Latest / Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services / 1 Corinthians 16 - Teamwork In Ministry

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1 Corinthians 16 - Teamwork In Ministry · Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services

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  Oh, there we are. OK, OK, thank you.
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  Well, good morning. We are in the book of First
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  Corinthians today. We're going to finish up First
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  Corinthians chapter 16, and we'll start Second Corinthians
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  next Sunday. I don't know if you noticed in
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  the news that there was a group of Calvary Chapel people over in
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  Israel. Didn't anybody see that?
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  And they were stuck there obviously because of the war and
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  they weren't able to get out and they were able to get out, I
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  believe yesterday they got home. That was, I'm sure a scary
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  situation. And they weren't able to use the
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  normal airlines. They had to get a special
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  airlines I guess to get them out.
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  And it was like 2020, $500 a person.
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  And so they, they weren't anticipating that expense.
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  And, and somehow I guess the word got out and the word
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  provided the, the funds. So they're all home safely.
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  But boy, that would be scary, wouldn't it, being over there on
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  a tourist experience and then having a bombs going off
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  everywhere. So but we need to continually
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  pray about that war over there. It's very, very challenging for
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  obviously everybody that's in that region, but also also
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  having an impact on on the rest of the world.
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  So Jesus said in the last days, there'll be wars and rumors of
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  wars, didn't they? And they've been going on ever
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  since he was on the earth himself.
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  But they'll increase in frequency.
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  And prophetically, we don't know where all these things are
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  actually landing right now. There are indications that God
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  is stirring the earth and one of these days the Lord will return.
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  But in the meantime, we just keep on keeping on, keep living
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  our lives joyfully and trusting God and all the experiences of
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  everyday life and, and pray for all those folks that are are
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  less fortunate and they're really going through it right
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  now. So let's pray as we begin.
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  Father, we're thankful today that we are at this point in
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  time in the country, Lord, where we don't have to worry about
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  bombs going off or being threatened, the Lord, by any
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  kind of terrorism as far as we know.
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  We we know, Lord, that you are a keeper and you're our sustainer.
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  You're the one we look to to trust in with all of our hearts.
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  And Lord, we pray for Israel. We pray for the regions over
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  there that are being impact by the war and all the people that
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  are in turmoil. And Lord, we think of the cargo
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  ships that need to get through the Strait of Hormuz and that's
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  the challenge right now and how it's impacting a pricing of gas
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  and other things. Lord, the war effects everyone
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  everywhere in different ways. We pray, God, for wisdom.
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  We pray for peace. That's what you tell us to pray
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  for the peace of Jerusalem. We don't know when that is all
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  going to calm down, but we pray it would be soon be with our
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  nation's leaders and our president and all those who make
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  the decisions. Lord and regard to that
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  particular situation right now, we, we pray for our leaders as
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  you tell us to in the Scriptures, God, that you would
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  grant them wisdom and wisdom and favor and direction and
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  protection. Lord, and we, we thank you for
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  this morning. Lord, we thank you for the
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  beautiful day you've given us yesterday with the sunshine and
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  the 70 almost 80° temperatures. And it was so different a couple
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  weeks ago. And this amazing father, how
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  quickly things can change. And so we we have hearts that
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  are full of thankfulness this morning.
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  We pray for anyone here today who's going through challenges
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  and heartaches, through loss of loved ones or issues with
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  marriages or kids or finances, all the things that health that
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  at times can impact us. Lord, we hold all these things
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  up before your throne of grace on behalf of one another.
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  And we pray, Lord, this morning that your spirit with this guide
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  us as we conclude this amazing book of First Corinthians.
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  We've learned so much about challenges that churches have
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  just because we're all people and human and sinful people and,
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  and Lord, we still struggle. God, and we pray that you would
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  continually help us to love you first of all with all our heart,
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  soul, mind and strength and to love one another as you've given
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  us commandment. And so Lord, fill us with your
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  Holy Spirit today again that we would be able to hear the word
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  and and believe again, Lord, what it is that you teach us and
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  we pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.
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  So First Corinthians 16, we're picking up in verse 5 and it
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  says now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia.
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  For I'm passing through Macedonia.
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  And it may be that I will remain or even spend the winter with
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  you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go.
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  For I don't wish to see you now on the way, but I hope to stay
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  while with you if the Lord permits.
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  But I will tarry an Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and
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  effective door has opened to me. And there are many adversaries.
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  So Paul's continually on the move in his missionary journeys.
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  He's obviously at this point in time writing from Ephesus, he
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  needs to get back to Corinth to, to deal with some issues in the
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  church there and follow up some of the things he spoke about in
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  the earlier chapters regarding the conflicts that they were
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  having because of immaturity and not understanding spiritual
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  gifts and, and that's how to get along.
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  People in the church weren't really getting along well.
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  And so he was burdened about that.
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  But he's a ways away from that place and he's talking about
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  taking this trip to Macedonia. And Macedonia is in Greece not
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  too far, about an hour and a half from Thessaloniki.
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  So these are the region's initial stages of where the
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  church started and where he served and where he shared the
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  gospel. So he's talking about the
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  journey and, and he's thinking that it would be good to be able
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  to stay with them because traveling on the seas at that
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  time of year in the winter would be impossible, very, very life
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  threatening and dangerous. So he was talking about hanging
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  out with them in in the winter time and, and in Corinth.
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  But again, he was presenting these plans before the people in
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  a letter so that they would pray for him and that he would be
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  able to take this journey. And the issue with us as human
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  beings, we always have plans what we want to do, where we
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  want to go, what we think the Lord wants us to do when he
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  wants us to do it, careers, marriages, relationships,
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  churches, whatever it might be in our journey in life.
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  And lots of times we have a tendency to make decisions based
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  upon our own wisdom, our own strength.
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  We, we just have an idea and we think, well, that's what I'm
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  going to do as opposed to running it by the Lord and
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  asking God what his will is and what he would want us to do.
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  And we're taught that and James that we're supposed to say, God,
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  you know, show us what it is you want us to do.
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  And if it's sure, will I'll do it right?
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  But how many times do we actually wait to get
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  confirmation that what it is that we're thinking about doing
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  or planning on doing is actually the Lord's will?
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  Sometimes we circumvent the Lord's will because we want our
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  will to be done. And that's usually never going
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  to be a good way to, to to lead your life.
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  You want to be led by the Lord, but in order to be led by the
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  Lord, you have to know the Lord. And in order to be led by the
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  Lord, you have to be able to hear from the Lord.
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  And so we have to learn to wait on the Lord and wait patiently
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  for what it is that we sense He's prompting us to do.
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  And I don't know about you, but it's, it's difficult at times to
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  wait because we're always like full of action and energy.
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  And I'm going to do this and this is my plans.
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  I'm going to vacation here and I'm going to buy this or I'm
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  going to go here and do that. And it's amazing when you think
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  about life, how little of our lives are actually filtered
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  through the will of God. Be honest, right?
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  We're we're just human beings and we do things according to
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  our own will so often and we we see that through the Bible many
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  times when things went sideways and and not in a good direction,
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  it was always because people didn't really wait upon the
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  Lord. And so Paul is really
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  emphasizing here in this chapter after he talks about his plans,
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  he says, but I hope to stay while while with you, if the
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  Lord permits, and that's a good thing to weighed upon what is
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  the Lord's will? What is he confirming to you
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  about what it is you think is a good decision.
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  And if you're married, you should always talk to your
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  spouse about plans. You shouldn't make plans
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  independently of one another because that's what creates
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  marriage chaos and bitterness. You should say with your wife or
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  your husband, Let's pray about this and and see what the Lord
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  wants us to do. And if you do that and you wait
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  on the Lord, the Lord will truly guide you.
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  He promises to guide you if you trust in him with all your heart
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  and not lean into your own understanding and all your ways.
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  Acknowledge him. Every little thing, acknowledge
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  him. Is this your will?
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  He says he will direct your paths and boy, that's comforting
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  to know that you're in the center of the will of God and
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  that he's guiding you and he's directing you.
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  And Paul was an example of that kind of lifestyle in his
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  ministry and in his life. He had so many things on his
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  heart, so many things he wanted to do, but he he knew they had
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  to be done in God's time and in his way according to his will.
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  And so he says in verse 8 there that I will tarry or wait in
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  Ephesus until Pentecost for a great and effective door has
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  opened to me and there are many adversaries.
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  This is an interesting verse because Ephesus was, as we
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  studied this, a really bad city, a lot of crime and immorality
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  and this false teaching, and it was just like a epicenter of
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  Pagan lifestyle. And yet Paul saw the opportunity
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  there because there was a church.
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  It was planted there by him, and Timothy eventually ended up
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  taking over the responsibility for that church.
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  But Ephesus had so much. It'd be like maybe being in Los
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  Angeles, New York, Vegas, or whatever, like centers of
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  influence and commerce and entertainment and just a lot of
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  stuff going on at one time. And because of that, masses of
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  people would be in these places and they would be on the streets
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  and partying or doing whatever. So Paul, like being an
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  evangelist and being a missionary, that was like the
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  ideal place to be, even though it was dangerous and and
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  godless, it didn't really bother him.
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  That was just part of like being a follower of Jesus Christ
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  entering into these kind of places.
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  So he didn't see it as something, oh, it's scary.
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  I shouldn't do this. I'm afraid I want to go
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  somewhere else where it's easier.
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  It says here that he saw there was a great and effective door
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  that God had opened to him and and there are many adversaries.
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  So there was two sides of the coin, opportunity and adversity.
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  And he didn't look at adversity as being something that wasn't a
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  good thing. He just recognized adversity is
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  part of following the Lord. The more you press into wanting
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  to be used by the Lord and serve Him, it's not an easy path.
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  Now, the Lord will calm the waters and make things possible
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  and give you the strength and the wisdom and the ability to to
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  do what He's called you to do. But don't think that that's
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  because you're in the center of God's will.
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  There's not going to be any problems.
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  That's a real delusion. Many times when you're in the
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  center of God, will you have many, many more problems And you
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  think, well, I thought, if I'm in your will, Lord there being
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  everything would be easy and and it will eventually level out.
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  But the warfare that comes at us because we serve God is intense
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  at times. And I was thinking about the
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  song you guys are singing about break every stronghold.
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  So we're here today, all of us, and some of us have strongholds
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  in our lives. They could be strongholds of all
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  kind of things, addictions. They could be strongholds of
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  relationships of people that drive you crazy and they just
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  are on your mind all the time and making you upset.
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  They could be strongholds of how do you persevere and work
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  through being able to live and work in an environment that is
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  not pleasant? How can you break the
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  strongholds of a marriage that is no longer intimate or no
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  longer loving like it was when it first started?
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  Or are breaking strongholds of of children that are just sort
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  of making decisions that don't make sense and strongholds that
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  are political or strongholds that are dealing with issues of
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  morals. There's all these things.
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  Whatever's in your life today, it's keeping you from the joy of
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  the Lord and keeping you from the peace of the Lord and
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  keeping you from actually wanting to really go deeper in
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  the Lord. It's a stronghold.
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  It's the enemy putting things in front of you and around you to
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  keep you in bondage. So you can't be free.
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  And the enemy loves to do that. When we first come to Jesus,
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  Jesus sets us free. That's what's so exciting when
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  you first get saved and you're born again, right?
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  And then all of a sudden, like life happens and all of a sudden
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  attachments start occurring or maybe sinful things come back
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  into your life that you're involved in or participating in.
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  And all of a sudden you find that you're not free anymore.
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  You're uptight. You feel like there's all kind
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  of stuff around your, your physical frame and your mind and
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  your heart and, and you just can't be what God wants you to
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  be. You, you just are frustrated and
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  you're angry and you're bitter and you're anxious and you're
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  fearful and you all these emotions that stir up because of
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  adversity and, and these issues of strongholds.
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  So Paul recognized in Ephesus there, the adversaries that he
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  was going to confront were people that were in bondage to
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  what I'm talking about, the enemy being under the control of
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  the evil 1, being addicted to sin, and willfully doing things
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  that we're going to try to make it very difficult for Paul to do
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  the ministry. And so you're in a city, you're
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  in a family, you're in a business, you're in a job,
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  you're in a community where there's adversaries every day
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  you're going to face them. And how do you work within the
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  midst of dealing with adversaries?
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  You just going to say, well, this is just too hard.
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  I'm not going to do this. I quit or I'm moving or I'm
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  leaving or whatever. And whatever you do to try to
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  avoid being impacted by adversaries, you're going to
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  find out that they're everywhere, right?
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  Adversaries are wherever you go and God will give you the wisdom
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  to know how to circumvent those adversaries and breakthrough
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  them to be able to do what God's called you to do.
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  But again, that requires prayer waiting on the Lord Lord, how do
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  I handle this relationship? How do I handle this thing in my
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  life right now that isn't good? And how do I get rid of it and
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  how do I like get cut set free from it again and it always
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  comes back to moving back to Jesus again.
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  He, he's the, he's the father waiting for us to come to our
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  senses and say, you know, the Lord, this isn't working anymore
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  in my life and I got to make a change, right?
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  You got to make a change. Remember that song by Michael
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  Jackson, the man in the mirror? If you want to make a change,
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  you got to look at yourself in the mirror and make that change,
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  right? I was in New York and I saw
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  Michael Jackson on Broadway. Jessica and I were working there
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  this past week. My daughter went, I said, is
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  there any good plays in, in, in, in New York?
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  And, and we read the reviews and there was no immorality in it.
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  It was just really classic of him when he was a little boy and
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  Jackson 5 singing And I was 18, work in Atlantic City.
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  And I remember hearing this kid, I said that guy's Got Talent,
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  that kids Got Talent, right? And boy did he have talent.
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  Number one album of all time. But it was it was sad watching
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  Michael when all his gifting and musical ability, he was in
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  bondage to fear. Fear of his over dominating
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  father, fear of all the people wanted to control him and
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  manipulate him and get money from him.
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  And this the guy you know, you know, his story died a
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  miserable, terrible death from fentanyl.
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  And people are, excuse me, controlled by all kind of stuff
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  in our culture and our society. Pride, self centeredness, ego,
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  all these things that are causing, if you're a Christian,
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  the Holy Spirit to be grieved and be quenched in your life.
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  And so when Paul's dealing in ministry, whether it's an
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  Ephesus or Corinth and all the other places he was, or with the
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  Christians in the church in Corinth, he was always called to
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  preach the gospel #1 so that lost people could get saved.
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  But he was also always talking about repentance so that people
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  could get right with God moment by moment, not letting stuff in
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  their lives just lay there day after day, week after week,
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  month after month, year after year.
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  And I'm talking about Christians many times where they're in
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  bondage to themselves and no longer enjoying their
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  relationship with Jesus. So I, every time I come to
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  church on Sunday with you guys, I'm hearing the worship and I'm
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  thinking about the teaching that they, whoever's teaching me or
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  whoever, where am I at with the Lord today, this moment?
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  Is there anything in my life that's in the way of what God
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  wants? And if I ask that question and
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  I'm opening that, the Lord will usually show me some things that
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  need to be addressed or dealt with in my heart.
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  And I always think about that as I'm sitting here waiting to come
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  and preach. Not information, but hopefully
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  transformation, transformative things from God's Spirit that
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  he'll touch you some way today and he'll be real to you.
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  He'll he'll manifest himself to you in a very special way
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  because he loves you and he wants you to leave here
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  different than you came today for all of us.
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  And so then I think about the supper we take.
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  And I don't want to take this out of a tradition or a ritual
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  or I'm going to take it like I'm communing with God.
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  I'm breaking bread with the Lord, He's breaking it with me.
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  I'm breaking it with you. You're breaking it with me.
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  And that we're one body and that God's healing us.
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  And he's he's. He's changing us.
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  And he's. He's transforming us and He's
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  giving us faith to believe Him for things that we need to
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  believe Him for. And He's given us hope and
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  situations that seem hopeless at times and that our eyes are on
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  Him and not the circumstances, not the adversaries, but our
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  eyes are completely on His power and how great He is and what He
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  wants to do in and through our lives.
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  And so the adversaries, they're always around.
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  And then verse 10 he says, And if Timothy comes, see that he
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  may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the
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  Lord, as I also do. Therefore let no one despise
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  him, but send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to
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  me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren.
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  Timothy. Paul said there was no one like
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  Timothy. Timothy was the kind of disciple
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  that couldn't get enough of the truth.
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  He just hung out with Paul all the time.
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  He wanted to know him better. He wanted to know Jesus better.
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  And he knew that Paul knew Jesus in a very deep way.
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  So Timothy knew that it would be good to be hanging out with with
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  Paul and it would help him to grow in his faith and his
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  understanding and prepare him for ministry and give him the
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  ability to do ministry. Timothy, Timothy was a young
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  follower of, of Jesus at the time and Paul had to tell him in
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  first Timothy that no, let no man despise your youth.
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  So we have two pastoral interns here.
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  We have Sam Morris and we have Case and Harrell and they're
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  young guys. One's 28, I believe the other
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  one's 3132 and they're learning how to serve you guys.
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  They're learning how to teach the word and preach the word.
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  And you'll, you'll see them periodically here on Sundays
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  beginning to learn to, to break the word of God with you folks.
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  And, and don't never look down on them.
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  Don't don't despise their youth. Encourage them, pray for them
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  and pray for all the younger guys in our church and serve
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  whether it's Wednesday night or what other ministries, teaching,
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  whatever. This is the future of of God's
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  work in this ministry down down the road here.
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  And these young men that bring the word of God here to us.
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  They're they're wonderful and we don't want them to feel
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  intimidated or insecure or fearful by the call of God on
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  their lives. We want them to be able to do
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  what God's called them to do without insecurity and and
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  feeling, you know, constrained or intimidated.
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  And Paul made it very clear how they were to, to deal with
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  Timothy and Timothy, you eventually became the the
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  pastor, the main leader in the Church of Church of Ephesus.
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  And and so Paul says clearly he does the work of the Lord that
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  he may be without you without fear.
• 23:16
  He may be with you without fear. How we need to come alongside
• 23:20
  one another in the ministry. Women and men who serve to say,
• 23:24
  hey, you're doing a wonderful job.
• 23:27
  God's using you. You're a blessing to me in in my
• 23:31
  life, the things you're teaching God, speaking to me through what
• 23:35
  it is you're bringing to to me or anybody else from the word of
• 23:40
  God. We we need to be mindful to
• 23:42
  bring encouragement to one another.
• 23:45
  And so Paul was looking forward to them sending him so that he
• 23:50
  would come to Paul and then the Paul would be able to the
• 23:53
  fellowship with him again. And he said, he's waiting for
• 23:56
  him with the brethren. And then verse 12, it says now
• 24:00
  concerning our brother Apollo's. Paul spoke about Apollo's in the
• 24:05
  first section of of Corinthians. Some people had a favorite
• 24:09
  teacher in the church at the time, which wasn't a healthy
• 24:11
  thing. Some people would say I'm of
• 24:13
  Paul, I'm of Apollo's, I'm a Cephas.
• 24:16
  And so there was division in the church over who was teaching or
• 24:20
  whatever. And it became more of a
• 24:22
  popularity contest and a calling of God upon these men's lives
• 24:27
  and the lives of the people that tended to the church.
• 24:29
  But Apollo's, when he first started a ministry, he was very
• 24:33
  charismatic. He was real and he just had the
• 24:36
  gift of communication and he was able to speak about a lot of
• 24:39
  stuff, but he would make mistakes in the early stages of
• 24:42
  his understanding of what the gospel is about.
• 24:45
  And so Priscilla and Aquila will mention them here in a minute.
• 24:49
  They explained to him, it tells us and acts more Excellency the
• 24:53
  word of God, more Excellency of the word of God and how to
• 24:56
  preach and how to proclaim it. So they really came alongside
• 24:59
  and mentored him. But Paul says here now
• 25:02
  concerning our brother Apollo's, I strongly urged, urged him to
• 25:06
  come to you, to the church in Corinth with the brothers, but
• 25:11
  he was quite unwilling to come at this time.
• 25:13
  However, he will come when he has a convenient time.
• 25:17
  This is really an important verse because even though Paul
• 25:20
  was an apostle, he wasn't the boss.
• 25:22
  Jesus is the boss. There is no hierarchy in the
• 25:25
  church. The Lord's the head.
• 25:27
  And so we, each of us do what we're called to do is he leads
• 25:31
  us individually and corporately. But me or Lewis or no one else,
• 25:37
  we, we, we don't have the ability or the right to tell you
• 25:41
  what to do and how you should do it in regard to what it is that
• 25:44
  God's wanting you to do, we're calling you to do.
• 25:47
  And Paul made it real clear here.
• 25:48
  He urged him to come now, but he was not able to.
• 25:53
  It says he was unwilling to come at this time.
• 25:55
  So Paul didn't get all upset and say, don't you understand?
• 25:58
  I'm an apostle and you need to get over there and work with
• 26:01
  these people and do whatever. Just the timing just wasn't
• 26:04
  right at this time, he said, but he'll come when he has a
• 26:07
  convenient time. And that's the same thing in
• 26:10
  your lives. You know, people can prompt you
• 26:12
  to do things, but at the end of the day, you have to allow the
• 26:17
  will that God's given you to direct you to do what you're to
• 26:21
  do whenever it's his time for you to do it.
• 26:25
  It's not any of our call in regard to those things.
• 26:27
  We can ask a request and some people say, Oh yeah, I'd love to
• 26:30
  do that. I want to be a part of that all.
• 26:32
  I'll serve here. I'll do this.
• 26:34
  But, you know, if you choose not to do something, that's OK too.
• 26:38
  It's it's all up to what the Lord wants.
• 26:41
  So then as we move near the end here, he says in verse 13,
• 26:45
  watch, stand fasten of faith, be brave, be strong, let all that
• 26:51
  you do be done with love. This is the important admonition
• 26:56
  here that as God calls us to do things that we have emotional
• 27:02
  and mental spiritual stability and maturity, not immaturity.
• 27:07
  We're not flying off the handle, we're not freaking out, we're
• 27:10
  not getting offended, we're not getting uptight.
• 27:13
  We're, we're standing strong in the faith and we're, we're not
• 27:19
  being wimps. We're, we're, we're strong in
• 27:21
  the Lord, in the power of his might.
• 27:23
  And that everything we do in our callings, and every one of you
• 27:26
  have a calling, whether it's serving in the church or in the
• 27:30
  community or in your home, whatever, we're to do everything
• 27:34
  with love. Without love, the Bible says,
• 27:37
  and we went through 1st Corinthians 13.
• 27:38
  Without love, we're nothing, right?
• 27:43
  We have to have. The power of the Holy Spirit
• 27:46
  working in US and through US that everything we do is done
• 27:50
  with His love. If it isn't with His love, then
• 27:54
  it's going to burn and be a waste and it's not going to have
• 27:57
  any, any power to change or encourage or bless other people.
• 28:04
  Be done with love. And I sense that happens here.
• 28:09
  I sense his love here every time I come here with you guys.
• 28:14
  I sense his love and I, I sense him moving in this place by his
• 28:19
  love. And the greatest asset of the
• 28:22
  church isn't the bank account or the building.
• 28:25
  The greatest asset of the church is you guys.
• 28:28
  You, you're loved by God. He cherishes you, He sees great
• 28:33
  value and potential in every one of our lives and he doesn't push
• 28:38
  us, he he prods us and pokes. At us to give us.
• 28:42
  Thoughts about callings or ministry or things that need to
• 28:46
  be dealt with. He does that by His Holy Spirit,
• 28:48
  right? Because He loves us.
• 28:51
  He waits for us. He's always waiting for us.
• 28:57
  Whenever you have the greatest. Failures in your life or to
• 29:01
  times of humiliation as a Christian that you did something
• 29:04
  that you regret the rest of your life.
• 29:07
  God never abandons you or forsakes you.
• 29:11
  He's always waiting for you to restore you, but also to use
• 29:19
  you. And he knows that our failings
• 29:22
  are what brings us to our senses.
• 29:24
  Many times a prodigal when he was out there blowing his
• 29:29
  inheritance on wild lifestyle. God didn't turn his back.
• 29:35
  On the prodigal, every day he was standing waiting for him to
• 29:38
  come back, because he. Knew when he did come.
• 29:42
  Back his life would be ready to be used by God and be
• 29:45
  transformed, and he wasn't going to give God a hard time anymore
• 29:49
  he's going to want to do things God's way and not his way
• 29:51
  anymore. One of the.
• 29:53
  Most beautiful. Teachings and stories in the
• 29:56
  Bible is that when that prodigal was out there and finally got
• 30:00
  fed up with like and he knew better because his dad grew
• 30:03
  raised him up to understand like the way to live, but he wasn't
• 30:06
  ready to live that way. And God didn't get mad.
• 30:11
  At him or he said I'm done with you, you know, you're not
• 30:13
  getting anything from me anymore.
• 30:15
  God isn't that way. And so how many years?
• 30:20
  It doesn't say how long that journey was for that prodigal,
• 30:24
  but we're we're all prodigals because we're always coming back
• 30:29
  to deeper levels to God. You might know someone that is
• 30:32
  really really a super prodigal not.
• 30:36
  Realizing how much of A. Prodigal, you still are.
• 30:40
  How much deeper do you got to go back and return to God?
• 30:43
  You can judge other people what they need to do this and they're
• 30:46
  acting this way and blah blah blah.
• 30:48
  Don't judge them. Look at your own heart and pray
• 30:51
  for them. And then eventually this person,
• 30:57
  this prodigal came to his senses.
• 30:59
  He's with the pig pen and and then the mess.
• 31:02
  This is why I could go home and at least I could be a.
• 31:05
  Servant of my. Father's house and be much
• 31:08
  better than living in this condition.
• 31:11
  I'd have a roof over my head and it would be nice and wouldn't be
• 31:15
  in this pig style pig pen. So he comes back and.
• 31:21
  I'm sure he came with his head down and probably thinking,
• 31:23
  what's this going to be like when I see my father's eyes?
• 31:27
  What's what's he going to do to me?
• 31:29
  What's he going to say to me? Is he going to say get away and
• 31:32
  reject me or whatever? And there's the father.
• 31:36
  He comes running toward the sun with his arms out, so excited to
• 31:42
  have him back in his house again and be able to have a
• 31:46
  relationship with him again. Oh, how beautiful that is.
• 31:51
  And that's how God is with us. He's, He's been that way with
• 31:55
  me. I'm sure he's been that way with
• 31:57
  you. God's never tired of.
• 32:01
  Me. He's never tired of you.
• 32:04
  He's always just. Wanting to go deeper with you
• 32:07
  and to love you more and to know you deeper.
• 32:11
  So that then you can. Take on his characteristic and
• 32:14
  be that way to other people that need to know about the Father
• 32:18
  heart of God. And so Paul is.
• 32:22
  Giving this reflection of these people that have just been a
• 32:26
  tremendous blessing to him. Verse 15, I urge you.
• 32:31
  Brother and you know the household of Stefanus, that it
• 32:35
  is the first fruits of Archaea, and that they've devoted
• 32:40
  themselves to the ministry of the Saints.
• 32:42
  This Stefanus had gotten saved in Paul's ministry.
• 32:45
  He was baptized by him and he's there serving God.
• 32:49
  He's not waiting for like an invitation.
• 32:52
  He was the type of guy and we got people like us in the
• 32:55
  church. They just see something needs to
• 32:56
  be done and they just, they just do it.
• 32:58
  They just help. Like some of you will be
• 33:01
  compelled to help bring the stuff down or whatever today.
• 33:04
  Like everybody, you know, is wired differently.
• 33:07
  But some people like, they just want to like whatever I can do
• 33:10
  to help other people or help the church, I want to, I want to be
• 33:14
  involved. And that's the way Stefanus was.
• 33:18
  They devoted themselves. To the ministry of serving the
• 33:21
  Saints that you also submit to such and to everyone who works
• 33:26
  and laborers with us. So like this body life, this
• 33:28
  community of this local assembly and the people and they were all
• 33:33
  important, they were all involved, he says in 17.
• 33:36
  I am glad about the coming of Stefanus, Fortunus and Archaeus
• 33:42
  for what was lacking on your part, they supplied for they
• 33:45
  refresh my spirit and yours therefore acknowledge such men.
• 33:49
  So there's always people in the ministry that are sort of going
• 33:53
  out of their way that is called that way to be able to bless
• 33:56
  people and and encourage them and build them up and refresh
• 34:00
  them. I have people like that.
• 34:03
  That send me texts or say a prayer for me or whatever at the
• 34:09
  right time and even behind the scenes that I don't even know
• 34:13
  that they're praying for me. I just know that there's this
• 34:16
  spirit of refreshment that comes to be able to give you the
• 34:19
  ability to keep doing what you're what you're called to do.
• 34:22
  We all need to be encouraged and Paul had these people in his
• 34:26
  life and he talks about them and commends them for they refresh
• 34:30
  my spirit in verse 18 and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men
• 34:35
  or people, and then as. A worship team can.
• 34:39
  Come forward we we just get down these next few verses here.
• 34:42
  He he gives the final greetings and farewell.
• 34:45
  He says the churches of Asia greet you.
• 34:48
  Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord with the
• 34:52
  church that is in their house and all the brethren greet you.
• 34:56
  Priscilla and Aquila were mentioned six times in the New
• 34:59
  Testament and they helped plant the church in Ephesus and they
• 35:03
  were always available to be beside Paul.
• 35:06
  If he went to Corinth, they'd pack up and move and go there
• 35:09
  and then they go back to Ephesus.
• 35:10
  Whatever they were tent makers to their, their occupation was
• 35:14
  to make tents like Paul. So that's how Paul initially got
• 35:17
  to know them. And they were very deep.
• 35:19
  A matter of fact, this, this couple, Priscilla, she was like
• 35:24
  sort of the leader spiritually in the family.
• 35:27
  Her husband was just as committed, but she was the one
• 35:30
  that was more outward and, and, and used I think in a, in a way
• 35:33
  of community. And so they, they were just a
• 35:37
  great team together. We have married couples at
• 35:40
  Calvary here, the team of the husband and wife and just how
• 35:43
  they serve and that they're just beside each other.
• 35:46
  One might be a little bit more like this and the other one's a
• 35:48
  little more like that. But they're, they're A-Team and
• 35:51
  God uses them mightily. And, and Paul talks about them
• 35:55
  as being a great blessing. Back in those days, there was no
• 35:59
  shopping center churches or cathedrals or buildings or
• 36:02
  whatever they, they had to meet in houses because of
• 36:04
  persecution. It was dangerous to be a
• 36:06
  Christian. And many times it was hidden in
• 36:09
  underground, so to speak, like it is in China.
• 36:11
  And so they might have 20-30 people when a church down this
• 36:15
  house down the street and another side of the community.
• 36:17
  And that's how it was back in those days.
• 36:21
  And, and then Paul says, greet one another with a holy kiss.
• 36:24
  Well, we, I, I noticed when you're in Europe and you, you
• 36:28
  see people, it's their tradition to kiss you on both cheek.
• 36:31
  It's sort of weird at first when it happens, like, wait, what's
• 36:33
  up here? You know, And then you think,
• 36:35
  how do I have to do this too? How do I maybe just hug them?
• 36:39
  But everybody has a different way of like showing love or
• 36:42
  compound. I think a lot of us here at
• 36:43
  Calvary, we hug each other and that's that's another similar
• 36:46
  thing here of greeting each other or shaking hands with one
• 36:50
  another, all these things. And Paul then says, if anyone
• 36:54
  does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed O.
• 36:59
  Lord, come. And what an ending here.
• 37:03
  And it wasn't so much this judgment of anger.
• 37:08
  It says in John 336, He that hath the Son hath life.
• 37:14
  He does not have the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of
• 37:19
  God abides on him. The accursed aspect isn't that
• 37:22
  God does not love, but there's wrath and judgment that'll come
• 37:27
  on anyone that doesn't come to faith and trust in Jesus and
• 37:31
  love him. That's the consequences.
• 37:35
  Yeah, we know for God so. Loved the world, he gave his
• 37:37
  only begotten Son. John 316 But later on, as you
• 37:40
  read down the, the, the, the blowback, the feedback of not
• 37:46
  believing and trusting in Jesus is that you're, you're under
• 37:51
  the, the anger and judgment of God because of sin.
• 37:55
  And Christ is the only one that can bear your sin and forgive
• 37:58
  you of your sins so that you're not held responsible for it.
• 38:03
  And you're, you're foolish if you want to live life without
• 38:06
  Jesus because you're under the wrath of God.
• 38:08
  And one day when you pass from this world, you'll unfortunately
• 38:11
  experience the horror of what that wrath really means.
• 38:14
  So that's why the gospel is so important to preach everywhere
• 38:18
  and every day and every time and every opportunity.
• 38:21
  And then he says at the end, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
• 38:24
  be with you, my love, be with you all in Christ Jesus.
• 38:29
  Amen. So Paul always ended in and
• 38:32
  opened a lot of his, his teachings with talking about the
• 38:36
  grace of God, the unmerited favor of love of God, in spite
• 38:41
  of you and me. God is always wanting to extend
• 38:44
  his grace toward us, whether we're believers or unbelievers.
• 38:49
  The grace of God, you never can get enough of the grace of God.
• 38:54
  And, and you're, you're doing what you're doing today,
• 38:56
  worshipping God because of his grace.
• 38:59
  I would trust you're not here to earn anything or try to impress
• 39:05
  anybody or whatever. You're, you're here because of
• 39:07
  God's grace. He's worked in your life.
• 39:10
  You love him, you love his word, you love his people and you want
• 39:14
  to be with him, right? Nothing better than being under
• 39:20
  the favor and grace of God. Every day, every moment.
• 39:24
  Of life. And so Paul concluded the book
• 39:27
  that way. And he'll start the next one
• 39:30
  with more grace. So we'll get more grace next
• 39:32
  week. How about that?
• 39:33
  Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace.
• 39:36
  God's grace, grace. It is greater than all my sin.
• 39:43
  If I can get this thing. Open.
• 39:45
  I need grace to get this thing open.
• 39:48
  I'm not mechanically inclined. I need them up here to help me.
• 39:52
  OK, I got it. All right, let's thank.
• 39:58
  The Lord Father God, we thank you for this book of First
• 40:00
  Corinthians and all that we've learned, how it's impacting us,
• 40:05
  how it has impacted us, and how it will impact us in the days
• 40:09
  ahead. Things we've learned, and we're
• 40:10
  looking forward to 2nd Corinthians.
• 40:11
  God, thank you for the word of God that when we come here
• 40:15
  together at Calvary Chapel, we're not making it up as we go
• 40:17
  along. We're going right to the truth.
• 40:20
  Of what you written, verse by verse, line upon line, precept
• 40:24
  upon precept, not skipping anything.
• 40:27
  Thank you again, God, for giving us Your word so that we have
• 40:30
  something to talk about when we gather together in Your name
• 40:36
  and. The night to Jesus is.
• 40:37
  Betrayed. He took the bread in his.
• 40:41
  Hands And he broke it and he gave thanks and he said take,
• 40:44
  eat. This is my body which is given
• 40:46
  for you. Eat this in remembrance of me.
• 40:52
  In the same manner in. That evening he took the cup and
• 41:00
  he said this cup is a new covenant in my blood which was
• 41:05
  shed for the forgiveness as sins of many.
• 41:08
  Drink this in remembrance of me. For as often as.
• 41:16
  You eat this bread and you drink this cup.
• 41:18
  You show forth the Lord's death. There he comes again.
• 41:21
  Amen. Have a great, great day guys.
• 41:24
  God bless.