this guy's stuff, I'll prove it to you. Take away all this stuff, and he'll curse you to your face. And God says, well, spare his life. You can't kill him, but you're on a leash, Satan. So Satan's allowed to take away all of Job's stuff, and you know the story. It's all gone. And then Satan comes back a second time and Job didn't sin. Naked came out in the world. Naked, gonna go. The Lord gave it to Lord. Take it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He's praising God. Well, Satan says, well, let me put him in the hospital. Let me take away his health, which many of you are experiencing, have been experiencing. Let me take away their health and they'll curse you to your face, God. Because many of them are thinking, didn't sign up for this. Well, have you counted the cost? Who's on the throne? Who's in control? What's God's will for our life? So Satan's allowed to afflict Job once again. He's got boils from the crown of his head all the way down to his feet, And said Job maintained his integrity and all this did not Job sin with his lips. What's that mean? When you're in the trial, for many of us, and I've seen big name pastors, cream puffs I like to call them. They've never faced a trial like you face on a daily basis. They are Christian celebrities, and they are insulated from every trial that you've ever experienced. How do you know? When they finally get hit. Right? Everybody's got a plan, Mike Tyson said, until they're hit. And then they get hit with a physical infirmity. Their brain might be bleeding a little bit from a fall or something. And all of a sudden, they don't have any more faith. All of a sudden, they're charging God foolishly. All of a sudden, it's like, God, why aren't you don't you know who I am, God? I've got a church of 20,000 people. I live in a million dollar house. That's just one of my houses. I'm an important man in your kingdom. You see, God can't entrust suffering to a man like that because the man bad mouths God. You don't bad mouth God, you worship God. You receive what he's allowed into your life as part of his sovereign plan and purpose for your life. And that which the enemy means for evil, God is turning around good. You're getting closer to the Lord rather than further. Much of the preaching today is just It lacks authenticity. It lacks experiential knowledge. It's theoretical. I like meeting people who've actually gone through the fire. That's where I'm inspired. They've gone through some things, and I marvel at their faith. I marvel at their love for Jesus. Those are the kind of people I wanna be around, that I wanna be with. I don't want the plastic fruit. My mom used to have this plastic fruit on the coffee table. I don't want the plastic silly fruit. I want the juicy stuff. Kathy got a watermelon from Tammy last week and and it was had seeds in it. It was genuine. It was real. And you know how that tasted? Oh, man. All you gotta do is have a few of those seedless ones and or even like tomatoes and strawberries. A lot of the fruit that we we eat anymore has no flavor. When you get one with flavor, a real homegrown real one, that's exciting. And that's what the Lord wants you and I, to magnify them. Here's a real one. Here's a real Christian. They're singing in that hospital room. They're on their face weeping before God, crying out to God in prayer that God would save her husband's life. This is a real Christian here. And the Lord is glorified. He says, whom having not seen, you love, in whom though now you see him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. So what do you release from? Before you release from that prison, God wants to change you before he changes the circumstances. God wants to release you from the prison of self, The tyranny of self. Of self being on the throne. Self demanding, self conniving, manipulating, and trying to get God to do your business. No, the Lord's breaking you. He's humbling you. He's breaking you of all your self confidence. All that you thought you could mix and mingle with his love and his grace, and somehow you come out to be a better you. No, the Lord's gonna break you. He's gonna empty you before he fills you. And there's an ongoing breaking, an ongoing, it is a one time thing. An ongoing breaking, an ongoing emptying, and a bee being filled with the Holy Spirit. If the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. You remember in Acts 12 that James was martyred. Herod saw that it pleased the Jews and he grabbed hold of Peter. And he put a quaternion of soldiers around Peter, and he put Peter between two soldiers and chained the two soldiers, And Peter went to sleep. And then there's a prayer meeting going on, and Rhoda sees Peter as as the the angel of the Lord comes into the room and says, Peter, gird yourself. Peter, put your sandals on. Peter, put a garment over yourself. Peter, let's move. Let's go. And as they're moving on through there, the gates are opening up, the chains are coming off, everybody's asleep. Peter thinks he's only having a vision. He doesn't realize it's for real. And then he's wandering over to Mary's house, the the home of John Mark's mom, and and there's a prayer meeting going on. Paul says, church at Philippi, I know you're praying for me. And your prayer is gonna lead toward deliverance, toward my being released from this prison cell. And Peter's at the door, Rhoda recognizes his voice but doesn't open and comes back in and tells it they think she's beside herself. Praying that it'd rain and not bringing an umbrella to the prayer meeting. What are you praying for if you don't believe it's really gonna happen? The jailbreak. The angel jailbreak. In verse 17 of acts 12, Peter said, the Lord brought him out of the prison. Paul anticipates salvation being released from his circumstances. But if not, nevertheless not my will, but thy will be done. You're praying like Paul in second Corinthians 12. Lord, remove this messenger of Satan that's buffeting me. Lord, I've got terrible terrible headaches. I gotta sleep in a very dark room with these migraines. Lord, it's like a banging in my head. And not only that, physiologically, but Lord, there's a there's a demonic presence. There's a demonic attack against my heart and mind. Lord, I'm wrestling with discouragement, depression and all. This this is a heavy battle I'm in. Paul said, prayed three times that the Lord would remove that messenger of Satan that was buffeting him. Are you in a spiritual battle? Physiologically, you you're in pain and then you get weakened, you can't sleep, sleep deprivation, the meds, too many meds, not enough meds, who knows what. You don't know which ends up. Paul said at one point that he despaired even of life. He's not at that point here. He's not despaired of life. He's just evaluating life at its best in Rome or life in heaven. He said he knew a man whether in his body or out of his body caught up to the third heaven. Paul was caught up to the third heaven, caught up to paradise, Couldn't even describe it. And the Lord allowed this suffering to come into Paul's life to keep him level, to keep him balanced. And the Lord answered Paul's prayer. No. No. No. Has the Lord answered your prayers? No. No. No. I have something greater to do. Something better to do. Something that will prepare you for heaven. Something that will prepare you to glorify me. Something to prepare you for the millennium where you're gonna serve me. I'm gonna use the fiery trial to burn off the dross, to burn off the impurities of your life. I'm gonna use the trials to draw you closer to me as I separate you from all the things you've been depending upon and looking to the false substitutes, the weak and beggarly elements of this world that can't satisfy. A jailbreak, the Lord brought it. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, Job said. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they weren't careful how they answer the king. Fellowship in that trial with Jesus the fourth, and he says the son of man. Notice verse 10. According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed. Paul's saying, I'm not gonna wimp out. I have a hope that God's gonna release me, but even if he doesn't, I'm not gonna wimp out. I'm not gonna tap out. I'm not gonna make the Lord ashamed of me. I'm not gonna be ashamed of the Lord. I'm not gonna be a coward. In the time of trial. I'm gonna be courageous. I'm in the Lord's army. I need to fight as a good soldier, soldiering for Jesus. But that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified. Always, I want Christ to be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Lord, you be magnified, you decide. Lord, I don't wanna waste my life. Use this trial for your kingdom and glory. Let people ask the question, what keeps that guy going? Why hasn't he given up yet? We know human nature. We've seen time after time after time, people quit the ministry, quit the marriage, quit the family, quit, quit, quit, quit, quit. It's always too soon to quit Warren Wiersbe said. We persevere. That's where the character in Romans five, that's where the character is instilled within us is in these trials. We become more like Christ. But will you remain in Romans 12 on that altar? As you've offered yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord, which is your reasonable act of worship. Will you stay there as J Vernon McGee says, when the fire gets hot on that altar, many people get down off that altar. Paul's not trying to orchestrate a jailbreak. He's not trying to do this in his flesh. He's saying, Lord, your will be done. Lord, open these prison doors. Lord, help me find favor with Nero that he'd release me at the trial, if that be your will. But if not, Lord, then the time of my departure is at hand. I know it's close later on in second Timothy chapter four. And in second Timothy chapter four, he said, all men forsook me. Everybody forsook me. Why? Guilt by association. You don't wanna be around a guy like this. He's a terrorist too. We checked his bank records. We checked the phone records. We checked the social media and they're connected. These people are connected. When the social credit score comes, you don't wanna be connected with anybody that's an enemy of the state or you too will suffer. In fact, you'll get 300 more points in your bank account if you turn them in. Turn them in. That's the way it's gonna work. That's where we're headed. I'm expecting. I'm not gonna be ashamed. I'm not gonna give up. And this word expectation means too. The eager intense look which turns away from everything else To fixate on the one object of desire. It speaks of your master passion. You're on tiptoes. Tiptoes looking for the soon return of Jesus. You're fixated. You're obsessed. You're a Jesus freak. Nothing else satisfies. You're like you're like the freaks of the Seahawk game. You've covered your face. You got crosses all over you. Waving your hands. You're just fixated. You are ruined. You're ruined for this world. There's nothing in this world that satisfies you anymore. All you want is to see your Jesus face to face. That's what you're fixated on. That's what you're expecting. That's what you're obsessed with. But oh, our attention span. Oh, the young people growing up. Oh, many of us, we don't have one main thing, one person that we're fixated on, that we're expecting. We're we're divided. Click here. Noise here. Beep beep beep. Our social devices, all of our media, brings us all over the place. We we can hardly read a book anymore. We can hardly sit down and put everything aside that's competing for our attention, Set it aside and and just sit with our bible and read a chapter. It's hard. We're addicted to our phones. We're addicted to the computer. We're addicted to television. We're addicted to media that just is a background noise in life. When I'm talking to people many times, I don't know if I'm the Rodney Dangerfield for everybody, but man, it's happening more and more. It's like it's like, I'm trying to talk to you. But they treat me like I'm the village idiot. Like and they're critical and they're finding fault and they're diagnosing the situation and I'm like, do it like this. But they can't hear that. They're they're spread out. They're all over the place. Look me in the eyes. Do it like this. Very few people have that attention span. They they wanna interject. They wanna boom boom. No. Like this. So in Psalm 32, the psalmist says, God's saying don't be like the mule. Cathy calls me a jackass already, but don't be like that mule. That that needs a bit put in his mouth so that you can be directed by God with pain to the left or to the right. God doesn't wanna direct your life with pain. He wants you to look at him. He wants you to delight yourself in the Lord, and he put his desires in your heart. And and and and fulfill his desire through you. Paul's later gonna say in chapter two, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you, putting in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. How do I know God's will? As I delight myself in the Lord, he's putting these desires within my heart. I've crucified the flesh. The flesh is is dead because James tells me you have not you ask amiss desiring to consume it upon your own lust. You're lustful. No. Crucify the flesh. Take your cross up daily to follow Jesus. Live in such a way that for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. I'm already dead. I'm already crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. And now as God puts his desires in your heart, now you're getting an inkling. Now you're getting direction. Now you have the wisdom, the knowledge, the desire, the passion to go do something that's crazy. And you're like, well, certainly if the Lord wanted me to do this, he'd have told my best friends all around me. No. Your best friends are gonna come and say you're crazy. He didn't speak to them. He spoke to you. And he's looking. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of a man whose heart is perfect toward God. The double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. He's like the washy wind and the and the and the waves of the sea that are crashing and unstable. God wants your heart to be perfect toward him. Not double minded. Not in love with the things of the world. I think a lot of times, I know for a fact, a lot of times we christianize the world. We want so much of the world. We just christianize it. We market Jesus and just christianize everything. Cause we want the world. Well, maybe he's not in love with the world. Maybe that which is highly esteemed on the man is an abomination on the God. You can't serve God and mammon. You can't serve God and money. Rick, you went too far there, bud. It's all about money. It's all about nickels and noses. It's all about budgets. It's all about recruiting and and drives and more and more programs to get people to come. Because it's church incorporated, Rick. Don't you know that? No. I don't wanna know that. I'd rather be poor. I'd rather rely upon the Holy Spirit. I'd love for the day where we say silver and gold have we none, such as we have, give we you. In the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk. Wouldn't that be radical? To have no money, but have the power of the Holy Spirit operating on our behalf, doing things that money can't buy? That Christ shall be magnifying my body whether it be by life or by death. Christ is magnified. It means to to make great, to enlarge. A telescope to bring us closer, Christ magnified. Or a microscope that Jesus would be enlarged in the eyes of the people. A telescope to bring us closer? A microscope that Jesus would be enlarged in the eyes of the people? How big is your Jesus? How big is your God? Is anything hard for God? Notice I left with the word too hard. Anything hard for God? Abraham, is there anything hard for me? I know you and Sarah want to help me out. I'm not the village idiot. I've got a plan here. You don't need to go into Hagar. Don't go into Hagar. Don't do that. Don't do that. In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Wait. Wait. Don't run up ahead. Wait for the perfect timing. Now I'm gonna test you, Abe. Now you got the crowning achievement of laughter in the tent. This time next year, Isaac's gonna be born. Oh lord. There's no way Sarah's past menopause. She's past the time of bearing children now. You waited too long. She's 89 and I'm 99. Not gonna happen. Hey, what's your name? Abraham. That means father of many. How many kids you got? None. But hey, my wife's getting pregnant next year. Oh, that Ishmael might live before you. No, your work of the flesh isn't gonna live before me. It's a work of my spirit so that only I get the glory, so that only I am magnified. Your vessels that I'm gonna use, your vessels that I prepared like Joseph, like Moses, like those that are gonna go after you. And then the tent fills with laughter. And then in Genesis 22, now Isaac's about 17 years old. Take thy son, thy only son to a mount that I'm gonna show you, Mount Moriah. Take him to Golgotha, take him to Calvary, and offer him there as a burnt offering. And the tents in the Hebrews, Abraham obeyed and did it quickly. He didn't lag and wait and wait and wait. And Isaac a type of Christ, and Abraham a type of God the father, Eliezer a type of the holy spirit. Father, we've got the wood. Father, we've got the knife. Father, we've got the fire. But where's the lamb? Jehovah Jireh, God will provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice. Jesus said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw and was glad. Paul said the gospel was before preached unto Abraham. Abraham got it. God the father would one day offer his only begotten son upon the cross of Calvary. That he be crucified, buried, raised from the dead, seated at right hand of the father, and coming again. Abraham, is there anything too hard for God? Anything hard for God? Is there anything in your life as you factor Jesus into the equation, It looks insurmountable. It looks so big. There's no way I'm ever gonna be released from this prison. I've struggled with this for so long. There's no way I'm gonna experience liberty and freedom from the tyranny of the world, the flesh, the devil. Anything hard for God? Surrender. Cry upon the Lord. Ask, seek, knock. Keep asking, seeking, knocking. Don't settle for the things of the world, the methodology of the world, the therapies, and the things that just make you keep chasing your tail. The kids are being the young people of this generation are being fed a bill of goods that therapy and pharmaceuticals can make them whole. It's making them more and more broken, more and more pain filling their hearts. There's an emptiness, a deep deep emptiness. And and they're following along with the psychology of the day to remove anything toxic in their life. And that which is toxic toxic in their lives are their parents. They've been taught you as parents are the problem. They claim to be Christians. They don't have the capacity to forgive. They're following Satan. They're following psychiatrist Freud and Roy's Satan. Luciferian, which tells them remove any person, anybody that's toxic, that interferes with your peace, your joy, your pleasure, and they're miserable because they haven't factored Jesus into the equation. They won't allow Jesus to bring them that place of repentance, to look in the mirror and to admit that they're undone. They in fact have some apologizing to do. Crazy times we're living in. Tremendous pain. Tremendous pain when you're rejected and you're cut off by your loved ones. Loved ones that you dedicated your life to making their life better. The pain of these circumstances. Ashamed means to be disappointed in the great day. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we've been taught to pray. To live as Christ, to die is gain. Is this true of you? Paul rejoices in the thought of Christ being magnified through number one, his release. Secondly, his being received. Verse 21. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Gain even means even more of Christ. We sometimes talk about how in heaven, we neither marry nor are given in marriage. Kathy says, fulfilled my contract, you know, till death do us part. But heaven is more, heaven is better. Whatever that relationship with Kathy is in heaven, it's better than what I understand presently as marriage with her. The two coming together as one. It's not less. I don't go to heaven and not have less of a relationship with her. I'm wanting this relationship that I know that epitomizes, is an example of my relationship with with Jesus being married to him. I'm wanting this this intimacy to continue. So even if I can't marry her or be married to her, you know, in the millennium with Jesus officiating over us being married, the relationship I have with Kathy in heaven's gonna be even more intimate. Heaven's better, it's not less. We get a taste here. We get a little taste here of things that are good that we enjoy and the blessings of the Lord make it rich and he has no sorrow to it. But it pales in comparison to what awaits us of what God has. For me to live is Christ to die is gain even more. And and and so often when we're when we're praying for someone that we love that's sick, we're just and and I know, I know. When I pray for my dad or pray for people that we love, we want so much for them to stay. We want so much. Lord, them. Lord, we can't imagine life without him. We're not ready to let him go. And then you see someone like my dad. He's already prepared his heart. He's ready to go. So sometimes you take and you whisper. You speak to your loved one after you've exhausted days and days of praying and months and months of chemo and maybe even years of struggling with this sickness. And finally, you're singing to the Lord. You're worshiping the Lord, and and and you say to him, it's okay to go. It's okay to release. It's okay to go. Go be with Jesus, which is better? He's got a new body awaiting you. You see in many cases, it's our selfishness that causes us to hold on. So if I'm looking at Lazarus, Lazarus wanted to stay in heaven, bet. Right? Lazarus, come forth. Boom. He waddles out of the grave. Tradition says that Lazarus never smiled again. He had a taste of heaven. Why would you wanna come back? But our frame of reference is, oh, I got more to do here. There's more I got a whole lot more suffering I wanna do here. Don't come yet. Really? Paul says, hey, heaven heaven's gonna be better. It's gain. Life is what we are alive unto. What gets you excited? Reading God's word. Church, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Going to church, you're excited about going to church? You're excited about being with God's people? Life is what we are alive to. I don't wanna be around a bunch of dead Christians. Christians in name only. I wanna be around Christians that are alive. They're excited about heaven. That have been taught, save your fork. The best is yet to come. Right? I wanna be buried in that in that coffin with a fork in my hand because I went to a lot of Christian potlucks and they said the best was yet to come. The marriage supper of the lamb. What are you alive to? What makes you excited? Money? How much? Oh, just a little bit more. Power? Fame? Security? Pleasure? Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Jesus said or Paul said in first Timothy five six, she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she yet lives. Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ as greater riches than all the splendor, all the pleasure of Egypt, all the things that Egypt could provide. He considered the reproach of Christ, suffering for Christ as greater, a greater privilege and blessing. Jesus said, beware of covetous, for man's life does not consist in the abundant thing that he possesses. Is Jesus your master passion? For me to live as Christ, to die is gain? Nobody can ever take Jesus from you. Nobody's ever gonna be able to block your name out of the lamb's book of life. He holds you. He keeps you. There's a garrison of angels around keeping you. In Romans eight, Paul said neither height nor depth nor principality nor power nor things present nor thing to come, nothing, no one, nothing shall ever be able to separate you from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. You're secure. You're sealed with the holy spirit we saw in Ephesians one. We have the earnest down payment, the holy the engagement ring upon us. We're marked out. He paid the price of redemption. He just hasn't come to receive us yet. Paul says, I'm willing to be received. I'm willing to go if that's what Jesus wants me to do. I'm willing to go by way of martyrdom if that if that's what what is God's will. I'm not holding on. I'm not forcing my will. He says verse 22, but if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, know not. Paul was wrestling with life and death. It's like it's like you as husbands, you as wives, you as moms, you as dads. Sometimes you have the discussion of which one's gonna go first. Well, I wanna go first because I don't wanna go through the suffering of being left behind and the sorrow of you being in heaven and me being here. Or maybe you realize some of your wives like, I can't go first because my husband's just an idiot. I don't know how he's gonna survive without me. And that's what Paul's saying. I'm in the street between the two. I I'd go, it's better, but you guys need me. I need Kathy. She can't go first. I wouldn't be able to function. She's teaching me though day by day. I'm learning. I know how to do laundry now. She told me yesterday, don't do that that pile there. That's mine. You'll ruin it. Oh, well. Oh, well. I'll put the whites with the reds and I'll wear pink, you know. But I'm growing. I'm gonna straight between two. Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better. Staying means that I'm gonna magnify Christ by bearing fruit. If I stay, then we can bear more fruit. We can see more people saved. We can see more results, so to speak. So it may be more beneficial for me to stay at this point in time. I'm caught in the middle. I'm caught in the middle. Death is the door of departure. Breaking camp to set sail for paradise. Lifting anchor. Received by Christ. Far, and the Greek is far far better to be received by Christ is far far better. Pales in comparison living here. If we really understood heaven, if we really saw what Paul saw when he's caught up in the third heaven, if we really saw what Lazarus saw when he was resurrected, this we'd be ruined for this earth. We'd be ruined. There's nothing shiny enough, attractive enough to even come close to what we were able to see and hear and there in paradise, there in heaven. Far better. Jesus said in John fourteen one, he said, let not your heart be troubled. Why? Because he kept telling the disciples, I'm a be leaving you. I'm a be going away. And they're like, where are you going? I wanna be on your right hand and your left hand when when you go with Donald Trump and take over the globalist and set up the golden age. I'm fighting for position, man. You gotta set up your kingdom now. We need the messianic age. You gotta overthrow these globalists. I'm going by way of the cross. Messiah's gonna be cut off. Oh, we we don't hear that. We don't hear that. We only hear of a golden age, golden dawn. Hurts, doesn't it? How stupid we are when it's put that way. What we're being sold. Well, the disciples, they ran up ahead. They didn't see that messiah be cut off. So Jesus is trying to preempt. He's trying to let him understand. Get ready, guys. Get ready. I'm going to the cross. Be students of prophecy. Look at Daniel nine twenty five through 27. Besides, cut off. If you'd have known in this light day on that on that hosanna Sunday, but it's hid from you. You don't see it. Had you seen it? Had you received me? Then, yeah, we could've entered in. I come on my father's name, he received me not. In John five, another shall come in his own name. Him you will receive, the antichrist, the nation of Israel will receive the antichrist. But the nation as a whole, came unto his own, his own received them not. So Jesus saying, let not your heart be troubled. He's letting some notes expedient that I go because I'm gonna send the comfort, I'm gonna send the holy spirit. But in John fourteen one he says, let not your heart be troubled. Do you believe in God? Believe also me. In my father's house are many mansions, dwelling places, new bodies, new glorified bodies. If it weren't so, I tell you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will receive you. Paul's saying, well, if the Lord's ready to receive me, absent the body, be present with the Lord. That's okay with me. That where I am, there you may be also. I I can be where Jesus is. Isn't that where you wanna be, where Jesus is? Jesus said he promised you and I that he'll never leave us nor forsake us. Jesus is here right now. He's right here in your heart. He's right here in this room. He's right in your car when you drive away. He never is separate from you. Do we sense his presence? Do we yearn for his presence? Do we yearn to be quiet before him and ask the Lord to speak? Here my Lord, use me. Lord, your servant's listening. Speak, Lord. Speak to me through the study of your word. Speak to me by your spirit. Lord, I just lay all these plans, all these ambitions, I lay it all before you, Lord. I offer it upon the altar. Lord, not my will but your will be done. Do you have the faith? Do you have the courage to die to self? To die to your design? To your will? Are you ready? For me to live as Christ, to die is gain. Far better. Paul rejoices that the thought of Christ being magnified through number one, his release. Secondly, his being received. And thirdly, his remaining. Verse 24. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. The Philippians were having a joy problem. If remaining a while remaining a while longer would magnify Christ more, then get your telescopes out. Get your microscopes out. Paul's gonna return to Philippi and get their eyes back onto Jesus and draw them closer to the Lord to magnify Christ among them. They've taken their eyes off of Jesus. They've gotten their eyes upon themself. Esteem others better than yourselves, it's gonna say in chapter two. The acronym, the secret of joy is Jesus first, others second, yourself third. Paul's gonna bring them to that place of realignment. Get your bibles out. Let's draw closer to Jesus. Let's live large. I love our home bible studies. I love our study on Sunday mornings in God's word. I love throughout the week finding good bible studies to listen to and watch. I love when there's content, when there's substance. I love when Jesus is exalted instead of man's ideas. Whole lot of smart people out there that want you to know how smart they are. They got a lot of really good ideas, a lot of good info. I wanna know what Jesus has to say. I wanna get to know him. That's who I'm in love with. That's who I wanna know. For me to live as Christ to die is gain. Are you living for Jesus? Is Christ the one? The one you fixate on? The one object of desire in your life? Your master passion? You know I love Kathy and I know she loves me and it's a miracle of God. But if Kathy loved me and? Oh. Yeah, I love Rick and? What do you mean and? Yeah. I love Rick and I I I love Harry. I love Henry. I love Johnny. I got three loves. I got four loves. I like Rick and I love the world. I like Rick and I like ice cream. I'm to love the Lord thy God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength. Jesus, our God's a jealous God. He doesn't want us to have second, third, and fourth loves. He wants a one passion in our heart and life. That we love him with all of our heart, all our mind, all our soul, all our strength. Does Jesus get the leftovers? Are are we lukewarm? Are we saying like the church of Laodicea, I'm rich and increased with goods in need of nothing? Have we left our first love like the church of Ephesus? Are we breaking God's heart? I know that Kathy loves me, and I know that she loves Jesus. And I know that she loves Jesus more than she loves me, because that's where the power, that's where the love comes from. The capacity to love me, the capacity to love one another stems from our love in seeking first the kingdom of God. And his right says, all these other things are added unto us. If I quit loving Jesus, I'd quit loving you and I'd quit loving Kathy and my family. I'd be obsessed with myself. Self love. And therein is the root of sin. Adam and Eve loving themselves more than loving God. Choosing to be as God. Choosing to be independent of God. And we're in a love relationship, and the bible's a love letter to you and I of God expressing his love towards us. And he initiates and he wants so much for us to reciprocate, for us to respond to his love. He's not asking you and I to do a 100 things. He's just asking us to love, to be open to love, to open our hearts for him to love us. That we bear fruit. Are you on tiptoes looking up for Jesus' return? Are you in love with Jesus? Are you looking for Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith? Are you looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ? Are you zealous and on fire as your love a a fervent love? Or you're lukewarm, a soft, you've fallen out of love? Well, we we were loved when we got married too young. We were so in love, then we fell out of love. The passion's gone. It's not there anymore. I was such a Jesus freak. I was so in love with him. And then trials came into our marriage. Things, bad things began to happen, and we we couldn't persevere. We couldn't get through it. We failed. We crashed. We burned. We forgot, we left our first love. Are you magnifying Christ with your life? Revelation four eight, and the four beasts, and each of them six wings about him. And they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, which is, which is to come. Jesus, the Almighty, Christ magnified. Returning in glory and every eye will see him. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Even the demons, even all the globalist unbelievers, every knee's gonna bow and every tongue's gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And you're his bride. You're the object of his love. You're not subject under his wrath that he's gonna pour out on a Christ rejecting world. He's gonna love you with an everlasting love. He is loving you with an everlasting love. You're the object of his desire. You're the reason he made this planet. You're the reason he sent his son to the cross of Calvary to die for you. Because he loves you. He's always loved you and he always will love you. Even those that go to hell, God continually loves them. His heart's broke. It's broken because of the rejection of him. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his sin. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die, oh house of Israel, in your sin? He cries out. God's long suffering. He's not willing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance because he loves you. In order for this relationship to be meaningful, he gives you the power of choice. And Paul is choosing to love Jesus no matter what. For me to live as Christ, to die is gain. No matter what circumstance I face, there's nothing, there's no circumstance that's ever going to separate me from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. Paul's hooked. He's addicted. He's in love with Jesus. Are you in love with Jesus? Is your life magnifying him? Father, we thank you. We pray, Lord, that you would continue to deepen our walking relationship with you. We pray that you, Lord, would, as you initiate, Lord, that we would respond more and more, that we'd make right decisions. That we'd be doers of your word, not hearers only. Lord, help us to cultivate the intimacy in our relationship with you. Lord, help us to sit at your feet and worship you as Mary did and and so many others, Lord. Help us to be looking for the consolation of Israel, the the the Messiah to come for us, our savior. To be watching, to be ready, to be watching in prayer. To be sharing the gospel, the good news with those who are perishing. To be used to view for your kingdom and your glory. Help us to be about our father's business. Lord, as you empty us in these last days of self, Lord we pray that you would fill, refill, continually fill us with yourself. With the power of the holy spirit, the abundance of your spirit to live the Christian life in a victorious manner, filled with joy. Great joy. Magnifying you, Lord. That you would shine bright in a very dark, dark world. That we not set that light under a bushel, but a city set on a hill, Lord. Undeniably, people seeing that we are not terrified, we're not afraid. We're not afraid of death, we're not afraid of their threats. Lord, give us an honorable death. An honorable death that we would die for you. That it would mean something. That would mean you magnified, you glorified. That we overcome them, Lord. We overcome the wicked one with the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony, and we love not our lives unto death. Bless, Lord. And while your heads are bowed, as you continue to pray, if there's anybody here this morning you wandered in here as an unbeliever, don't leave here as an unbeliever. Leave here as a as a saint, as a Christian, as the beloved. Anyone here this morning, you don't have a relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit's tugging on your heart. The Holy Spirit's showing you the cross of Calvary that all of your sins, past, present, and future, have been paid for, but you haven't appropriated that. You haven't come by grace as a merit of favor through faith. God's given you a measure of faith. God's bestowing upon you his divine favor. He's lavishing his love. He's telling you, I love you. And you in response to his love are ashamed. There's a godly sorrow working in your heart that's leading you to repentance. You're crying out, God be merciful to me a sinner in the quietness of your heart. You're not trying to justify or rationalize who you are. You know you're undone. You know you're a sinner. But you know that Jesus came to die for you. That he was crucified, he was buried, and that his blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son continually cleanses of all sin. If we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Are you willing to use your mouth to call upon the name of the Lord? Call upon him now. Today is the day of salvation, for why will you die in your sins? Anyone here this morning? Just lift your hand up. We wanna lead you in prayer. There's rejoicing in heaven among the angels when just one sinner repents. Just one. Jesus died for the one. Jesus died for you. Anyone here this morning? Father, thank you for the joy, the blessing, the peace that we experience right now in knowing our sins are paid for, that we're forgiven. And Lord, now we wanna express our adoration unto you by partaking of communion. We desire intimacy and in obedience of partaking of the bread and the cup and experiencing the oneness you prayed for in John 17 that we'd come into union, Experiencing once again the joy and the blessing of fellowship with you. So blessed now we pray as the ushers pass out the bread and the cup, may Lord we draw ever closer to you in Jesus name, amen.
About This Podcast
Calvary Chapel Bremerton - Sunday Service
Listen to Rick Beaudry, Pastor of Calvary Chapel Bremerton, teach the Word of God cover to cover, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. Be edified and built up in your faith with solid Bible teaching. New episodes on Mondays in the Pacific Standard Timezone.
