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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation

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Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank

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Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope

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Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to

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Speaker 1: see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Philippians,

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Speaker 1: Chapter one, verse fifteen, Paul speaking. It is true that

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Speaker 1: some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others

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Speaker 1: out of goodwill, and the latter do so out of love,

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Speaker 1: knowing that I am put here. Remember, I'm where I'm

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Speaker 1: supposed to be, regardless of how I got here, I

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Speaker 1: was put here. That's a way of seeing life that

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Speaker 1: will set you free from the need to understand all

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Speaker 1: of the events as they're happening, just to decide in

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Speaker 1: advance wherever I end up that must be where God

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Speaker 1: has me. Now, this can get dangerous because you can

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Speaker 1: end up blaming God's sovereignty for your lack of responsibility.

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Speaker 1: You know, I lost the job. I guess God wanted

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Speaker 1: me to lose the job. I wanted you to show

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Speaker 1: up on time, and so let's don't get carried away.

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Speaker 1: But when the situation is out of my control. It's

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Speaker 1: not out of God's hands. Amen. Yeah, I feel the

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Speaker 1: spirit of God on that, because when he says I'm

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Speaker 1: put here, that's one way of seeing it. He's positioned,

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Speaker 1: and he sees himself as stationed rather than seeing himself

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Speaker 1: as stuck. So the location doesn't change, but the lens

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Speaker 1: he views his situation through is changing through the years.

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Speaker 1: And since he's old now he has this great perspective

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Speaker 1: and we get in on it through this letter that

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Speaker 1: he wrote to the Philippian Church. So some people like

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Speaker 1: me and some don't. But he says, the former preach

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Speaker 1: Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing they can

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Speaker 1: stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

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Speaker 1: And this has been my mantra all week. What does

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Speaker 1: it I found a new radio station wd IM does

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Speaker 1: it matter? And when all this nonsense starts playing in

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Speaker 1: my head, I just I turned the dial and I

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Speaker 1: try to find a different signal, the signal that lets

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Speaker 1: me know. I can't think short term and I can't

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Speaker 1: let little things, the little foxes, spoil the vine. I

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Speaker 1: can't let the flies get into the ointment and mess

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Speaker 1: up something sweet. So I got to get my priorities

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Speaker 1: straight now according to God's purpose for me? What does

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Speaker 1: it matter? And I don't know if you if you

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Speaker 1: want it or not, but we made some bracelets that

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Speaker 1: just say wd IM on them. I got mine. I

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Speaker 1: said it as a joke, and the team liked it

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Speaker 1: so much. They made twenty five thousand of these bracelets.

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Speaker 1: And it's really helpful. You might want to put it

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Speaker 1: on your husband's wrists every once in a while. What

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Speaker 1: does it matter? Just a little reminder of be yours

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Speaker 1: today until we run out. And if we run out,

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Speaker 1: what does it matter? You're not gonna be upset about that?

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Speaker 1: What does it matter? It's not that I don't care

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Speaker 1: about what people think, it's that it no longer controls me.

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Speaker 1: So what does it matter? The important thing is that

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Speaker 1: in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ

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Speaker 1: is preached. And because of this I rejoice, Yes, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: and I will continue to rejoice. What you're gonna do

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Speaker 1: about it, devil? You hit me with your best shot,

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Speaker 1: and I'm still in church. I will continue to rejoice. Now,

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Speaker 1: you could knock the smile off my face if you tried.

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Speaker 1: I'm still smiling and my back hurts, But I'm still

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Speaker 1: smiling with my grain headaches, but I'm still smiling, and

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Speaker 1: my kids are out of control, but I'm still smiling

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Speaker 1: while I yell through clenched teeth. For I know that

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Speaker 1: through your prayers, in God's provision of the spirit of

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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out

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Speaker 1: from my deliverance. And I eagerly expect and hope that

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Speaker 1: I will in no way be ashamed, but will have

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Speaker 1: sufficient courage. So oh, I'm not asking God to reduce

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Speaker 1: the conflict. I'm asking him to increase my courage for

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Speaker 1: the conflict, so that now as always, Christ will be

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Speaker 1: exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

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Speaker 1: For to me to live as Christ and to die

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Speaker 1: is gain I can't lose. If I am to go

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Speaker 1: on living in the body, well, this will mean fruitful

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Speaker 1: labor for me. And the next line, I just laughed

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Speaker 1: because he's talking like he's choosing a show on Netflix.

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Speaker 1: What shall I choose? Oh, And he's talking about life

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Speaker 1: and death. But he's come to the point in his

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Speaker 1: life where he's like, well, either way, I'm cool. I

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Speaker 1: don't even know. I'm torn. Ah between the two. I

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Speaker 1: kind of want to get out of here. This world

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Speaker 1: is a crazy place. And I'd like to see Jesus.

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Speaker 1: I got a reward waiting with my name on it,

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Speaker 1: and I want to see the one who died for

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Speaker 1: me and bled for me, and I want him to

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Speaker 1: wipe every tear from my eye, and I want to

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Speaker 1: be in his presence. And I kind of like to

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Speaker 1: I'd kind of like to depart. I desire to depart

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Speaker 1: and be with Christ, which is better by far, but

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Speaker 1: it's more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

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Speaker 1: So since you still need me, I probably can't leave.

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Speaker 1: I'd like God to take me to heaven, but He's

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Speaker 1: probably gonna make me stay. I know that I will remain,

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Speaker 1: and I will continue with all of you for your

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Speaker 1: progress and joy in the faith. So I asked God,

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Speaker 1: can I go to heaven? And so look at your

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Speaker 1: neighbor and give him my sermon title. It's a no go. Now.

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Speaker 1: Look at it from the perspective of the Philippian Church,

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Speaker 1: who would have been excited to receive this letter with

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Speaker 1: news about their beloved Apostle Paul. I can almost hear

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Speaker 1: their feet stampeding through the streets. I can almost hear

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Speaker 1: them knocking on the door of Lydia, who was the

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Speaker 1: first convert when Paul passed through Philippi, and she opened

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Speaker 1: her heart and then her home, and that's how the

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Speaker 1: whole church got started in Philippi in a sense, And

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Speaker 1: so I can hear through the streets of Philippie. Hey, Lydia,

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Speaker 1: we got a letter from Paul because they couldn't follow

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Speaker 1: him on Instagram, and so they had been waiting for

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Speaker 1: news of his release or his execution, or the date

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Speaker 1: of his release. But we need to know how Paul

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Speaker 1: is doing, and we really need him out of prison

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Speaker 1: so he can help us accomplish the purpose of God. Hey,

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Speaker 1: we got a letter from Paul. Come on, Lydia. And

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Speaker 1: maybe that Roman jailer was still around who locked Paul

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Speaker 1: up and then when Paul and Silas sang at midnight

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Speaker 1: and refused to leave the prison until they led that

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Speaker 1: man to the lord because they were more concerned about

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Speaker 1: him being free than them being free. And maybe he

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Speaker 1: comes around, and maybe they all meet up at Lydia's

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Speaker 1: house if she's still living. And we got a letter

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Speaker 1: from Paul. And you know when you get an urgent

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Speaker 1: email and you just skim past the polite stuff. Paul

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Speaker 1: and Timothy service. Jesu Christ yea God's Holy people Christ,

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Speaker 1: Jesus phlip yah. Is he getting out? Paul? Do we

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Speaker 1: need to get the Welcome Home from Prison committee together?

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Speaker 1: Are you coming to see us? What did Caesar say?

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Speaker 1: Do you have a date set of you been able

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Speaker 1: to defend yourself? And they must have been surprised that

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Speaker 1: Paul only gave a half of verse to his situation

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Speaker 1: and the rest of the entire letter. Paul teaches them

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Speaker 1: a lesson and it's this and I want to do

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Speaker 1: my best to teach you today. God help me teach

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Speaker 1: this today. He teaches them how to be released in reverse.

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Speaker 1: How you can still be in the same situation that

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Speaker 1: you prayed to get out of. But even though you're

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Speaker 1: still in that situation, you are free in your spirit.

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Speaker 1: So we have to go quick. I don't have a

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Speaker 1: lot of time to tell you this. But God is

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Speaker 1: more interested about freeing you in your spirit than he

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Speaker 1: is freeing you from your situation. This is a core

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Speaker 1: teaching and a core tenant not only from this pulpit,

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Speaker 1: but it is the essence of the gospel. Is that

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Speaker 1: God is more interested in delivering us on the inside,

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Speaker 1: changing us on the inside, and rearranging our internal condition

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Speaker 1: than he is about arranging our external affairs. This gospel

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Speaker 1: is not popular to preach in an age that is

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Speaker 1: so consumed with changing scenery. We are more concerned with

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Speaker 1: the scenery than we are with our spirits. And Paul

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Speaker 1: is teaching us a lesson. We'd be wise to listen

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Speaker 1: to him. He says, I'm not out yet, but I'm free.

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Speaker 1: I'm still right here in this cell physically, but spiritually,

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Speaker 1: I'm free, free from what, Free from pain? No, no,

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Speaker 1: I'm hurting, Free from uncertainty. No, I don't know what

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Speaker 1: they're gonna do to me. Free from Have you ever

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Speaker 1: asked God to set you free from certain people? And

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Speaker 1: He keeps trying and you keep texting them back. So

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Speaker 1: work with the Lord. That was a whole series right there,

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Speaker 1: And Paul says, I'm free. Oh you're coming home. No,

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Speaker 1: but I'm free. I'm I'm free, I'm I'm I'm free.

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Speaker 1: Watch this. This is what I've been praying lately. I

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Speaker 1: stopped praying God set me free from it, whatever it is.

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Speaker 1: You know this imagination that if that got better, I

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Speaker 1: would be better, Because sometimes that got better, and I

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Speaker 1: got worse. So I stopped praying God set me free

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Speaker 1: from it, because sometimes God set me free from the situation,

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Speaker 1: and I took myself into a new situation. And I

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Speaker 1: took my same change from the last situation, the last relationship,

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Speaker 1: into the new relationship. So lately I've been praying, and

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Speaker 1: if you want to pray it with me, let me

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Speaker 1: repeat after me, God set me free from me. If

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Speaker 1: you don't get that, you haven't lived long enough, because

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Speaker 1: you will get tired of yourself at some point, and

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Speaker 1: you will get tired of making your own movies of

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Speaker 1: which you are the star and everyone else is a

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Speaker 1: prop and you will want something bigger in your life

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Speaker 1: then how I feel in this moment. You want something

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Speaker 1: bigger in your life then what I am earning. You'll

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Speaker 1: want something bigger in your life then status. And so

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Speaker 1: Paul said, I'm I'm free, not the freedom that you

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Speaker 1: can see, but i am I'm free from the invisible prison. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm free because I'm releasing some things. And Paul says,

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm releasing myself from the prison of resentment. I'm

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Speaker 1: releasing myself from the need to know the reason why

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Speaker 1: everything is the way it is, I'm releasing myself, and

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Speaker 1: it's really beautiful because he could have waited around to

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Speaker 1: be set free by somebody else, but he decided I'm

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Speaker 1: going to use the keys that God has given me.

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Speaker 1: So I've got my own keys called faith and trust

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Speaker 1: and praise and gratitude, and so I don't need you

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Speaker 1: to free me. I am setting people free from my

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Speaker 1: need for them to validate me. I found freedom when

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Speaker 1: I realized that I have all of the resources I

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Speaker 1: need through the spirit of God. And it is through

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Speaker 1: the provision of spirit. Pa. It's just an intro, but

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Speaker 1: it's so good because Paul's saying, I'm not out, but

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Speaker 1: I'm free. Nothing has changed in my situation, but I

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Speaker 1: don't need my situation to change. God has changed me.

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Speaker 1: And whom the Son sets free is free. Indeed, I

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Speaker 1: stop screaming I'm just When you get free, it makes

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Speaker 1: you want to holler when you get free. It makes

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Speaker 1: you want to clap. When you get free, it makes

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Speaker 1: you want to shout, It makes you want to throw

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Speaker 1: off the change, shout I'm free. Look at the person

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Speaker 1: next to you and say, free from what you think

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Speaker 1: of me. I don't look.

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Speaker 2: Mons and worship. I want people to think I'm one

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Speaker 2: of those weird Christians. I think it's kind of weird

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Speaker 2: that somebody that didn't die for you.

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Speaker 1: Would dictate the level of your faith, and that you

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Speaker 1: would ever be ashamed of the Gospel when you claim

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Speaker 1: to be free. If He set you free, we don't

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Speaker 1: have law. Take ten seconds and praise Him like you're free.

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Speaker 1: That's good. Six five, four three two one Philippius, Chapter one.

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Speaker 1: Paul said, I'm free. I don't know whether I'll get

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Speaker 1: out of this prison, but whether or not I get

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Speaker 1: out of this prison is not the hinge on which

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Speaker 1: my faith swings, because I made a decision to be free,

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Speaker 1: free of bitterness, free of blame, real freedom, freedom that

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Speaker 1: nobody can give you but Jesus, and freedom that nobody

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Speaker 1: can take away. It's a different kind of freedom. It's

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Speaker 1: not just the freedom to do whatever you want and

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Speaker 1: say whatever you want that pretend freedom. It's a real freedom.

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Speaker 1: It's a deep freedom. It's a freedom that I hope

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Speaker 1: to experience more and more in my life, and I

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Speaker 1: pray the same for you. Because Paul said, I want

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Speaker 1: you to be free, isn't it funny that he's He's

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Speaker 1: praying for them. He's in prison, and he's the freest

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Speaker 1: one of them all. Some of the least free people

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Speaker 1: I ever met in my life had the most stuff,

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Speaker 1: and Paul is so free at this point. He's free

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Speaker 1: from the need to know what happens next. He's free.

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Speaker 1: He's free. Wouldn't it be good to be free like that?

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Speaker 1: And he sets himself free instead of waiting for someone

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Speaker 1: else to And how he does it is kind of

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Speaker 1: a cool I guess it's a psychological and theological lesson

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Speaker 1: all at once. He does it by remembering, because if

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Speaker 1: he dwells too much on what he's going through right now,

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Speaker 1: it will cause him to lose hope. If he dwells

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Speaker 1: too much on what's going to happen next, it'll cause

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Speaker 1: him to be unstable. And he can't control that anyway.

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Speaker 1: So listen, Blataney, He says, give me my camera. He says,

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Speaker 1: I thank my God in every remembrance of you. This

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Speaker 1: is Philippians chapter one, in every prayer with joy, and

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Speaker 1: I thank him for your partnership in the Gospel from

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Speaker 1: the first day until now. So he revisits in his

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Speaker 1: mind a time, maybe thirty years earlier, that he began

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Speaker 1: this work with these friends in Philippi, and now he's

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Speaker 1: writing them a letter about his current situation. But the

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Speaker 1: way that he deals with his anxiety, how many of

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Speaker 1: you are dealing with anxiety in your life, and you

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Speaker 1: don't mind raising your hands so I can preach right

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Speaker 1: to you. He remembers, He remembers, and he concludes something

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Speaker 1: when he revisits his memory of God's faithfulness. Because there

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Speaker 1: is a way of remembering the past that will paralyze

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Speaker 1: the potential of today, but there is a way of

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Speaker 1: remembering the past that can fuel your faith for tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: Paul does the latter. He says, I thank my God

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Speaker 1: every time I remember you and I remember your partnership.

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Speaker 1: I'm not in this by myself, from the very first

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Speaker 1: day until now, and I am confident of this that

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Speaker 1: he who began a good work in you, who started it.

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Speaker 1: That's what they used to say in middle school when

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Speaker 1: there was a fight and you get dragged in the

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Speaker 1: principal's office, and so we used to have a say.

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Speaker 1: And I didn't start it, but I finished it. And

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Speaker 1: so God does both. And when the devil starts picking

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Speaker 1: on you, don't forget who started it. If God started

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Speaker 1: a good work in you. Guess what he's gonna do.

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Speaker 1: He's gonna finish it. Now. You won't know all the

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Speaker 1: details when it starts. But God is not like you,

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Speaker 1: and so he knows the end from the beginning. God

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Speaker 1: saw the last frame of the movie before he started

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Speaker 1: casting or directing. So God reveals these things to us

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Speaker 1: in reverse. It's like Abraham, I'm gonna bless the whole

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Speaker 1: art through you. Okay, can you tell me how no

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Speaker 1: go to the land. I will show you and the

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Speaker 1: details will unfold as your obedience does. Yeah. And so

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Speaker 1: Paul says, I remember how this started, and I know

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Speaker 1: who started it. It was God because I wasn't even

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Speaker 1: trying to get to Philippi. Actually, when I think about

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Speaker 1: how I came to you, how we started, it was

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Speaker 1: almost an accidental miracle. I call it that, knowing that

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Speaker 1: nothing is an accident to God. But one day I'm

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Speaker 1: going to preach, when I ever get the courage to

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Speaker 1: do it, a whole sermon called Miracles by mistake, just

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Speaker 1: like what feels like the worst mistake of your life.

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Speaker 1: And it was really God using human weakness to display

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Speaker 1: divide strength. My young people know what's a love it.

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Speaker 1: So Paul, he has like a faith flashback. David did

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Speaker 1: the same thing. There's Goliath. He's big line was big,

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Speaker 1: the bear was big. The bigger they come. So if

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Speaker 1: the lion went and the bear went, Goliath is about

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Speaker 1: to go. This is called faith flashback, and Paul says,

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Speaker 1: I remember I'm released in reverse. It's kind of weird.

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Speaker 1: In order to go forward with faith, I got to

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Speaker 1: remember how I went out preaching, and I went to

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Speaker 1: the Jews first. But as I was preaching to the Jews,

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Speaker 1: the Gentiles wanted to hear it too, and the message

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Speaker 1: was too big because God told Abraham, I'll bless all

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Speaker 1: people through you. And so God started using me to

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Speaker 1: do what he said he would do, and he chose me.

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Speaker 1: In fact, Acts nine calls Paul God's chosen vessel. We've

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Speaker 1: been talking about choices. I always remember, you didn't choose God.

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Speaker 1: He chose you. And if he started it, he's the

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Speaker 1: author and finisher of your faith. So I started preaching,

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Speaker 1: went on a little tour, started some churches Galatia, went

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Speaker 1: really all around. I wanted to take the gospel further,

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Speaker 1: and when I got home, the people who should have

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Speaker 1: been celebrating. Were suspicious because sometimes we don't like when

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Speaker 1: God doesn't meet our rules of who he's supposed to

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Speaker 1: reach and who he's supposed to bless. You were what

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Speaker 1: the church? You listen to? What you think you come on, man,

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Speaker 1: you can't you can't be a Christian. This is what

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Speaker 1: they thought. You know, you have to keep the Sabbath,

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Speaker 1: you have to be circumcised. Now, let me tell you

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Speaker 1: what that did that shut down the men's ministry. And

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Speaker 1: Paul was like, no, I don't think so. I think

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Speaker 1: it's about the inside. I don't think it's about the outside.

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Speaker 1: I think that's what Jesus came for. So we could

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Speaker 1: stop fixing things up on the outside and smiling pretty

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Speaker 1: like our life is finterest and get real and come

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Speaker 1: into the presence of God imperfect. I don't think it's

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Speaker 1: really important what you wear or if you can say

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Speaker 1: the right words. I don't think that matters. I don't

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Speaker 1: think that's the priority. And so he just he shared

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Speaker 1: the gospel freely, freely with everybody the grace of God.

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Speaker 1: When we got home, had to have a little meeting

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Speaker 1: to decide could the gentiles come in to the church.

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Speaker 1: And it was a rowdy meeting, but ultimately they said,

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Speaker 1: you know, we probably should just we probably should just

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Speaker 1: go with God. Imagine that if God's doing something, we

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Speaker 1: should probably stay out of his way. So go ahead, Paul.

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Speaker 1: Not that we really like you anymore, but we're not

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Speaker 1: going to stop you. So go preaching. Now, Paul leaves

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Speaker 1: to go preach again, but this time he has an idea.

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Speaker 1: He's like, I need to go check on the churches

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Speaker 1: that I started and see how they're doing. I need

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Speaker 1: to go back to some of the places where we

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Speaker 1: planted a church and see if the seeds have become trees.

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Speaker 1: I need to go strengthen people in the faith that begin,

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Speaker 1: and I want to see if they're still moving. I

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Speaker 1: want to see if their choices are becoming habits, are

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Speaker 1: becoming automatic. Can bring me that, yeah, yeah, perfect. I

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Speaker 1: was like, Oh, make sure there's no missing pieces. I

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Speaker 1: want to make sure that what God started gets completed.

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Speaker 1: Come here, Tyler, and so he goes on this preaching tour.

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Speaker 1: Hashtag strengthened the Saints, hashtag check in on the church. Now.

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Speaker 1: You can't take Barnabas. Barnabas was the first Christian that

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Speaker 1: liked Paul most of Christians didn't like Paul because Paul

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Speaker 1: used to kill Christians. It's kind of hard to apply

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Speaker 1: for a senior pastor job with that on your resume.

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Speaker 1: Our guest speaker tonight, ah, you know. But Barnabas was like, nah,

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Speaker 1: he's cool. And then Paul and Barnabas got in a

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Speaker 1: fight about john Mark. Because it doesn't matter how delivered

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Speaker 1: you get, you never fully get delivered from drama. I

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Speaker 1: left that there was too much drama. What church are

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Speaker 1: you going to join, because the moment you joined that

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Speaker 1: one will have drama too. Anyway, So Paul goes preaching.

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Speaker 1: Now I want to illustrate this to you, how the

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Speaker 1: grace of God was unleashed, and really that's what the

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Speaker 1: whole Book of Galatians is about. One of the places

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Speaker 1: Paul went to check on. He went to Galatia. And

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Speaker 1: this might be a little complicated for just like a

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Speaker 1: normal sermon, but maybe you could study it on your

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Speaker 1: own time. I try to put enough in these messages

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Speaker 1: that you can take home some tupperware and then go

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Speaker 1: back and visit things that you want to look more into.

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Speaker 1: But Paul had an idea to go check on the

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Speaker 1: churches and God didn't tell him to do it. In fact, Paul,

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Speaker 1: in this particular scenario, he's not so much being led

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Speaker 1: by God to do it as he is being led

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Speaker 1: by his burden to do it. And the only reason

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Speaker 1: I point that out is because I think a lot

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Speaker 1: of us think that God leading us looks like this,

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Speaker 1: you know, and that's almost how we follow Christ, Like, okay, God,

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Speaker 1: come on, Tyler, make the face. Okay, God, you're not

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Speaker 1: making the face time, you look too happy? Oh okay.

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Speaker 1: But actually it was more like this. Paul set out,

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Speaker 1: go ahead, and God went with him. So that's a

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Speaker 1: simple principle. Divine empowerment often awaits human initiative. And so

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Speaker 1: Paul went out and he went to check on the churches,

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Speaker 1: and it was a very effective trip, a very effective

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Speaker 1: preaching tour. He couldn't take Barnabas, so he took Silas,

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Speaker 1: which is good because Silas liked to sing, and they

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Speaker 1: needed to sing at midnight when everyone's chains were so tight,

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Speaker 1: so that everyone's chains could come loose. Because God will

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Speaker 1: put in your life who you need for the season

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Speaker 1: that you're in. Just because Barnabas left doesn't mean God

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Speaker 1: did so pick up Silas and hit the road, and

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Speaker 1: Paul said, let's go. Let's go and Acts sixteen for records.

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Speaker 1: What happened next? They traveled from town to town, and

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Speaker 1: they told all the churches good news. We met with

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Speaker 1: the council at Jerusalem. You don't have to be circumcised,

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Speaker 1: and all the men said so. So Paul's like, all right,

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Speaker 1: put down your knives. We're not doing that anymore. Just

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Speaker 1: here's what you do. Don't worship idols, don't eat food

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Speaker 1: with the blood still in it, strangled animals, and you

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Speaker 1: can come to the kingdom. And they went around delivering it.

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Speaker 1: And what should happen next verse The churches were strengthened

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Speaker 1: in the faith everywhere Paul went. God gave him the

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Speaker 1: grace to go, and God gave him the evidence, and

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Speaker 1: the church grew daily in numbers. And then verse six

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Speaker 1: happens verse success. Paul and his companions traveled, let's go

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Speaker 1: throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept

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Speaker 1: by the devil from preaching the word in the province.

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Speaker 1: Rick Parker, you signed upset. What's wrong? Did I mispronounce Phrygia? Rick,

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Speaker 1: you can't wear a pink Floyd T shirt in church?

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Speaker 1: What's wrong with you? Man? Gentile? Did I say the

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Speaker 1: verse wrong? Having been kept by the Oh, the Holy Spirit,

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Speaker 1: having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching? I

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Speaker 1: understand the Holy Spirit keeps me from doing certain things.

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Speaker 1: Please don't look at me like you've never had the

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Speaker 1: Holy Spirit have to restrain you. Please don't look at

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Speaker 1: me like there's never been cusswords coming out of your mouth.

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Speaker 1: And something that was God on the inside of you

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Speaker 1: yanked him back yet and it was like swallowing down

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Speaker 1: vomit to get it from coming out. It tasted bad.

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Speaker 1: Graphic illustration. I understand the Holy Spirit kept kept me

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Speaker 1: from going off, and I understand the Holy Spirit kept

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Speaker 1: me from certain parties. But I didn't know the Holy

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Speaker 1: Spirit would keep you from preaching having been kept isn't

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Speaker 1: that a weird verse? You've heard this sermon? This is

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Speaker 1: the third time you heard the sermon having been kept

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Speaker 1: by the I want to blame the devil here, because

427
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,840
Speaker 1: everything that I want to happen in my life that

428
00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:20,480
Speaker 1: doesn't happen, I give the devil credit for it. Every

429
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,240
Speaker 1: every dream that I have that doesn't come true, it's

430
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,240
Speaker 1: the devil. It's the devil. The devil is more popular

431
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:31,640
Speaker 1: than God. In most sermons. It's the devil. It's just

432
00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,320
Speaker 1: a it's but the but the devil and the Lord

433
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,480
Speaker 1: really spoke to me the last time I went down

434
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:42,680
Speaker 1: that that that that line of logic and and and

435
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 1: the sense that I got is he was telling me,

436
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,320
Speaker 1: stop giving the devil credit for stuff I'm trying to

437
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:53,520
Speaker 1: do in your life, and particularly stop giving the devil

438
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:58,880
Speaker 1: credit for the moments where I hold you back. Because

439
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 1: Paul was the most brilliant preacher that ever lived. There

440
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,840
Speaker 1: was nobody better to preach in Asia than Paul. And

441
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:06,920
Speaker 1: wat's what he says. He said, I wanted to do

442
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,760
Speaker 1: a good thing. My desire was right. It wasn't out

443
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:14,200
Speaker 1: of bad motives. I was trying to strengthen the church.

444
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,120
Speaker 1: I was trying to build people up in their faith.

445
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,600
Speaker 1: I was trying to do what I thought God told

446
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:22,720
Speaker 1: me to do. And I went to Galatia and God

447
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,280
Speaker 1: let me. And I went to Phrygia and God left me.

448
00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 1: But when I tried to go to the border of

449
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,800
Speaker 1: Mysia and inner Bathynia, watch what says next. The spirit

450
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,920
Speaker 1: of Jesus would not allow them to What's up with

451
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:42,680
Speaker 1: God holding Paul back from preaching the gospel. What would

452
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:47,680
Speaker 1: God send his son and not spare his son? And

453
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 1: then Paul goes to try to preach and God says no,

454
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,719
Speaker 1: So Jesus go into all the world and preach the gospel.

455
00:31:55,760 --> 00:32:02,520
Speaker 1: Paul's like, okay, God says no, not there. I'm just

456
00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:06,240
Speaker 1: trying to tell what you told me to try again.

457
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,680
Speaker 1: Maybe we can get in my sea. Go and my

458
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:13,959
Speaker 1: sea got to the border. No, and most of us

459
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,280
Speaker 1: right here, most of us would have gone back home

460
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,120
Speaker 1: because the moment that we make progress and then the

461
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 1: progress stops. And I know your risk is starting to hurt,

462
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:27,640
Speaker 1: and there will be a reward in heaven and a

463
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:29,360
Speaker 1: crown with some big jewels in it when you get

464
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:37,000
Speaker 1: done with a sermon and an ice pack. But see,

465
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:39,840
Speaker 1: here's the thing about being a good parent. You really

466
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,200
Speaker 1: don't know what kind of parent you are until you

467
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:50,880
Speaker 1: have to tell your kid no. Yeah. True, Because I

468
00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:55,040
Speaker 1: play this game with the kids and I know it's terrible,

469
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:56,720
Speaker 1: but sometimes I ask them who would they choose to

470
00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:04,320
Speaker 1: live with. It's just a game. You look so disturbed, sweetheart,

471
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,080
Speaker 1: is just a game. I'll never It's not realized. Yeah,

472
00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,040
Speaker 1: it's just a terrible evil game that I play with

473
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:13,440
Speaker 1: my kids. And I used to feel like it was

474
00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 1: a compliment when they said me, until I realized that

475
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,440
Speaker 1: the one they would choose to live with is usually

476
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:32,239
Speaker 1: the parent who doesn't know how to say no. And

477
00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:40,320
Speaker 1: you say, God is a good, good father, So I

478
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:44,239
Speaker 1: like the song too, But is he still good when

479
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:47,200
Speaker 1: he says what every good parent has to say every

480
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:51,920
Speaker 1: once in a while. No, No, I'm not going to

481
00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,360
Speaker 1: make it easier. No, I'm not going to bring them

482
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,800
Speaker 1: back into your life. No, I'm not going to take

483
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 1: the thing away. See, Paul had experience with this, you understand,

484
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:07,040
Speaker 1: because he had something that he called a thorn in

485
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,240
Speaker 1: his flesh, something that he wanted God to take away

486
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,040
Speaker 1: because he thought I could be so much more effective

487
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,359
Speaker 1: if it wasn't for this thing that's holding me back.

488
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,879
Speaker 1: And we all have that thing, and so Paul asked

489
00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,880
Speaker 1: God take it away, and God said no. And so

490
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,040
Speaker 1: Paul came back a second time and he said pretty please,

491
00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,399
Speaker 1: and God said no. And he asked him a third

492
00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:32,359
Speaker 1: time with a cherry on top, and God said no.

493
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,360
Speaker 1: The answer is still no. And this is my question.

494
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,120
Speaker 1: Is he still good when the answer is still no.

495
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:52,439
Speaker 1: Or do you have a conditional faith that when God

496
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,480
Speaker 1: says no, you go home, that when it doesn't happen overnight,

497
00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:00,799
Speaker 1: and that when you don't see results away, not only

498
00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:05,360
Speaker 1: do you quit the gym, but you quit church and

499
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,880
Speaker 1: you quit praying. And so we tried here and we

500
00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:12,759
Speaker 1: tried there, and God said no. So I guess it

501
00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,719
Speaker 1: must be God's will for us to go back home.

502
00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:19,200
Speaker 1: But Paul didn't see it that way. Paul knew that

503
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:25,120
Speaker 1: just because God says no doesn't mean it's over. And

504
00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:29,759
Speaker 1: I prophetically proclaim that over someone's life today. I don't

505
00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:34,040
Speaker 1: know what no. You've been told by God, by life,

506
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:38,040
Speaker 1: by the doctor, by another person. I don't know what

507
00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:40,000
Speaker 1: the no is. But I don't have to know what

508
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,160
Speaker 1: the no is. Here's what I know, because He who

509
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,759
Speaker 1: began a good work in you will be faithful to

510
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:53,880
Speaker 1: complete it. It's not over. It's not over, show him

511
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,920
Speaker 1: on the screen. It's not over. In fact, here's what

512
00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:02,200
Speaker 1: I learned about God. Sometimes when he says no, is

513
00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,919
Speaker 1: because there's a greater opportunity that I don't know about yet.

514
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,920
Speaker 1: And God is so good help me personal. I'm closing

515
00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:14,719
Speaker 1: the message. But this is for somebody who's been told no,

516
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:18,960
Speaker 1: and the pain hasn't gone away, and the memory hasn't

517
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,680
Speaker 1: gone away, and it hasn't gotten easier, and the seas

518
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:26,160
Speaker 1: haven't gotten smoother, and it doesn't seem to be changing

519
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,720
Speaker 1: in your situation. But God came to give you strength

520
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:34,520
Speaker 1: in your spirit. It's not over. Just because God said

521
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:38,439
Speaker 1: no doesn't mean he's left you alone. He is with

522
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:40,799
Speaker 1: you in the no like he was with you in

523
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:51,319
Speaker 1: the yes. He's a good father. He knows what's on

524
00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:54,200
Speaker 1: the other side of no.

525
00:36:55,680 --> 00:37:00,000
Speaker 3: So don't go home. Don't go home just because God.

526
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,719
Speaker 3: God said no. Oh, but I'm trying so hard. And

527
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:13,120
Speaker 3: I asked God, don't my e group leader. I guess, eh,

528
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:15,680
Speaker 3: I guess it wasn't meant to be. I guess it

529
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:21,600
Speaker 3: wasn't meant for me. Paul said no, Let's go to

530
00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:23,640
Speaker 3: Troe ass is that verse a.

531
00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:27,960
Speaker 1: And when they went to a trow as they passed

532
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,240
Speaker 1: by my sea. That's where Paul wanted to go go ahead,

533
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:35,800
Speaker 1: and God wouldn't let him, so they had to pass by.

534
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,640
Speaker 1: Sometimes you have to pass by your plans to get

535
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:51,200
Speaker 1: to God's purpose. Hear me with spiritual ears. He passed

536
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:54,840
Speaker 1: by what he planned to get to what God purposed.

537
00:37:56,520 --> 00:38:05,040
Speaker 1: So he passes by my sea see you, and goes

538
00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:11,560
Speaker 1: to Troas, where he waits in confusion. But he's chained

539
00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:20,719
Speaker 1: to grace. And he waits because he knows that if

540
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:26,520
Speaker 1: God says no, I won't remove it, the obstacle, the thorn,

541
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:31,200
Speaker 1: I will give you a grace that is greater so

542
00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:35,799
Speaker 1: that you can overcome it. It's a no, God, it's

543
00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:42,719
Speaker 1: not over. It's a greater opportunity. Because while Paul was

544
00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:47,280
Speaker 1: at Troass, not the place he planned, the place God purposed,

545
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 1: he saw a vision in the night. And this vision,

546
00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:54,200
Speaker 1: it wasn't a vision of God. It was a vision

547
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:59,879
Speaker 1: of a man from Macedonia, and he was standing there.

548
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:07,319
Speaker 1: Come over to Macedonia and help us. And God didn't

549
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 1: show up looking like an angel. God showed up looking

550
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:16,160
Speaker 1: like a need. And God might be speaking to you

551
00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:20,319
Speaker 1: about your next season in the context of the need

552
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:24,840
Speaker 1: that's standing right in front of you. It feels that

553
00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,840
Speaker 1: so deep for somebody man, because they're just about to

554
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:31,560
Speaker 1: go home. Just go home, it's over. That's what the

555
00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:35,720
Speaker 1: enemy has been telling you. Just quit trying to be free,

556
00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:38,120
Speaker 1: just quit trying. Just give it this Just who you

557
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:44,640
Speaker 1: are no, I'm I'm loved by God. That's who I am.

558
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:48,279
Speaker 1: And he's a good father. And if he says no,

559
00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,680
Speaker 1: there's something that he knows that I don't know. And

560
00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:54,800
Speaker 1: that's what makes him God. And that's why I worship

561
00:39:54,880 --> 00:40:02,360
Speaker 1: him and I serve him. He doesn't serve me. So

562
00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,840
Speaker 1: Verse ten. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready,

563
00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:12,760
Speaker 1: Luke says at once, and we left from Macedonia, concluding

564
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:14,640
Speaker 1: that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

565
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:18,160
Speaker 1: Eleven And from Troas, the place where we were uncertain,

566
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,520
Speaker 1: we put out the sea and sailed straight for some Othrus,

567
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:25,520
Speaker 1: and the next day we went to Neapolis, and from

568
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:32,440
Speaker 1: there we traveled to Philippi. I thank my God in

569
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:35,680
Speaker 1: every remembrance of you, in every prayer with joy for

570
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,480
Speaker 1: your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.

571
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:45,000
Speaker 1: And we got to Philippi, the place we didn't plan for,

572
00:40:46,239 --> 00:40:49,759
Speaker 1: but the place God wanted us to be all along. See,

573
00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:53,760
Speaker 1: because Philippi was a Roman colony and the leading city

574
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:59,360
Speaker 1: of that district of Macedonia, and Philippi was the first

575
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:05,920
Speaker 1: place in Europe where Paul established a church. In fact,

576
00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,279
Speaker 1: it was the first place in the Western world that

577
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:14,480
Speaker 1: Paul established a church. Those of us in the Western

578
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:18,640
Speaker 1: world we are a part of a church that started

579
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:31,120
Speaker 1: because God told Paul no. And I just wonder today,

580
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:34,920
Speaker 1: what's on the other side of your no that you

581
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:40,000
Speaker 1: will miss if you go home because you're disappointed. If

582
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:48,799
Speaker 1: you if you receive God's yes with praise, why not

583
00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:59,680
Speaker 1: receive his no with trust? I just want to minister man,

584
00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:03,040
Speaker 1: we're out of time. But people are frustrated and hurting

585
00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:07,040
Speaker 1: and disappointed and been struggling with stuff for generations and generations.

586
00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:10,640
Speaker 1: And you keep thinking that because it didn't turn out

587
00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:14,320
Speaker 1: the way that you planned, that you must be outside

588
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:18,759
Speaker 1: of God's will. You're where you're supposed to be. You're

589
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:23,160
Speaker 1: who you're supposed to be. And it was Him all along.

590
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:27,120
Speaker 1: It was him and the yes, it was him and

591
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:30,719
Speaker 1: the nose. It was him on the mountaintop when you

592
00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:33,640
Speaker 1: had it, when you were succeeding, when you felt it,

593
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:38,160
Speaker 1: And it's him in the valleys. He's the same God, yesterday,

594
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:42,600
Speaker 1: today and forever. And would you praise him right now

595
00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:47,280
Speaker 1: for his purpose, that He who began a good work

596
00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:51,640
Speaker 1: in you will be faithful to complete it. Come a

597
00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:55,840
Speaker 1: given pray for the yes, didn't pray for the nose,

598
00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:02,040
Speaker 1: didn't pray for the light, didn't pray shut up? Get

599
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:08,360
Speaker 1: it please, sir, Thank you for joining us. Special thanks

600
00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:10,920
Speaker 1: to those of you who give generously to this ministry.

601
00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:14,200
Speaker 1: Is because of you that this ministry is possible. You

602
00:43:14,239 --> 00:43:16,600
Speaker 1: can click the link in the description to give now,

603
00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more information

604
00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:24,759
Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You

605
00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:26,840
Speaker 1: can share it with your friends. You can click the

606
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:29,160
Speaker 1: share button, take a screenshot and share it on your

607
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,160
Speaker 1: social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again

608
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:33,319
Speaker 1: for listening. God bless you,