Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Philippians 1:12-18

Transcript

Philippians 1:12-18 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
I'm going to continue Philippians tonight.
0:04
It's an interesting passage we're looking at tonight, and there's a lot to be said about it.
0:09
It's good to see everybody. I know it's been probably a busy day on campus, and the fact that you're here just shows that you really want to learn the Word of God and really apply it to your life.
0:19
And I pray that it does that tonight.
0:22
I hope that you leave walking away feeling challenged and encouraged and pushed a little bit.
0:30
So, an introduction. I'll give you a brief introduction to this, but I think the focal point of what we're going to talk about is in verse 12 of what we just read.
0:42
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel.
0:49
And Paul is explaining this in such a way to where he's like, my imprisonment or my time here that I'm in Rome, don't feel bad about this.
1:00
Because it's worked out for the greater good or the advancement of the Gospel.
1:05
God has used it that way.
1:07
And no matter what circumstance you find in, we're to be proclaiming Christ to a lost world.
1:13
And no matter where you are in your life, not looking to do something later or when things work out a little better for you.
1:21
It's like wherever you are is where God has you right now, and He wants you to be proclaiming the Gospel.
1:28
And a focus, a really interesting thing we're going to look at in this first verse is where He says, has really served to advance the Gospel.
1:41
That word advance is a really, really awesome word.
1:44
It's a military word.
1:46
It means like how, like when an army was on the march, people would have to go in front of the army and like clear the way.
1:53
They'd have to cut down trees, cross rivers, and do all these things so that the army could move forward.
2:00
It's the kind of context that that's kind of used in.
2:03
Paul is like saying that that's happening with the Gospel.
2:06
And, you know, I mean, I guess one of the best illustrations you could give, at least on earthly standards, I guess, I could talk forever about this.
2:17
I'm not going to.
2:18
Those of you who know me know I like stuff like this, but I'm resisting talking about the whole night about this.
2:24
But imagine that you and I lived back in 200s BC, and I told you, okay, I want you to organize an army from several different nations,
2:37
most of which nations don't really like each other too much.
2:40
They all speak different languages.
2:42
I want you to build an army of these people, train them,
2:45
and I want you to march over 1,000 miles over rugged wilderness across rivers.
2:53
And if you deal with, like, the native peoples there, you're just going to have to fight them and defeat them and keep moving on to the goal.
3:00
And then eventually you're going to have to cross the Alps, cross those mountains in a really cold part of the year.
3:06
And once you do that, after you've kept everything together, I want you to go down towards Rome,
3:12
and I want you to, like, defeat or annihilate 10 Roman legions numbering around 70,000 men.
3:20
You think you can do that?
3:21
1,000 miles, like, going over all this rugged wilderness, and that actually happened.
3:28
A general that a lot of people know about today, he's studied and admired over tons of different military campuses.
3:36
Hannibal actually did this.
3:38
He united people from many different nations and brought them together for a common cause, which was to fight against Rome.
3:47
And Rome had devastated his country, which was Carthage.
3:50
It was in North Africa at the time, modern-day Morocco area.
3:55
And they had, you know, his father had fought against them.
3:59
It was just a hatred to be, well, he just brought up to be just hating Rome.
4:02
And so he was out to destroy Rome, and he did that.
4:05
He gathered around 38,000 infantry by 8,000 cavalry, and he began this march.
4:12
And about, he crossed over the land, he crossed over the Alps, and, like, eventually, he also had 37 war elephants.
4:22
I forgot to answer, bring that up.
4:24
That's pretty crazy.
4:24
But he crossed over many different rivers, and one river, it was a huge river, he had to cross his army.
4:31
On the other side of it, there was a large number of Romans he had to fight, just on the other side of the river.
4:37
He was able to do that.
4:38
He crossed them over in, like, rafts.
4:40
When they landed, they just came around and, like, defeated the Romans.
4:44
And he went through the Alps in the northern part of Italy.
4:49
He crossed the Alps in, like, freezing weather.
4:52
He cut through the mountains, pretty amazing, and made his own roads.
4:58
And then he came down, and he faced a Roman army, about 70,000 or so.
5:04
And he, it was known as the greatest defeat in Roman history.
5:08
Around 70,000 men were killed at Cannae.
5:11
Pretty crazy victory for Hannibal.
5:15
And so, no matter what the obstacle was, like, he was just, didn't care.
5:19
He was going to face it and overcome.
5:22
And how crazy this must be for us to even hear about something like that.
5:28
But it's really garbage compared to what God has done since the beginning of creation to bring man, you know,
5:37
back into a relationship to himself and sending Christ to reconcile us to God.
5:44
And God has committed, like we talked about this last week, to his saving purpose no matter what it takes.
5:50
He will accomplish what he set out to do.
5:53
He'll begin the good work that he began, and he will finish it.
5:58
And so there's no power.
6:01
I want you to turn.
6:02
There's a few places to turn tonight.
6:03
Isaiah 40.
6:05
Hold your hand in Philippians, but turn to Isaiah 40.
6:08
But no power in this world or in the spiritual realm will stop God's advancement of the gospel.
6:17
He promises that he will achieve it.
6:20
One day he will have a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue worshiping Jesus.
6:28
And Isaiah 40, go to verse 3 and see if this passage sounds familiar to something in the New Testament.
6:34
This is 7,000 years before Christ.
6:39
And it says,
6:40
This is what John the Baptist quoted.
7:07
He's like, I am that voice crying in the wilderness, and the Messiah is here, and he's going to move forward.
7:14
His kingdom will not have an end, and God will have his glory on this earth.
7:21
So Paul understands this, that God is committed to his saving cause,
7:26
and that no matter where he finds himself, even while he's being imprisoned in Rome,
7:30
he knows that it's for the advancement of the gospel.
7:33
So, we're going to look at four different things that Paul brings up here,
7:41
as far as what does the gospel do to us, to those around us,
7:46
and that's kind of what we're going to focus on.
7:48
But number one is, sharing the gospel affects your soul.
7:53
Like as a child of God, as a believer, as a follower of Christ,
7:57
sharing the gospel is good for your soul.
8:00
It affects your soul.
8:01
So, he recognized that the power of the gospel was being released by his imprisonment.
8:09
And he knew that God had sovereignly brought him there every step of the way.
8:13
And he knew why he was there was for God to advance this cause.
8:18
And he didn't complain.
8:19
He didn't say,
8:20
I wish I could just kind of get out of the situation and go do something else and get out on the streets.
8:26
But he understood that, like Joseph in Genesis, that what was being meant for evil, God was going to use for good.
8:34
He was aware of that thinking of God and how God carried out these plans.
8:40
Flip to 2 Timothy 2.
8:45
I think after this one, I just have three other places for you to look for the night.
8:48
But 2 Timothy 2, I want to show you what he says here.
8:53
So, one of the biggest services that clothes nations to the gospel and people that are hostile towards the gospel,
9:05
one of the greatest things they actually do to serve the gospel and advance the gospel is like try to persecute it and throw people in prison.
9:12
And it always ends up backfiring on whatever cause they're trying to carry out.
9:19
But 2 Timothy 2, go to verse 8.
9:25
Paul says,
9:26
Timothy, probably this is,
9:28
you should know 2 Timothy is probably the last letter Paul wrote,
9:31
so, his last word, so to say.
9:35
He says,
9:35
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David,
9:41
as preached in my gospel,
9:43
for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal,
9:46
but the word of God is not bound.
9:50
Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect,
9:54
that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, the eternal glory.
10:01
So, he's rejoicing.
10:03
And that's, he's stuck in this place.
10:06
He can't get out.
10:08
And in this go-around,
10:10
this was not written in the same context as Philippians.
10:13
He was in a dungeon cell.
10:14
He was waiting for death.
10:19
He wasn't waiting on trial like in this previous time.
10:22
This was after Paul's fourth missionary journey when he wrote 2 Timothy.
10:26
And this is after the second one when he wrote Philippians.
10:29
But he understands that though I'm here and I can't really physically go anywhere,
10:33
like God's power is not limited to my physical dimension.
10:36
Like God's word is not bound.
10:38
God's word is going to continue to move forward and change lives.
10:42
And I'm willing to endure anything, he says,
10:46
anything for the sake of those whom God is going to bring salvation to.
10:50
I'm willing to endure hardship and suffering and even death if it means that they can be reached with the gospel.
10:58
Very powerful words.
11:00
Because I want that attitude.
11:02
I don't always have it.
11:03
And, but I want whatever it takes.
11:06
You know, if it means my life,
11:07
I want it to mean that for the sake of those who will be saved.
11:12
So, I want you to think about this.
11:15
How sharing the gospel affects you.
11:19
You might not think about that that much.
11:21
You always think of like sharing the gospel is just for the people on the outside.
11:26
But what we love the most is what we glorify the most, is what we praise the most.
11:32
So, what we talk about, what we do with our time, the activities we engage in, what we do with our money,
11:40
it reveals like what you love.
11:43
So, you can say that you love Christ, but if your life shows something totally different,
11:49
you might want to recheck that.
11:52
But it's like, have you ever wondered like why that's so?
11:56
Why do we bring praise to the things that we love?
12:00
And before C.S. Lewis was a Christian, he was like reading through the Bible,
12:05
and he was kind of curious, like he was reading through the Psalms,
12:09
and he was like, why does it always talk about praise God?
12:12
Like, what's all this praise about?
12:15
And while he was writing about that, this is something he said,
12:19
I have noticed, excuse me, I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise.
12:28
The world rings with praise.
12:30
Lovers praising their mistress.
12:32
Readers praising their favorite poet.
12:34
Walkers praising the countryside.
12:37
And players praising their favorite game.
12:40
I think, this is really cool, he says,
12:42
I think we delight to praise that we enjoy,
12:45
because the praise not merely expresses,
12:48
but completes the enjoyment in it.
12:51
It is the consummation of enjoyment.
12:53
So, like we can't help but talk about what we're joyful about,
12:57
and what we love, and so it comes out of us.
13:00
And the gospel is not meant to be something that is hoarded by us.
13:05
It's not designed that way.
13:07
Christ didn't give you joy and save you so that you could hold it inside.
13:12
And, often, he'll allow you to be very, very miserable,
13:16
and you'll wonder why.
13:17
That could be why, a lot of the times.
13:21
A great analogy or picture I've heard this metaphor
13:24
is like how the Dead Sea in Israel,
13:29
there's a lot of water that flows into the Dead Sea from different places.
13:34
And, there's a lot going into it,
13:36
but there's no water coming out of the Dead Sea.
13:39
And so, what happens is, like, everything in there dies.
13:42
That's why it's called that.
13:44
And that's what joy will be like in us
13:48
if God is pouring himself into us
13:51
and giving us much of himself,
13:53
and he's increasing who he is in us,
13:57
and we refuse to let it come out onto other people.
14:00
And, we're meant to have such a joy and such a delight in God
14:05
that it overflows onto the people that are around us,
14:09
and to love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
14:12
And, the result of that is loving those around us.
14:16
And, so, if we have Christ in us, he can't be held in.
14:19
You have to talk about him.
14:21
It's like this thing you just, like you're going to blow up if you don't.
14:24
And, you know, so it does good to our souls
14:31
to, like, express the joy that we have.
14:34
You ever been so excited about something?
14:36
I mean, just think about something you just got super stoked about,
14:40
and then, like, you just couldn't talk about it.
14:42
I mean, you're just like, like this thing that you just can't.
14:47
You feel like you're about to explode, like I said.
14:49
And, that's what enjoyment of God will do.
14:51
It has to come out.
14:53
And, Jeremiah said, if I don't speak in his name,
14:57
there's like a fire that's shut up in me,
14:59
and I have to let it out.
15:02
So, first of all, sharing the gospel affects your soul.
15:07
Secondly, the gospel affects the souls of the lost.
15:13
And, this is probably the obvious one,
15:16
but I want you to think about this.
15:19
Let's go back to Philippians, sorry,
15:21
and go to verse 13, and we'll see this.
15:26
So, he's talking about,
15:27
my imprisonment is turned out for the advancement of the gospel,
15:31
so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard,
15:35
and to all the rest, that my imprisonment is for Christ.
15:38
So, Paul is rejoicing,
15:42
because, while he's being in prison,
15:45
he's becoming well-known throughout the whole city of Rome.
15:48
And, the imperial guard is,
15:51
another word is the praetorian guard.
15:54
We've mentioned them in the first night here.
15:57
You can go back and listen to that message if you want to know more context.
15:59
But, these are the guys, like I said,
16:03
were in gladiator.
16:04
They're wearing, like, the purple,
16:05
and they're the dudes that are just jocking everybody up.
16:08
But, they were the elite guard of the emperor.
16:11
They guarded the Palatine Hill,
16:12
where the palace was,
16:13
and important places in Rome that are like the secret police.
16:17
And, more than likely,
16:20
Paul's case would have been heard by the commander of the praetorian guard.
16:25
And, so, he's around these guys a lot.
16:29
And, so, what's really cool is, you know,
16:33
he could be saying, like,
16:34
I wish that I could just get out of this position.
16:36
And, you know, these guys come,
16:38
and they change the guards all the time with him, probably.
16:41
And, he's just kind of sitting there,
16:44
and, I mean, you know they've got to be talking about stuff.
16:47
You know, like, Paul's sitting there with these guards.
16:50
And, so, I mean, what are you doing here?
16:53
Why is this?
16:54
Why are you here in Rome?
16:56
This kind of seems ridiculous.
16:57
And, he would just, well,
17:00
and just kind of go into it with them.
17:03
And, that just began to affect the whole guard.
17:06
And, eventually, it would go into Caesar's own home,
17:10
to the palace on the Palatine Hill.
17:12
And, so, even the people in Caesar's household,
17:16
which he mentions later in the letter,
17:17
are knowing Christ and becoming believers.
17:21
And, they probably tried to keep it on the down low,
17:24
because that's, at the time,
17:25
Nero was the head honcho of the Palatine Hill.
17:29
And, so, he understood, like,
17:34
this is why I'm here.
17:35
And, like, my imprisonment here
17:37
is affecting some of the elite of Rome.
17:40
You know, these men that hold these positions
17:43
as civil magistrates and guards,
17:46
this is turning out for the advancement of the Gospel.
17:51
And, so, our hearts,
17:54
if you really know Christ,
17:57
your heart should break for the lost.
18:01
You have no hope.
18:02
You have, they're thirsting for the water
18:04
that only Christ can give them.
18:06
They're seeking pleasure in everything but their Creator.
18:10
They're living as masters of their own lives
18:13
and seeking to determine their own destiny.
18:16
And, I bet that a lot of them
18:18
are actually pretty filled with fear.
18:20
I know I would be.
18:21
I can remember times that I was in my life.
18:24
Like, who's piloting my ship right now?
18:26
I hope it's not me,
18:27
because I don't know the crap I'm doing.
18:28
And, I really,
18:30
it brings a lot of fear to us all to know that.
18:34
And, they're longing to hear
18:36
that they have a,
18:38
something far greater to live for than themselves.
18:42
And, I hope they can be found in Christ.
18:45
And, they're waiting to hear that news.
18:48
So, we should be able to go
18:49
through whatever extremes necessary
18:51
to reach those people.
18:53
We're going to touch back on this at the end,
18:54
so I don't want to wear it out now.
18:56
But, in Jude 1, 22, it says,
18:59
Have mercy on those who doubt.
19:02
Save others by snatching them out of the fire.
19:06
To others, show mercy with fear.
19:09
And, if we're to rescue those people,
19:12
like, be God's instrument to go to them
19:13
and be the means by which He saves these people.
19:17
So, second, sharing the gospel affects the lost souls.
19:20
We're going to come back to that.
19:23
Number three, sharing the gospel
19:25
affects fellow believers.
19:28
So, look at verse 14.
19:33
And, most of the brothers,
19:35
having become confident in the Lord
19:37
by my imprisonment,
19:38
are much more bold to speak the word
19:40
without fear.
19:41
So, the believers around that are in Rome
19:46
and the Philippians who are reading this letter
19:47
are becoming more and more bold
19:49
to speak the gospel
19:50
because they know, like,
19:52
what Christ is,
19:52
or what Paul is enduring there.
19:55
His imprisonment is throwing them up
19:57
to go and, like,
19:59
to share more.
20:00
And, I know that one of the biggest ways,
20:02
I mean, I don't know how you do it,
20:03
but one of the biggest ways
20:05
that I get really fired up
20:07
to go and share the gospel with people
20:09
is, like, just for someone to even tell me,
20:11
like, a story of the gospel advancing.
20:17
You know, I've already mentioned this before,
20:19
I believe,
20:19
but I really loved living with John Overton
20:23
and Josh Middleton
20:23
because we would come together most nights
20:26
and there would always be some kind of story
20:27
we would just share,
20:29
like the gospel going forward on campus
20:31
or elsewhere,
20:33
and it would just get us so pumped up
20:35
to go out the next day
20:36
and just find somebody
20:37
just to go after some guy
20:40
just to love and serve
20:42
and give the truth to.
20:44
And, or when I hear about stuff
20:46
that's going on abroad in the U.S.
20:48
or overseas,
20:49
it gets me really excited.
20:51
I met a guy
20:54
while I was in Belfast
20:58
a few summers ago
20:59
in northern Ireland.
21:01
There's a conflict going on there.
21:03
I'm not going to get into that necessarily,
21:05
but Irish Catholics
21:06
against, like,
21:07
the British, Scottish Protestants
21:09
that are in the north,
21:10
and this struggle has been going on
21:13
for hundreds and hundreds of years,
21:14
and they hate each other
21:16
with a passion.
21:17
It's not,
21:18
they're brought up to, like,
21:18
hate the other people,
21:20
and I met a guy
21:22
at a camp
21:23
who,
21:25
that was sharing
21:27
that,
21:29
I actually met this guy
21:31
and it was pretty,
21:31
pretty awesome,
21:33
but he,
21:33
he was a leader
21:36
of one of the Protestant
21:37
militia groups
21:38
for a long time,
21:39
the Ulster Defense Army,
21:41
and he was a pretty jacked dude.
21:45
He had tattoos
21:46
all over his arm.
21:47
He had scars
21:48
all over his body
21:49
from, like, knife fights
21:50
and he had been shot
21:51
in a few places
21:52
and I know that he had definitely
21:53
probably killed many men
21:56
just,
21:56
just standing there
21:57
and he was telling
21:58
these teenagers
21:59
at this camp,
22:00
like,
22:01
don't fall into that mess,
22:04
you know,
22:05
it's not worth it.
22:06
I gave my life
22:06
for this cause
22:07
and,
22:08
and I was going down
22:09
a long road
22:10
to perishing,
22:11
you know,
22:12
and so please,
22:13
like,
22:15
Jesus is worth it
22:16
and I asked him
22:17
how he came
22:18
to know Christ
22:19
and he said
22:20
that there was
22:20
a believer
22:21
just in that community
22:22
that began,
22:24
like,
22:25
with some fear
22:26
but went
22:26
and just got
22:28
into that group,
22:29
just started hanging out
22:30
with,
22:31
like,
22:31
being around those guys,
22:32
not joining them
22:32
but just being around them
22:33
and,
22:35
like,
22:36
was pretty fearful,
22:37
I mean,
22:37
these guys could really
22:38
jack me up
22:39
or kill me
22:40
just by me
22:41
hanging out with them
22:42
and,
22:43
I mean,
22:43
he kind of befriended
22:44
this guy
22:44
and just started
22:46
sharing some life
22:46
with him
22:47
and this guy
22:47
started planting
22:48
seeds of truth
22:48
and eventually
22:49
this guy
22:50
was born again
22:52
and now he's,
22:53
like,
22:53
renounced all that
22:54
and just going out
22:55
to spread the gospel
22:56
to these other guys
22:59
there in Belfast
22:59
and that just got so,
23:02
when I think about that,
23:03
I get so excited
23:04
to see the gospel
23:05
moving forward
23:06
and,
23:08
so,
23:08
it does good to us,
23:11
fellow believers,
23:11
when you hear about
23:12
the thing you love
23:14
being spread
23:16
to other people,
23:17
it just excites you
23:18
and gives your zeal
23:21
a huge push
23:23
and the fourth thing,
23:25
then we're going to come back
23:26
to some other things,
23:27
but the fourth thing is
23:28
sharing the gospel
23:29
affects,
23:31
I mean,
23:32
I have to explain this word,
23:33
it affects opponents
23:34
and look at verse 15,
23:37
verse 15,
23:39
chapter 1,
23:40
some indeed preach Christ
23:42
from envy and rivalry,
23:44
but others from good will,
23:46
the latter do it out of love,
23:48
knowing that I am put here
23:50
for the defense of the gospel,
23:52
the former proclaim Christ
23:53
out of rivalry,
23:55
not sincerely,
23:56
but thinking to afflict my,
23:58
afflict me in my imprisonment,
24:00
what then,
24:01
only that in every way,
24:02
whether in pretense or truth,
24:03
Christ is proclaimed,
24:06
and in that I rejoice,
24:08
so there is some stuff
24:12
that you probably just,
24:13
I want you to know about here,
24:14
but Jesus warned
24:16
that eventually
24:18
the greatest,
24:19
some of the greatest opponents
24:20
to the gospel
24:21
would be like from within
24:22
the church itself,
24:23
you would always just think
24:25
from the outside of the church,
24:26
but Jesus warned
24:28
that many of the great battles
24:31
the church had to fight
24:32
would come from within
24:33
its own ranks,
24:35
and the danger would be
24:37
from within
24:37
as well as from without,
24:39
and Paul understood that as well,
24:41
and so he had witnessed
24:45
hostility from different religious factions,
24:49
the Jews or the pagans,
24:51
you know,
24:51
of other countries,
24:53
and he understood that,
24:57
but you would expect hostility
25:00
to come from like the lost world around you,
25:03
darkness doesn't like the light
25:04
kind of thing,
25:04
but it really does hurt
25:08
to have a fellow believer
25:10
slander you
25:12
and attack you
25:13
and falsely accuse you
25:14
for something that's not true at all
25:17
for different reasons,
25:19
and so this word,
25:25
I want you to look at that text
25:26
where it says out of envy or strife,
25:28
it means really to like
25:29
to deprive someone
25:30
of something that's rightfully theirs,
25:33
to try to steal away
25:34
because you're jealous,
25:36
you want to steal away
25:37
like the prominence somebody has
25:38
or the crowds they're gathering
25:40
or the popularity
25:42
that they're gaining,
25:43
you want that
25:44
and you don't want them to get it,
25:45
and that's kind of like
25:46
what was going on,
25:47
so they weren't doing it
25:51
out of a spirit of love at all,
25:53
they were doing it
25:54
out of a divisive spirit,
25:57
and the problem
25:57
was not necessarily
25:59
with their theology,
26:01
but they were teaching
26:02
the real gospel,
26:03
the problem was in their
26:04
their desires
26:05
and their motives
26:05
for why they were doing it,
26:07
and there was,
26:09
in the Old Testament,
26:10
there was,
26:11
false prophets
26:12
were often called seers
26:14
by the real prophets,
26:17
they would come around
26:18
to town to town
26:18
and they would say,
26:19
they would do like
26:20
a little show,
26:21
they would put on something,
26:23
and they would say
26:24
certain things
26:25
that helped the people
26:25
give them money
26:26
for being a prophet,
26:27
but they really had no power,
26:29
and they weren't really
26:30
from God,
26:31
and so these seers
26:33
were speaking the gospel,
26:37
they were doing it
26:38
because they were
26:39
jealous of Paul,
26:40
and they hated
26:41
like the influence
26:42
he had,
26:43
and the authority
26:44
he had been given,
26:46
to the point where
26:46
they're like,
26:47
we wanted to gather,
26:48
you know,
26:49
these people that are
26:49
listening to you,
26:50
we want to steal them away,
26:51
and like,
26:52
have them a part
26:53
of our group,
26:55
so to say,
26:56
and so they sought
26:57
to dismantle
26:58
his reputation
26:59
by accusing him
27:00
of a lot of false things
27:01
that he didn't do,
27:03
so Paul recognized this,
27:04
but he also recognized
27:05
that other people
27:06
are doing this
27:07
out of right motive,
27:08
out of love,
27:09
out of a righteous spirit
27:10
that they have,
27:12
and so he knows
27:14
that both of these
27:14
are going on
27:15
at the same time,
27:16
and Paul also knew,
27:19
like,
27:20
he would think,
27:20
well,
27:20
that's not cool,
27:21
like,
27:21
these people that are
27:22
doing that,
27:22
then why are they
27:24
having success
27:24
if they're doing this
27:26
with the wrong motives?
27:28
Well,
27:29
Paul rejoices
27:29
because he just understands,
27:31
I don't care,
27:31
this is not a competition,
27:33
as long as Christ
27:35
is being proclaimed clearly
27:37
and doctrinally soundly,
27:39
I don't really care,
27:40
because Paul knew
27:42
something tremendous
27:44
about God
27:45
that I try to think
27:47
about a lot,
27:47
but it really failed to,
27:49
but God is not limited
27:50
to circumstances,
27:52
he will work,
27:53
he will work
27:54
even evil people
27:56
and the things
27:57
they do
27:57
for his purpose,
27:58
he'll work
27:59
in spite of people,
28:01
he'll work
28:01
around all kind
28:03
of situations
28:03
to achieve
28:04
what he wants,
28:06
a great example
28:08
of this
28:08
is in Isaiah,
28:09
years before
28:11
this man lived,
28:14
Isaiah names
28:15
King Cyrus
28:16
of Persia
28:16
as the man
28:17
who would eventually
28:19
come
28:19
and punish
28:22
the Babylonians
28:23
for their evil
28:23
and at the same time
28:25
restore Judah
28:26
back to their homeland,
28:28
so he's telling this
28:29
years and years
28:30
and years
28:30
way before
28:31
Cyrus was ever born
28:32
and like Isaiah
28:33
names him several times,
28:35
like God is saying
28:36
to him,
28:37
Cyrus,
28:37
you are my servant,
28:38
I will do this
28:39
through you,
28:40
and then he says
28:40
in there twice,
28:42
though you do not
28:43
know me,
28:44
though you do not
28:45
know me,
28:45
I'm going to use you
28:46
for my purpose,
28:47
it's very,
28:48
very crazy,
28:51
so Paul understood,
28:53
let these guys
28:54
have their day,
28:55
you know,
28:55
like this is not
28:57
going to bother me
28:58
at all,
28:59
they can preach
28:59
all they want,
29:00
but it's not going
29:00
to do their souls
29:01
any good,
29:02
so as long as
29:03
Christ is being
29:03
proclaimed,
29:05
it really doesn't
29:05
bother me,
29:07
I'm going to rejoice,
29:08
and so I know
29:11
that two camps
29:13
possibly could be
29:15
in here,
29:15
those who aren't
29:15
sharing our faith
29:16
and some that are,
29:18
but if you are,
29:20
I want you to ask
29:22
yourself the question,
29:22
why am I doing it,
29:24
why am I proclaiming
29:25
Christ,
29:26
check your motives
29:27
for why you are
29:29
doing those things,
29:31
I'm sorry,
29:32
I'm having a hard
29:32
time breathing
29:33
today,
29:33
I've been trying
29:34
to get my airways
29:35
going,
29:36
but,
29:37
so I want to
29:39
just ask a few
29:41
things,
29:42
why are you
29:45
proclaiming the
29:45
gospel,
29:46
if you are,
29:47
is it because
29:48
people will look
29:49
at you and be
29:50
like,
29:50
wow,
29:50
he's really
29:51
serious about
29:51
his faith,
29:53
he seems to
29:54
be gathering a
29:55
lot of people
29:56
to himself,
29:57
he's got a
29:57
really big
29:58
evangelistic
30:00
Bible study
30:00
going on,
30:01
or all these
30:03
things,
30:03
I know people,
30:04
I've met
30:05
people,
30:06
and like,
30:08
you know,
30:09
it'll be a
30:09
girl or a
30:10
guy who
30:11
is getting
30:12
all serious
30:13
about evangelism
30:14
because they're
30:14
trying to
30:15
impress somebody
30:16
of the opposite
30:16
sex about how
30:17
serious they are
30:18
about their
30:19
faith,
30:20
and like,
30:21
just things like
30:22
that,
30:22
and ministries
30:23
and churches
30:24
that will also
30:25
like,
30:26
content with each
30:26
other,
30:27
like,
30:27
because they
30:27
want bigger
30:28
numbers than
30:29
the people down
30:29
the street,
30:30
and they want
30:30
the most things
30:32
going on,
30:33
and so they'll
30:33
slanderously
30:35
sow things into
30:37
people's hearts
30:37
about those
30:38
people so they
30:39
will leave and
30:40
come there,
30:40
so examine
30:42
why you do
30:43
those things,
30:45
you know,
30:47
and I understand
30:47
that your motives
30:48
can sometimes
30:48
change,
30:49
you can have
30:50
a pure desire
30:51
to really make
30:51
Christ known,
30:52
and then you
30:53
get caught up
30:53
in like,
30:54
yeah,
30:54
I really want
30:54
to be successful
30:56
in this,
30:57
so Jesus
30:59
warned in
31:00
Matthew 7,
31:01
we don't have
31:01
to turn there,
31:02
but Matthew
31:03
7,
31:04
21,
31:04
that a lot
31:05
of people
31:05
were going
31:05
to come to
31:06
him one day
31:07
and say that,
31:08
Jesus,
31:08
we did all
31:09
this stuff
31:09
for you,
31:10
we cast
31:10
out demons
31:11
in your name,
31:12
we proclaim
31:13
the gospel,
31:13
so forth,
31:14
and he's
31:15
going to tell
31:15
them,
31:16
I never
31:16
knew you,
31:17
you know,
31:17
you're doing
31:18
that of your
31:18
own accord,
31:19
and you had
31:19
your reward
31:20
while you
31:20
were there,
31:21
I never
31:23
knew you,
31:24
and so,
31:25
those are the
31:27
four things,
31:28
but what I
31:29
mainly wanted
31:30
to do is just
31:30
focus on some
31:31
application
31:31
tonight,
31:33
and I had
31:34
a hard time
31:35
really knowing
31:36
how to talk
31:37
about some
31:37
of this,
31:38
because I knew
31:38
what I
31:39
think needed
31:39
to be said,
31:40
but I
31:41
didn't just
31:41
want to jump
31:42
over the
31:43
passage,
31:43
this is what
31:44
the passage
31:44
is about,
31:46
and the essence
31:46
of it,
31:47
and how do
31:47
we really
31:47
bring this
31:48
into our
31:48
lives now,
31:50
but the
31:50
question is,
31:53
you know,
31:55
is the
31:55
advancement of
31:56
the gospel,
31:57
or the progress
31:57
of the gospel,
31:59
one of the
31:59
passions of
32:00
your life,
32:01
is it what
32:01
you live for,
32:02
is it what
32:03
drives you,
32:04
where does
32:07
your energy
32:07
go,
32:08
is it to
32:08
the advancement
32:09
of the
32:09
gospel,
32:11
where do
32:11
you,
32:11
where is
32:13
your reading
32:13
and your
32:13
thinking,
32:14
and that
32:14
kind of
32:14
stuff,
32:15
where does
32:15
that go,
32:15
is it for
32:16
the advancement
32:17
of the
32:18
gospel,
32:19
and because
32:20
all those
32:20
things are
32:20
going to
32:21
reveal where
32:21
your heart
32:22
is,
32:23
and so
32:24
we're going
32:25
to look at
32:25
just a few
32:26
of these
32:26
things,
32:26
but what
32:28
are some
32:28
excuses that
32:29
you might
32:31
make up,
32:31
and I've
32:32
made these up
32:33
myself in
32:33
the past,
32:34
what excuses
32:35
do you make
32:36
for not sharing
32:36
the gospel,
32:37
I'm going to
32:38
look at some
32:38
of these,
32:40
but number
32:40
one,
32:42
one reason
32:42
why we're
32:44
not really
32:44
interested in
32:45
advancing the
32:46
gospel is
32:47
that our
32:48
circumstances,
32:49
we think
32:50
that we're
32:52
victims of
32:53
our circumstances,
32:54
if God
32:55
would just
32:55
work this
32:55
out,
32:56
if things
32:56
weren't so
32:56
busy right
32:57
now,
32:57
if I was
32:59
just in this
33:00
position,
33:00
or not that
33:01
position,
33:02
if I'm
33:03
stuck in
33:03
this place,
33:05
or if
33:05
this didn't
33:06
happen to
33:07
me,
33:07
then I
33:08
wouldn't
33:08
be quiet
33:09
about
33:09
Christ,
33:11
even like,
33:13
if God
33:13
would just
33:13
work out
33:14
for me to
33:14
go and
33:15
have this
33:15
awesome
33:15
ministry
33:15
position,
33:16
then I
33:16
would get
33:16
so serious
33:17
about sharing
33:18
the gospel,
33:19
or if
33:20
God would
33:20
just send
33:20
me to
33:20
this nation
33:21
and I
33:21
could go
33:22
do missions
33:23
in this
33:23
place,
33:24
I would
33:24
be so
33:24
serious
33:25
about sharing
33:25
my faith.
33:28
I want
33:28
you to know
33:29
those are
33:30
all lies,
33:31
there's nothing
33:31
justifiable,
33:32
in any
33:33
of that.
33:35
If God
33:36
puts you
33:36
in a
33:36
position,
33:37
He has
33:37
you
33:37
sovereignly
33:38
there,
33:39
right now,
33:40
like to
33:40
be faithful
33:41
where you
33:41
are right
33:42
now,
33:43
to be
33:43
sharing
33:43
where you
33:44
are right
33:45
now,
33:45
why would
33:45
you ever
33:46
think God
33:46
would move
33:47
you into a
33:48
different place
33:48
if you
33:50
weren't being
33:51
faithful with
33:51
where you
33:52
are?
33:53
And if
33:54
Christ is
33:54
the love
33:55
of your
33:55
life,
33:56
then you'll
33:56
talk about
33:57
Him.
33:57
You're going
33:57
to find
33:58
ways to
33:59
make this
33:59
happen,
34:00
and He'll
34:01
take precedence
34:02
over all
34:03
those things.
34:06
So,
34:06
if you're
34:07
not sharing
34:08
the gospel
34:08
tonight,
34:09
there's either
34:09
one or two
34:09
reasons.
34:10
One is,
34:11
your love
34:12
and your
34:12
zeal for
34:12
Christ has
34:13
really been
34:13
calmed down,
34:14
it's been
34:15
cooled off,
34:16
and you've
34:16
grown,
34:17
you belong
34:18
to Christ,
34:18
but you've
34:19
grown lukewarm.
34:22
And the
34:22
only other
34:22
option after
34:23
that is you
34:24
might not
34:24
know Christ,
34:25
and that's
34:25
why you
34:25
don't have
34:25
that passion.
34:26
And those
34:27
are the
34:27
two only
34:28
reasons for
34:29
why we
34:30
don't share
34:30
our faith.
34:33
And a
34:34
second reason
34:34
is,
34:37
if you're
34:37
at my
34:38
community
34:38
group last
34:39
night,
34:39
we actually
34:39
touched on
34:40
this briefly,
34:41
but I'm
34:43
afraid to
34:44
share my
34:45
faith.
34:45
I have
34:45
fear about
34:46
going out
34:47
and talking
34:48
to my
34:49
friends and
34:49
the people
34:49
that God
34:50
puts into
34:50
my life.
34:51
I'm afraid
34:51
of this.
34:52
And if
34:56
you look
34:57
really,
34:57
really hard,
34:58
there's
34:58
actually like
34:59
a hidden
34:59
idolatry in
35:01
your life,
35:01
and it's
35:01
not fear.
35:03
We don't
35:03
live in a
35:04
country,
35:05
at least
35:05
now we
35:05
don't,
35:06
that if
35:07
you speak
35:07
the name
35:07
of Christ,
35:08
you're not
35:08
going to
35:08
get thrown
35:09
in prison,
35:09
you're not
35:09
going to
35:09
get a
35:10
bullet
35:10
through your
35:10
head.
35:11
That's
35:11
probably not
35:12
going to
35:12
happen.
35:13
It can,
35:14
but probably
35:15
is not going
35:16
to happen.
35:17
If you're
35:17
not afraid
35:17
for your
35:18
life,
35:19
that might
35:19
be a little
35:19
different in
35:20
some of
35:20
these other
35:21
nations where
35:21
we have
35:22
brothers and
35:22
sisters that
35:23
are advancing
35:24
the gospel
35:24
in those
35:25
contexts.
35:26
But the
35:27
truth is
35:28
here,
35:29
you're not
35:30
fearful,
35:31
you're very
35:31
prideful.
35:33
You want
35:33
to be seen
35:34
as cool
35:36
and acceptable
35:36
and you
35:37
want people
35:38
to like
35:38
you.
35:39
And you're
35:40
not willing
35:41
to be
35:41
humiliated for
35:43
the sake of
35:43
their soul.
35:44
Whether they
35:45
turn against
35:46
you or don't
35:46
turn against
35:47
you,
35:48
you're not
35:48
willing to
35:48
kind of shed
35:49
that off
35:50
and come
35:51
to them
35:51
regardless.
35:53
So it's
35:53
a hidden
35:53
idolatry
35:54
of your
35:54
pride.
35:55
You want
35:55
to be
35:56
known and
35:57
loved and
35:57
respected by
35:58
those people
35:58
around you.
35:59
And you're
36:01
aware that
36:01
the gospel
36:02
can be
36:02
divisive.
36:05
Derek Webb
36:07
has a song
36:07
where he has
36:09
this one line
36:09
in the song,
36:10
the truth
36:11
is never
36:11
sexy,
36:12
so it's
36:13
never an
36:13
easy sale.
36:15
You can't
36:16
just dress up
36:16
the gospel
36:17
to make it
36:17
acceptable to
36:18
a lost
36:20
world.
36:20
Some people
36:20
are going
36:21
to hate
36:21
you because
36:22
of it.
36:23
I mean,
36:23
Jesus taught
36:23
these things.
36:24
It happened
36:24
to him.
36:25
He said,
36:26
if they
36:26
persecute me,
36:27
I promise
36:27
they'll
36:28
persecute you.
36:29
I'm the
36:30
spotless
36:30
lamb of
36:31
God and
36:31
they hate
36:32
me and
36:32
they're going
36:32
to crucify
36:34
me.
36:35
And so
36:36
we have
36:37
to,
36:38
we're not
36:39
afraid.
36:40
Stop using
36:41
that excuse.
36:42
It's really
36:42
something much
36:43
deeper.
36:43
Pray that God
36:44
just breaks
36:44
you and
36:45
just shows
36:46
you that
36:47
it's not
36:48
worth it.
36:49
Your friends,
36:50
you need to
36:51
be willing to
36:51
lose your
36:52
reputation if
36:53
necessary to
36:54
reach your
36:55
friends.
36:57
And the
36:58
question really
36:59
isn't,
37:00
should I
37:00
be, I
37:01
mean,
37:01
ever heard
37:02
anybody just
37:02
say, I'm
37:02
praying about
37:03
it.
37:04
That's the
37:04
really
37:05
Christianized
37:06
way of
37:06
like disguising
37:07
your fear a
37:08
lot of the
37:08
time or your
37:08
pride.
37:10
I'm praying
37:10
about it.
37:11
You know
37:12
what?
37:12
You don't
37:12
need to pray
37:13
about what
37:13
God's already
37:13
commanded you
37:14
to do.
37:15
He says,
37:15
go and
37:16
make
37:16
disciples.
37:17
He says,
37:17
go and
37:18
reach the
37:18
lost.
37:18
They need
37:19
me in
37:20
their lives.
37:21
But what you
37:21
do need to
37:21
pray about
37:22
is how to
37:23
go about
37:24
it, the
37:25
strength to
37:25
carry it
37:26
out, and
37:26
pray for
37:28
their soul
37:28
because you
37:29
know that
37:29
you have
37:30
no power
37:30
to change
37:30
them.
37:31
That's the
37:31
things you
37:31
pray about.
37:32
You don't
37:32
negotiate the
37:33
commands of
37:34
God in
37:34
prayer.
37:35
God's like,
37:36
make me
37:36
known.
37:37
Make me
37:38
known to
37:38
these people
37:39
and seek
37:41
me for
37:41
direction,
37:42
strength,
37:43
and wisdom
37:44
on how to
37:44
reach them.
37:45
So,
37:47
they're in
37:47
your lives
37:48
for a
37:48
reason.
37:49
God has
37:49
put them
37:50
there so
37:50
that you
37:51
would be
37:51
Christ in
37:51
that spot
37:52
to them.
37:54
And I
37:56
have another
37:57
reason.
37:58
well, I'll
38:04
make one
38:05
more comment
38:05
about that.
38:06
This kind
38:06
of came to
38:06
my mind.
38:07
I want to
38:08
have more
38:08
of a
38:08
discussion
38:09
with you
38:09
tonight.
38:12
But there's
38:12
something that
38:13
a lot of
38:14
ministries do,
38:15
a lot of
38:15
churches do
38:16
this, and
38:16
it's really
38:17
trendy today
38:18
for sure,
38:20
but this
38:20
idea of
38:22
friendship
38:23
evangelism.
38:24
You ever
38:24
heard of that
38:25
or something
38:25
like that?
38:26
I have to
38:27
be really
38:28
good friends
38:29
with this
38:29
person and
38:29
be around
38:30
them for
38:30
at least
38:31
six months.
38:32
I'm going
38:32
to say at
38:32
least six
38:33
months.
38:34
And then
38:34
maybe they'll
38:36
listen to me
38:37
if I share
38:37
the gospel
38:38
with them.
38:39
there's a lot
38:42
of flaws in
38:43
that.
38:43
But what I
38:44
don't want
38:44
you to hear
38:46
from me is
38:47
don't love
38:48
these people,
38:49
don't befriend
38:49
these people,
38:50
and don't serve
38:50
these people.
38:51
I'm saying
38:51
definitely do
38:52
that.
38:52
I'm only
38:53
saying that
38:53
you don't
38:54
love them
38:54
if you
38:54
don't do
38:54
that.
38:56
You need
38:56
to be a
38:57
part of
38:57
their life
38:57
and a
38:58
part of
38:58
their world
38:58
and find
38:59
ways to
39:00
show them
39:00
the love
39:01
of Christ
39:01
and love
39:03
them sacrificially.
39:04
Do things
39:04
for them.
39:06
Be a part
39:06
of their
39:06
life and be
39:07
in their
39:08
world.
39:08
Show them
39:08
that you
39:09
care.
39:10
That is
39:10
what good
39:11
works,
39:12
a lot of
39:12
the old
39:13
confessions
39:13
say,
39:14
good works
39:14
adorn the
39:15
gospel.
39:16
They make
39:17
beautiful the
39:18
gospel by how
39:19
we treat
39:19
people with
39:20
the love of
39:21
Christ that
39:21
he's shown
39:21
us.
39:22
So I'm
39:23
not saying
39:23
that.
39:24
I'm just
39:25
saying that
39:25
I think
39:25
that a lot
39:26
of people
39:26
use that
39:27
as a
39:28
disguise for
39:29
not sharing
39:30
the gospel.
39:32
I'm just
39:32
getting to
39:32
know him.
39:34
My bro,
39:34
you've been
39:34
getting to
39:34
know him
39:35
for five
39:35
months now
39:35
and you're
39:36
with him
39:36
every day.
39:38
What's the
39:38
deal?
39:39
And it's
39:41
wrong because
39:42
you're living
39:43
on presumption.
39:44
You're saying
39:45
that I know
39:45
that in six
39:46
months this
39:47
guy's going
39:47
to still be
39:48
around and
39:48
I'm still
39:49
going to be
39:49
around and
39:49
this is going
39:50
to work out.
39:51
You don't
39:51
know what
39:52
tomorrow holds.
39:54
You need to
39:55
live if it
39:56
is your last
39:56
day and
39:58
really seek
39:59
to love
40:00
these people
40:00
and give
40:01
them Christ
40:01
while you
40:01
have the
40:02
opportunity.
40:03
The gospel
40:03
has urgency
40:04
in it.
40:05
I mean it
40:06
does have
40:06
to weigh the
40:07
cost and
40:08
think about
40:09
what you're
40:09
doing but
40:10
it's not
40:11
like saying
40:11
I have
40:12
the ability
40:12
to put
40:13
this off
40:13
for months
40:14
and months
40:14
and months
40:15
while I
40:15
try to get
40:15
to know
40:16
this guy
40:16
so he'll
40:17
listen to
40:17
me.
40:18
God's
40:18
power is
40:19
greater than
40:19
that.
40:21
So I guess
40:22
my word is
40:23
just be
40:23
obedient.
40:25
If there's a
40:25
person in
40:26
your life
40:26
and you're
40:28
like I want
40:28
to show
40:29
Christ to
40:29
them I
40:29
don't know
40:30
how to go
40:31
about this
40:31
but I'm
40:31
going to do
40:32
it I don't
40:32
know how
40:33
yet.
40:34
Lord show
40:34
me.
40:35
Be obedient.
40:36
He may be
40:37
like just
40:37
be with
40:37
them right
40:38
now.
40:39
Just listen
40:39
to them
40:40
right now.
40:40
Just serve
40:41
them right
40:42
now.
40:42
When I'm
40:43
ready I'm
40:43
going to
40:43
tell you.
40:44
I'm going
40:44
to make
40:44
it clear.
40:45
This is
40:46
the time
40:46
you need
40:46
to speak.
40:48
Be
40:48
obedient.
40:50
And then
40:50
it could be
40:50
the other
40:51
way around.
40:52
I remember
40:52
going up in
40:52
the dorms
40:53
not this
40:55
past August
40:55
but last
40:56
August.
40:58
Up in
40:58
it was
41:00
Louis I
41:01
believe
41:01
yeah up
41:01
in Louis
41:02
and
41:02
and I
41:03
just barely
41:04
met this
41:04
guy.
41:07
And I
41:07
was just
41:07
talking with
41:08
him and
41:08
he liked
41:08
to just
41:09
invite me
41:09
in his
41:10
room.
41:11
I went
41:11
and was
41:12
just getting
41:12
to know
41:13
him and
41:13
he asked
41:14
me about
41:15
who I
41:16
was and
41:16
stuff and
41:17
I just
41:18
really felt
41:18
this strong
41:19
urge and
41:20
leave him
41:20
I'm just
41:21
going to
41:22
give him
41:23
everything
41:24
right now
41:24
and just
41:25
poured out
41:26
the gospel
41:26
to this
41:26
guy and
41:27
he was
41:27
just like
41:27
wow
41:28
never heard
41:30
that before
41:30
that's
41:30
amazing.
41:31
and wanted
41:32
to meet
41:32
up afterwards
41:33
like I
41:33
knew the
41:33
guy for
41:34
probably 15
41:34
minutes before
41:35
I started
41:35
pumping him
41:36
with the
41:36
gospel.
41:37
And that was
41:38
just the
41:39
leading of
41:39
the spirit
41:39
and the
41:40
power of
41:40
God.
41:41
God might
41:41
have said
41:42
just back
41:42
off of
41:42
this guy
41:43
right now
41:43
and just
41:43
hang out
41:44
with him
41:44
right now.
41:45
Just be
41:45
obedient to
41:47
what's going
41:47
on.
41:48
It's not
41:48
we want a
41:49
rule where
41:50
God says
41:50
share it
41:51
right now
41:51
or don't
41:51
share it
41:52
right now.
41:53
And that's
41:53
not what
41:53
God's going
41:54
to do.
41:54
He's about
41:55
working in
41:56
your heart
41:56
and changing
41:57
you as
41:58
he's working
41:58
in somebody
41:58
else's life
41:59
and growing
42:00
you in
42:00
relationship
42:01
to him.
42:02
So,
42:03
but don't
42:04
use friendship
42:06
evangelism as
42:07
like a disguise
42:08
to like not
42:08
share the
42:08
gospel.
42:09
I know a lot
42:10
of people
42:10
do that.
42:11
Just be
42:11
obedient.
42:13
And when
42:16
he says
42:16
act, act.
42:18
So,
42:19
another one,
42:20
and this is
42:21
probably one of
42:22
the last ones
42:22
I can think
42:22
of at the
42:23
moment,
42:23
but it's
42:24
like I
42:24
don't,
42:26
my knowledge
42:26
is limited.
42:27
I feel like
42:27
this guy's
42:28
just going
42:28
to throw
42:30
all this
42:30
stuff my
42:30
way.
42:31
I have
42:31
no idea
42:31
how to
42:32
answer
42:32
that.
42:33
So,
42:35
if God
42:35
is all
42:35
powerful
42:36
and God
42:36
is all
42:37
good,
42:38
you know,
42:39
and he
42:39
has the
42:39
power to
42:40
destroy
42:40
evil and
42:41
the desire
42:41
to destroy
42:42
evil,
42:43
why is
42:43
there evil?
42:45
You know
42:45
how to
42:45
answer that?
42:46
You know,
42:47
like if they
42:48
throw those
42:48
kind of
42:48
questions at
42:49
you,
42:49
and it
42:50
actually makes
42:51
you feel
42:51
like I
42:51
don't know
42:52
how to
42:52
answer
42:52
these
42:52
heavy
42:53
philosophical
42:54
theological
42:54
questions.
42:55
I don't
42:55
know how
42:56
to talk
42:56
to an
42:57
agnostic
42:57
or atheist
42:58
or someone
43:00
who just
43:00
doesn't care
43:00
at all,
43:02
or relativism
43:03
where everything's
43:04
true to
43:04
each individual,
43:06
whatever is
43:06
true to them
43:07
is true for
43:07
them.
43:08
It's okay.
43:10
You know,
43:10
don't wait
43:11
till,
43:12
you don't have
43:13
to go to
43:13
seminary and
43:14
read all the
43:15
greatest Christian
43:15
authors and
43:16
memorize the
43:17
entire scripture
43:17
before you go
43:18
out and
43:18
share the
43:19
gospel with
43:19
somebody.
43:20
because it's
43:22
the power of
43:23
God that
43:23
saves people.
43:25
If it was
43:25
up to us
43:26
to go out
43:26
and convince
43:26
people and
43:27
to argue
43:28
them into
43:29
heaven,
43:29
then it
43:30
would be
43:31
different.
43:31
But God
43:31
has said
43:32
that's not
43:32
the case.
43:33
You can
43:33
read 1
43:33
Corinthians
43:34
1,
43:35
2,
43:35
and 3,
43:36
and then
43:36
Paul will
43:36
tell you
43:37
that.
43:38
He tells
43:38
them,
43:39
when I
43:39
came to
43:39
you,
43:40
I didn't
43:40
come with
43:41
wise and
43:42
persuasive
43:42
words.
43:44
Because he
43:44
knew that he
43:44
didn't have
43:45
that.
43:45
He knew he
43:45
wasn't an
43:46
eloquent
43:46
speaker.
43:47
He didn't
43:48
have that
43:49
gift.
43:49
He wasn't
43:49
the greatest
43:50
communicator.
43:50
Paul knew
43:51
that.
43:52
And he
43:52
told them,
43:52
I decided
43:54
not to come
43:54
to you that
43:55
way because
43:55
I knew
43:56
that I
43:56
would be
43:56
found wanting.
43:58
But what
43:58
I did
43:58
do is I
43:59
came and
43:59
I spoke
44:00
to you
44:00
as a
44:01
demonstration
44:01
of the
44:02
Holy Spirit's
44:03
power.
44:04
I resolved
44:04
to preach
44:05
nothing to
44:05
you but
44:06
Christ and
44:06
him crucified.
44:08
And so
44:08
that the
44:09
power would
44:10
rest on God
44:11
and not on
44:11
me.
44:11
That's kind
44:12
of like what
44:12
he says
44:12
there.
44:14
So God
44:15
is not
44:15
limited to
44:16
how much
44:17
you know.
44:18
As long
44:18
as you
44:18
know the
44:19
gospel,
44:19
that's
44:19
like enough.
44:20
And God
44:22
can use
44:22
that.
44:23
And don't
44:24
be afraid
44:24
to say
44:24
to somebody,
44:25
I don't
44:26
know.
44:27
I don't
44:28
know.
44:30
Maybe I
44:30
can check
44:31
into that
44:31
for you.
44:32
But don't
44:33
feel like you
44:33
have to have
44:34
all the
44:34
answers before
44:35
you go and
44:35
start sharing
44:36
the truth
44:36
with someone.
44:37
There are
44:37
people that
44:38
are like,
44:39
for some
44:40
people,
44:40
they're
44:40
longing to
44:41
hear this,
44:42
and we're
44:43
just like
44:43
talking ourselves
44:43
out of it.
44:45
Maybe tomorrow.
44:46
This isn't
44:46
all right.
44:47
It's kind
44:47
of like all
44:47
these things.
44:49
Just go.
44:51
You know?
44:52
Just step
44:52
out and trust
44:53
the Lord.
44:54
Be wise.
44:55
Think about
44:56
things.
44:56
Use your
44:56
head.
44:57
Yes,
44:58
use the
44:58
wisdom God's
44:59
given you.
45:00
But ultimately,
45:01
you have to
45:01
learn to follow
45:02
what the
45:02
Spirit's leading
45:03
in different
45:04
situations.
45:05
things.
45:05
And so,
45:08
this is
45:11
something I
45:12
journaled
45:12
about this
45:12
summer.
45:14
But when
45:14
we are
45:17
fearful to
45:18
share Christ
45:18
with people,
45:19
it makes the
45:21
love of Christ,
45:22
which was
45:22
radical,
45:23
right?
45:23
The love of
45:24
Christ was
45:25
incredible.
45:26
He left
45:27
heaven to
45:28
come here
45:29
to die
45:30
and to save
45:31
us.
45:31
Like,
45:31
this just
45:31
makes no
45:32
sense.
45:32
We're
45:33
going to
45:33
get to
45:33
that in
45:34
Philippians
45:34
chapter 2
45:36
really soon.
45:37
But his
45:38
love was
45:39
amazing.
45:39
There was
45:40
no greater
45:40
love than
45:40
what Christ
45:41
showed.
45:42
And when
45:42
we are
45:43
afraid or
45:43
when we
45:44
are prideful
45:45
or whatever
45:46
and we're
45:47
not going
45:47
and proclaiming
45:48
to people,
45:48
it makes
45:49
the love of
45:50
Christ have
45:51
to be weak
45:52
and puny.
45:54
You see
45:54
that?
45:55
Like,
45:55
the love of
45:56
our Savior
45:56
is betrayed
45:57
as puny
45:58
when we don't
45:58
live that way
45:59
and we're
45:59
not willing
46:00
to go through
46:00
whatever it
46:01
takes to
46:02
reach
46:02
people.
46:03
The love
46:04
of Christ
46:04
is put
46:05
on display
46:06
as weak
46:06
and pathetic.
46:10
So,
46:11
if you're
46:13
feeling bad
46:14
and you have
46:14
sympathy for
46:15
your friends
46:16
or your
46:16
family and
46:17
you're like,
46:17
I see how
46:18
miserable their
46:19
lives are
46:19
right now.
46:20
I just feel
46:20
so bad
46:21
about it.
46:22
You know,
46:23
David
46:23
Livingston
46:24
said,
46:25
sympathy
46:25
is no
46:26
substitute
46:26
for action.
46:28
You can't
46:28
just feel
46:29
bad for
46:29
these people.
46:30
You have
46:30
to,
46:31
God has
46:32
you there,
46:32
sovereignly
46:33
there to
46:33
be a
46:34
light to
46:35
them.
46:36
He's not
46:36
asking you
46:36
to save
46:37
them.
46:38
That's
46:38
his job.
46:39
He's asking
46:39
you to be
46:40
an instrument
46:40
in his
46:40
hands to
46:41
work in
46:41
their life.
46:44
So,
46:45
they don't
46:45
need your
46:45
sympathy.
46:46
They need
46:46
Christ.
46:48
We've got to
46:49
stop being
46:49
afraid of
46:50
his unpopularity
46:51
and looking
46:52
like an idiot.
46:53
It's okay.
46:54
We can be
46:54
fools for
46:54
Christ.
46:55
Paul said
46:55
that in
46:56
one place.
46:57
We can be
46:57
fools for
46:58
Christ.
46:58
So,
46:59
start asking
47:00
God,
47:01
show me
47:02
how to
47:02
go about
47:02
this.
47:03
I know
47:03
that I
47:04
need to
47:04
be doing
47:05
this.
47:05
I want
47:05
to do
47:06
this.
47:07
Please
47:07
show me.
47:09
Who do
47:09
you have
47:09
me around
47:10
right now
47:11
that you
47:11
would have
47:11
me shed
47:13
the love
47:13
of Christ
47:13
with?
47:14
Turn to
47:14
last place
47:16
here.
47:16
Turn to
47:16
Acts 20.
47:29
We don't
47:29
want to
47:30
portray the
47:31
love of
47:31
our Savior
47:32
as weak.
47:32
I want it
47:33
to, and I
47:35
do, I make
47:36
Christ love
47:36
to be
47:36
pathetic
47:37
sometimes and
47:38
it breaks
47:39
my heart.
47:41
Acts 20
47:42
verse 24,
47:43
sorry,
47:43
verse 24.
47:46
This is
47:46
Paul talking
47:47
here, and I
47:47
hope that
47:48
this can be
47:50
kind of like
47:51
a cry for
47:51
your life,
47:52
and mine
47:53
as well.
47:54
I want
47:54
this so
47:55
bad.
47:56
He says,
47:56
but I do
47:57
not account
47:57
my life of
47:58
any value,
48:00
nor as
48:01
precious to
48:01
myself,
48:02
if only I
48:03
may finish
48:03
my course
48:04
in the
48:05
ministry that
48:06
I have
48:06
received from
48:07
the Lord
48:07
Jesus,
48:08
to testify
48:09
to the
48:10
gospel of
48:10
the grace
48:11
of God.
48:13
And now,
48:14
behold, I
48:15
know that
48:15
none of you
48:16
among
48:16
whom I
48:17
have gone
48:18
about
48:18
proclaiming
48:19
the kingdom
48:19
will see
48:19
my face
48:20
again.
48:21
So Paul
48:21
knew, like,
48:22
you're not
48:22
going to
48:22
see me
48:22
again, to
48:23
these people
48:24
he's writing
48:25
to hear.
48:26
Therefore, I
48:26
testify to
48:27
you this
48:28
day that I
48:29
am innocent
48:30
of the blood
48:30
of you all.
48:31
And what he
48:32
means is,
48:33
like, I've
48:33
done what
48:34
God called
48:34
me to do.
48:36
When I was
48:36
with you, I
48:37
was obedient,
48:38
and whatever
48:38
happens is
48:39
going to be
48:39
on your head
48:40
and not
48:40
mine.
48:40
I have
48:41
carried out
48:42
my
48:42
responsibility.
48:45
And he
48:46
says,
48:47
I did not
48:47
shrink from
48:49
declaring to
48:50
you the
48:50
whole counsel
48:51
of God.
48:52
Pay careful
48:53
attention to
48:53
yourselves and
48:54
to all the
48:55
flock in
48:56
which the
48:56
Holy Spirit
48:57
has made
48:57
you overseers,
48:59
to care for
48:59
the church
49:00
of God,
49:00
which he
49:00
obtained with
49:01
his own
49:01
blood.
49:03
Amazing
49:04
passage.
49:04
Paul's just
49:05
like, I
49:06
just don't
49:07
care about
49:08
my life
49:08
anymore.
49:09
Like, if I
49:10
did, I
49:10
wouldn't be
49:11
doing what
49:11
I'm doing
49:11
right now.
49:12
If my
49:13
life was
49:13
here, I'm
49:14
like, wasting
49:15
it in the
49:15
greatest way,
49:16
but my
49:16
life is not
49:17
here.
49:17
My life is
49:18
hidden in
49:19
Christ in
49:19
eternity, and
49:20
I'm laboring
49:20
for that
49:22
kingdom and
49:23
that reality,
49:24
and so I
49:24
don't care.
49:25
I just want
49:25
to be able to
49:27
lay my head
49:27
down at night
49:28
and be like,
49:28
I testify to
49:29
the gospel of
49:30
the grace of
49:30
God today,
49:31
and I don't
49:33
care what it
49:33
costs me.
49:34
I didn't
49:34
shriek from
49:35
proclaiming to
49:36
you the whole
49:36
counsel of
49:37
God.
49:38
We want to
49:39
be able to
49:39
say that,
49:41
and I
49:44
pray that
49:45
we, this
49:47
really convicts
49:48
some people
49:48
here, and
49:49
it's just a
49:51
challenge and
49:51
push to us as
49:52
believers.
49:54
It's not
49:54
cool.
49:56
I mean,
49:57
there's some
49:58
things that God
49:58
is going to put
49:59
you through of
50:00
some miserable
50:01
times, just
50:02
like this isn't
50:02
coming out of
50:03
you into the
50:04
lost world,
50:04
and I want
50:07
you to keep
50:07
this verse in
50:08
mind in
50:08
James chapter
50:09
one, be not
50:11
hearers of the
50:12
word, but be
50:13
doers of the
50:13
word, and
50:15
we can't, I
50:18
don't want you
50:19
to come here
50:19
every week and
50:20
be like, oh,
50:21
that was a
50:21
great message,
50:22
amen, and then
50:22
go hang out
50:24
somewhere and
50:25
just go back to
50:25
life.
50:26
Like, that's not
50:27
the purpose for
50:27
why we gather.
50:28
All you're doing
50:29
is making yourself
50:30
more accountable,
50:31
and that's all
50:32
you're doing.
50:32
You're coming
50:32
here and just
50:33
trying to store
50:34
up knowledge and
50:35
store up theology,
50:36
but then you do
50:37
nothing with it.
50:38
All you're doing
50:38
is you're making
50:39
yourself more
50:39
accountable for
50:40
truth that you've
50:41
learned to God,
50:41
and so I want
50:46
you to learn.
50:47
I want you to
50:47
grow in your
50:48
knowledge.
50:49
We're going to
50:49
talk about some
50:50
great things this
50:51
semester, but
50:53
like, we have to
50:55
be obedient.
50:55
We have to put
50:56
into practice what
50:57
we know, and we
50:58
need the grace of
50:59
God to do it.
51:00
It's an impossible
51:01
task in and of
51:02
ourselves.
51:03
So, plea with
51:04
God to make you
51:06
an instrument of
51:07
reconciliation to
51:08
the lost world
51:09
around you, and
51:11
complete the joy
51:12
that Christ has
51:14
put into you by
51:16
doing that.
51:18
Well, we're
51:19
going to, I'll
51:20
close this in
51:21
prayer.
51:21
We might seem
51:22
to have some
51:23
time.
51:23
We started just
51:23
a little late
51:24
tonight because
51:25
of the fall
51:25
jam, and I
51:25
think we gained
51:26
like one or two
51:26
people because
51:27
of that, but
51:27
next week, no
51:29
mercy, back to
51:30
the normal time.
51:31
That was
51:32
intentional.
51:33
So, I'm going
51:35
to pray for us,
51:35
and we're just
51:36
going to respond
51:36
and sing.
51:38
Father, I feel
51:42
very insufficient
51:43
to even
51:43
communicate this
51:45
message tonight.
51:46
Lord, I know
51:48
that I do share
51:49
the gospel, and I
51:50
do desire for
51:52
the lost to
51:53
know you, but I
51:55
don't anywhere as
51:56
I should, and I
51:58
overlook so many
51:59
opportunities because
52:00
of laziness or my
52:02
pride, and so God,
52:05
I pray that you
52:05
would awaken to me
52:06
and everyone here
52:07
just a desire to
52:09
make you known in
52:11
the dark places
52:12
where you have us,
52:13
that we would be
52:13
the light of
52:15
Christ there, and
52:16
we wouldn't be all
52:18
fired up about
52:18
going to the
52:20
nations and other
52:21
countries if we're
52:22
not willing to walk
52:22
across the hallway
52:23
to share someone
52:25
who's dying in
52:25
their sin, and
52:26
help us to be
52:29
faithful where we
52:30
are, Lord, and
52:31
to trust you, to
52:34
step out, and to
52:35
be bold for the
52:36
sake of Christ, and
52:37
to not shriek,
52:40
but to boldly
52:41
proclaim the whole
52:42
counsel of God, and
52:43
to testify of the
52:44
gospel of the grace
52:45
of God.
52:47
Help us do that,
52:48
Lord.
52:48
We are going to
52:50
fail unless you be
52:51
with us, and so
52:53
Lord, make your name
52:54
great at the North
52:57
Georgia campus in
52:57
Nalaunaga, and
52:58
through what we do
53:01
and how you lead
53:02
us, God.
53:04
Thank you for
53:05
giving us the
53:05
privilege of being
53:08
those you use to
53:09
accomplish your
53:09
purpose.
53:10
what an honor we
53:12
have.
53:12
You don't need
53:12
us.
53:14
You could have
53:14
done this any way
53:15
you chose, but you
53:16
chose to use us, and
53:17
we give you praise
53:20
for that, and we
53:21
love you.
53:22
In Christ's name,
53:22
amen.
53:23
Amen.