Philippians chapter 1 verse 15 Paul speaking it is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of goodwill and the latter do so out of love knowing that I am put here remember I'm where I'm supposed to be regardless of how I got here I was put here that's a way of seeing life that will set you free from the need to understand all of the events as they're happening just to decide in advance wherever I end up that must be where God has me now this can get dangerous because
you can end up blaming God's sovereignty for your lack of responsibility you know I lost the job I guess God wanted me to lose the job I guess God wanted you to show up on time and so let's don't get carried away but when the situation is out of my control it's not out of God's hands amen yeah I feel the Spirit of God on that because when he says I'm put here that's one way of seeing it he's positioned and he sees himself as stationed rather than seeing himself as stuck so the location doesn't
change but the lens he views his situation through is changing through the years and since he's old now he has this great perspective and we get in on it through this letter that he wrote to the Philippian church so some people like me and some don't but he says the former preach Christ out of selfish ambition not sincerely supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in Chains but and this has been my mantra all week what does it matter found a new radio station wdi M what does it matter and when
all this nonsense starts playing in my head I just turned the dial and I try to find a different signal the signal that lets me know I can't think short term and I can't let little things the the little foxes spoil the vine I can't let the Flies you get into Hoyden and mess up something sweet so I got to get my priorities straight now according to God's purpose for me what does it matter um I don't know if you if you wanted or not but we made some bracelets that just say WD IM on
them I got mine I said it as a joke and the team liked it so much they made 25,000 of these bracelets and it's it's really helpful you might want to put it on your husband's wrist every once in a while what does it matter just a little reminder be yours today until we run out and if we run out what does it matter you're not gonna be upset about that what's it matter it's not that I don't care about what people think it's that it no longer controls me so what does it matter the
important thing is that in every way whether from false motives are true christ is preached and because of this I rejoice yes yeah yeah and I will continue to rejoice what you're gonna do about it devil you hit me with your best shot and I'm still in church I will continue to rejoice you couldn't knock the smile off my face if you tried I'm still smiling and my back hurts but I'm still smiling with migraine headaches but I'm still smiling and my kids are out of control but I'm still smiling while I yell through clenched
teeth for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance and I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so oh I'm not asking God to reduce the conflict I'm asking him to increase my courage for the conflict so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain I can't lose
if I am to go on living in the body well this will mean fruitful labor for me and the next line I just laughed because he's talking like he's choosing a show on Netflix but shall I choose and he's talking about life and death but he's come to the point in his life where he's like well either way I'm cool I don't even know I'm torn ah between the two I kind of want to get out of here this world is a crazy place and I'd like to see Jesus I got a reward waiting with
my name on it and I want to see the one who died for me and bled for me and I want him to wipe every tear from my eye and I want to be in his presence and I kind of like to kind of like to depart I desire to depart and be with Christ which is better by far but it's more necessary for you that I remain in the body so since you still need me I probably can't leave I'd like God to take me to heaven but he's probably gonna make me stay I
know that I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith so I asked God can I go to heaven and so look at your neighbor and give him my sermon title it's a no-go now look at it from the perspective of the Philippian church who would have been excited to receive this letter with news about their beloved Apostle Paul I can almost hear their feet stampeding through the streets I can almost hear them knocking on the door of Libya who was the first convert when Paul
passed through Philippi and she opened her heart and then her home and that's how the whole church got started in Philippi in a sense and so I can hear through the streets of Philippi hey Lydia we got a letter from Paul because they couldn't follow him on Instagram and so they had been waiting for news of his release or his execution or the date of his release but we need to know how Paul is doing and we really need him out of prison so he can help us accomplish the purpose of God hey we got
a letter from from Paul come on Lydia and maybe that Roman jailer was still around who locked Paul up and then when Paul and Silas sang at midnight and refused to leave the prison until they led that man to the Lord because they were more concerned about him being free than them being free and maybe he comes around and maybe they all meet up at Lydia's house if she's still living and we got a letter from Paul and you know when you get an urgent email and you just skim past the polite stuff Paul and
Timothy service Jesus Christ yeah God's holy people oh Christ Jesus love yeah yeah is he getting out Paul do we need to get the welcome home from prison committee together are you coming to see us what did Caesar say they have a date set of you been able to defend yourself and they must have been surprised that Paul only gave a half of verse to his situation and the rest of the entire letter Paul teaches them a lesson and it's this and I want to do my best to teach you today God help me teach
this today he teaches them how to be released in Reverse how you can still be in the same situation that you prayed to get out of but even though you're still in that situation you are free in your spirit so we have to go quick I don't have a lot of time to tell you this but God is more interested about freeing you in your spirit then he is freeing you from your situation this is a core teaching and a core tenant not only from this pulpit but it is the essence of the gospel is
that God is more interested in delivering us on the inside changing us on the inside and rearranging our internal condition than he is about arranging our external affairs this gospel is not popular to preach in an age that is so consumed with changing scenery we are more concerned with the scenery than we are with our spirits and Paul is teaching us a lesson we'd be wise to listen to him he says I'm not out yet but I'm free I'm still right here in this cell physically but spiritually I'm free free from what free from pain
no no I'm hurting free from uncertainty no I don't know what they're gonna do to me free from have you ever asked God to set you free from certain people and he keeps trying and you keep texting him back so work with the Lord that was the whole series right there I'm free oh you're coming home no but I'm free I'm free I'm I'm free watch this this is what I've been praying lately I stopped praying God set me free from it whatever it is you know this imagination that if that got better I would
be better because sometimes that got better and I got worse so I stopped praying God set me free from it because sometimes God set me free from the situation and I took myself into a new situation and I took my same chains from the last situation the last relationship into the new relationship so lately I've been praying and if you want to pray it with me repeat after me God set me free from me if you don't get that you haven't lived long enough because you will get tired of yourself at some point and you
will get tired of making your own movies of which you are the star and everyone else is a prop and you will want something bigger in your life then how I feel in this moment you want something bigger in your life than what I am earning you'll want something bigger in your life then status and so Paul said I'm I'm I'm free not not the freedom that you can see but I am I'm free from the invisible prison so I'm free because I'm releasing some things and Paul says I'm I'm releasing myself from the prison
of resentment I'm releasing myself from the need to know the reason why everything is the way it is I'm releasing myself and it's really beautiful because he could have waited around to be set free by somebody else but he decided I'm gonna use the keys that God has given me so I've got my own keys called faith and trust and praise and gratitude and so I don't need you to free me I am setting people free from my need for them to validate me I found freedom when I realized that I have all of the
resources I need through the Spirit of God and it is through the provision of his spirit oh it's just an intro but it's so good cuz Paul's saying I'm not out but I'm free nothing has changed in my situation but I don't need my situation to change God has changed and whom the Sun sets free is free indeed I'll stop screaming on this when you get free it makes you wanna holler when you get free it makes you wanna clap when you get free it makes you wanna shout it makes you wanna throw off the
chain [Applause] shout I'm free look at the person next to you and say free from what you think of me [Applause] Mayans and worship I want people to think I'm one of those weird Christians I think it's kind of weird that somebody that didn't die for you would dictate the level of your faith and that you would ever be ashamed of the gospel when you claim to be free if he set you free we don't have long take 10 seconds and praise Him like you're free that's good 6 5 4 3 2 1 Philippians chapter
1 Paul said I'm I'm free I don't know whether I'll get out of this prison but whether or not I get out of this prison is not the hinge on which my faith swings because I made a decision to be free free of bitterness free of blame real freedom freedom that nobody can give you but Jesus and freedom that nobody can take away it's a different kind of freedom it's not just the freedom to do whatever you want and say whatever you want that pretend freedom it's a real freedom it's a deep freedom there's a
freedom that I hope to experience more and more in my life and I pray the same for you because Paul said I want you to be free in it funny that he's he's praying for them he's in prison and he's the freest one of them all some of the least free people I ever met in my life had the most stuff and Paul is so free at this point he's free from the need to know what happens next he's free he's free wouldn't it be wouldn't it be good to be free like that and he
sets himself free instead of waiting for someone else to and how he does it is kind of a cool I guess it's a psychological and theological lesson all at once he does it by remembering because if he dwells too much on what he's going through right now it will cause him to lose hope if he dwells too much on what's going to happen next it'll cause him to be unstable and he can't control that anyway so listen Blakeney he says give me my camera he says I think my God in every remembrance of you this
is Philippians chapter 1 in every prayer with joy and I thank him for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now so he revisits in his mind a time maybe 30 years earlier that he began this work with these friends in Philippi and now he's writing them a letter about his current situation but the way that he deals with his anxiety how many of you are dealing with anxiety in your life and you don't mind raising your hands so I can preach right to you he remembers he remembers and he concludes something
when he revisits his memory of God's faithfulness because there there there is a way of remembering the past that will paralyze the potential of today but there is a way of remembering the past that can fuel your faith for tomorrow Paul does the latter he says I thank my god every time I remember you and I remember your partnership I'm not in this by myself from the very first day until now and I am confident of this that he who began a good work in you who started it that's what they used to say in
middle school and when there was a fight and you get dragged in the principal's office and so we used to have a saying I didn't start it but I finished it and so God does both and when the devil starts picking on you don't forget who started it if God started a good working you guess what he's gonna do he's gonna finish it now you won't know all the details when it starts but God is not like you and so he knows the end from the beginning God saw the last frame of the movie before
he started casting or directing so God reveals these things to us in Reverse it's like Abraham I'm gonna bless the whole earth through you okay can you tell me how no go to the land I will show you and the details will unfold as your obedience does and so Paul says I remember how this started and I know who started it it was God because I wasn't even trying to get to Philip I actually when I think about how I came to you how we started it was almost an accidental miracle I call it that
knowing that nothing is an accident to God but on one day I'm gonna preach when I ever get the courage to do it a whole sermon called miracles by mistake just like what feels like the worst mistake of your life and it was really God using human weakness to display divine strength my young people know what's up I love it so Paul he has like a faith flashback David did the same thing there's Goliath he's big lion was big the bear was big the bigger they come so if the lion went and the bear went
Goliath is about to go it's called a fake flashback and Paul says I I remember I'm released in Reverse it's kind of weird in order to go forward with faith I got to remember how I went out preaching and I went to the Jews first but as I was preaching to the Jews the Gentiles wanted to hear it too and the message was too big because God told Abraham I bless all people through you and so God started using me to do what he said he would do and he chose me in fact acts 9
calls Paul God's chosen vessel we've been talking about choices always remember you didn't choose God he chose you and if he started it he's the author and finisher of your faith saw start preaching I went on a little tour started some churches Galatia went really all around I wanted to take the gospel further and when I got home the people who should have been celebrating were suspicious because sometimes we don't like when God doesn't meet our rules of who he's supposed to reach and who he's supposed to bless you were what the church you listen
to what I'm you you thank come on man you can't you can't be a Christian this is what they thought you know you have to keep the Sabbath you you have to be circumcised now let me tell you what that did that shut down the men's ministry and Paul was like no I don't think so I think it's about the inside I don't think it's about the outside I think that's what Jesus came for so we could stop fixing things up on the outside and smile and pretty like our life has interests and get real
and come into the presence of God imperfect I don't think it's really important what you wear or if you can say the right words I don't think that matters I don't think that's the priority and so he just uh he shared the gospel freely freely with everybody the grace of God then we got home had to have a little meeting to decide could the Gentiles come in to the church and it was it was a rowdy meeting but ultimately they said you know we probably should just we probably should just go with God imagine that
if God's doing something we should probably stay out of his way so go ahead Paul not that we really like you anymore but we're not gonna stop you so go preach and now Pope Paul leaves to go preach again but this time he has an idea he's like I need to go check on the churches that I started and see how they're doing I need to go back to some of the places where we planted a church and see if the seeds have become trees I need to go strengthen people in the faith that that
began and I want to see if they're still moving I want I want to see if their choices are becoming habits are becoming automatic you bring me that yeah yeah so Paul perfect Paul's like I'll make sure there's no missing pieces I want to make sure that what God started gets completed come here Tyler and so he goes on this preaching to her hashtag strengthen the Saints hashtag check check in on the church now he can't take Barnabas Barnabas was the first Christian that liked Paul most of Christians didn't like Paul cuz Paul used to
kill Christians it's kind of hard to apply for a senior pastor job with that on your resume our guest speaker tonight you know but Barnabas was like nah he's cool and then Paul and Barnabas got in a fight about John Mart cuz it doesn't matter how delivered you get you never fully get delivered from drama I left that church there was too much drama what church are you gonna join cuz the moment you join that one will have drum up to anyone so Paul goes preaching now I want to illustrate this to you how the
grace of God was unleashed and really that's what the whole book of Galatians is about one of the places PO went to check on he went the Galatia and this this might be a little complicated for just like a normal sermon but maybe you could study it on your own time I try to put enough in these messages that you can take home some Tupperware and then go back and visit things that you want to look more into but Paul had an idea to go check on the churches and God didn't tell him to do
it in fact Paul in this particular scenario he's not so much being led by God to do it as he is being led by his burden to do it and the only reason I point that out is because I think a lot of us think that God leading us looks like this you know and that's almost how we follow Christ like okay God come on Tyler make the face okay God you're not making the FaceTime you look too happy okay but actually it was more like this Paul said I'll go ahead and God went with
him so that's a simple principle divine empowerment often awaits human initiative and so Paul went out and and he went to check on the churches and it was a very effective trip a very effective preaching tour he couldn't take Barnabas so he took silas which is good cuz silas liked to sing and they needed the sing at midnight when everyone's chains were so tight so that everyone's chains could come loose because God will put in your life who you need for the season that you're in just because Barnabas left doesn't mean God did so pick
up Silas and hit the road and Paul said let's go let's go and acts 16 for records what happened next they traveled from town to town and they told all the churches good news we met with the Council of Jerusalem you don't have to be circumcised and all the men say [Applause] so so Paul's like alright put down your knives we're not doing that anymore just here's what you do don't worship idols don't eat food with the blood still in it strangled animals and you can come to the kingdom and and they went around delivering
it and what's what happened Burke next verse the churches were strengthened in the faith everywhere Paul went God gave him the grace to go and God gave him the evidence and the church grew daily in numbers and then verse 6 happens verse 6 s Paul and his companions traveled let's go throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been kept by the devil from preaching the word in the province Ric Parker you sound upset what's wrong did I mispronounce Phrygia Rick you can't wear a Pink Floyd t-shirt in church what's wrong with you man Jim
tile did I say the first room having been kept by the O the Holy Spirit having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching I understand the Holy Spirit keeps me from doing certain things please don't look at me like you've never had the Holy Spirit have to restrain you please don't look at me like there's never been cuss words coming out of your mouth and something that was God on the inside of you yanked him back here and it was like swallowing down vomit to get it from coming out it tasted bad graphic illustration
I understand the Holy Spirit kept kept me from from going off and I can understand the Holy Spirit kept me from certain parties but I didn't know the Holy Spirit would keep you from preaching having been kept in that a weird verse you've heard this sermon this is the third time you heard this sermon having been kept by the I want to blame the devil here because everything that I want to happen in my life that doesn't happen I give the devil credit for it ever every dream that I have that doesn't come true it's
the devil it's the devil the devil is more popular than God in most sermons it's the devil and it's just a no no but the but but the devil and the Lord really spoke to me the last time I went down that that that that line of logic and and and the sense that I got is he was telling me stop giving the devil credit for stuff I'm trying to do in your life and particularly stop giving the devil credit for the moments where I hold you back because Paul was the most brilliant preacher that
ever lived there was nobody better to preach in Asia than Paul and watch what he says he said I wanted to do a good thing my desire was right it wasn't out of bad motives I was trying to strengthen the church I was trying to build people up in their faith I was trying to do what I thought God told me to do and I went to Galatia and God let me and I went to Phrygia and God left me but when I tried to go to the border of my SIA and interbirth inia watch
watch what says next the spirit of Jesus would not allow them to what's up with God holding Paul back from preaching the gospel why would God send his son and not spare his son and then Paul goes to try to preach and God says no so so Jesus says go into all the world and preach the gospel Paul is like okay God says no not there I'm just trying to tell what your Tommy no try again maybe we can get in my SIA man going my SIA got to the border no and most of us
right here most of us would have gone back home because the moment that we make progress and then the progress stops and I know your wrist is starting to hurt and there will be a reward in heaven and a crown with some big jewels in it when you get done with this sermon and Ispat let's see here's the thing about being a good parent you really don't know what kind of parent you are until you have to tell your kid no yeah true because I play this game with the kids and I know it's terrible
but sometimes I ask them who would they choose to live with it's just a game you look so disturbed sweetheart is just a game I've never not realized yeah yeah it's just a terrible evil game that I play with my kids and I used to feel like it was a compliment when they said me until I realized that the one they would choose to live with is usually the parent who doesn't know how to say no and you say God is a good good father I like the song too but is he still good when
he says what every good parent has to say every once in a while no no I'm not gonna make it easier no I'm not gonna bring them back into your life no I'm not gonna take the thing away see Paul had experience with this you understand cuz he had something that he called a thorn in his flesh something that he wanted God to take away because he thought I could be so much more effective if it wasn't for this thing that's holding me back and we all have that thing and so Paul asked God take
it away and God said no and so Paul came back a second time and he said pretty please and God said no and he asked him a third time with a cherry on top and God said no the answer is still no and this is my question is he still good when the answer is still no or do you have a conditional faith that when God says no you go home that when it doesn't happen overnight and that when you don't see results right away not only do you quit the gym but you quit church
and you quit praying and so we tried here and we tried there and God said no so I guess it must be God's will for us to go back home but Paul didn't see it that way Paul knew that just because God says no doesn't mean it's over and I prophetically proclaim that over someone's life today I don't know what No you've been told by God by life by the doctor by another person I don't know what that no is but I don't have to know what the know is here's what I know because he
who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it it's not over it's not over so I'm on the screen it's not over in fact here's what I learned about God sometimes when he says no it's because there's a greater opportunity that I don't know about yet and God is so good help me preach now I'm closing the message but this is for somebody who's been told no and the pain hasn't gone away and the memory hasn't gone away and it hasn't gotten easier and the seats haven't gotten smoother and it doesn't
seem to be changing in your situation but God came to give you strength in your spirit it's not over just because God said no doesn't mean he's left you alone he is with you in the know like he was with you in the yes he good father he knows what's on the other side of know so don't go home don't go home just because God said no oh but I'm trying so hard and I asked I I thought my Egret leader I guess it I guess it wasn't meant to be I guess it wasn't meant
for me Paul said no let's go to trow ass is that verse a and when they went to uh trow as they passed by my SIA that's where Paul wanted to go go ahead and God wouldn't let him so they had to pass by sometimes you have to pass by your plans to get to God's purpose [Applause] give me with spiritual ears he passed by what he planned to get to what God purposed so he passes by my SIA see ya and goes to Troas where he waits in confusion but he's chained to grace and
he waits theirs knows that if God says no I won't remove it the obstacle the thorn I will give you a grace that is greater so that you can overcome it it's a no-go it's not over it's a greater opportunity because while Paul was at tro s not the place he planned the place God purposed he saw a vision in the night and this vision it wasn't a vision of God it was a vision of a man from Macedonia and he was standing there begging Paul come over to Macedonia and help us and God didn't
show up looking like an angel God showed up looking like a need and God might be speaking to you about your next season in the context of the need that's standing right in front of you I feel so so deep for somebody man because they're just about to go home just go home it's over that's what the enemy has been telling you just quit trying to be free just quit try and just give it this is who you are no I'm I'm loved by God that's who I am and he's a good father and if
he says no there's something that he knows that I don't know and that's what makes him God and that's why I worship Him and I serve Him he doesn't serve me so verse 10 after Paul had seen the vision we got ready Luke says at once and we left for Macedonia concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them 11 and from troas the place where we were uncertain be put out to sea and sailed straight for some otras and the next day we went to Neapolis and from there we traveled to
Philip I I thank my god in every remembrance of you in every prayer with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now and we got to Philip I the place we didn't plan for but the place God wanted us to be all along see because Philip I was a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia and Philip I was the first place in Europe where Paul established a church in fact it was the first place in the Western world that Paul established a church those of us
in the Western world we are a part of a church that started because God told Paul no [Applause] and I just wonder today what's on the other side of your know that you will miss if you go home because you're disappointed if if you if you receive God's yes with praise why not receive his know with trust I [Applause] just want a minister men and no we're out of time but people are frustrated and hurting and disappointed and been struggling with stuff for generations and generations and and you keep thinking that because it didn't turn
out the way that you planned that you must be outside of God's will you're where you're supposed to be you're who you're supposed to be and it was him all along it was him in the yeses it was him in the nose it was him on the mountaintop when you had it when you were succeeding when you felt it and it's him in the valleys he's the same God yesterday hey and forever and would you race him right now that game began a good work in you will be thankful to complete it come on give
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