♪ My faithful father ♪ In new and gray ♪ Your tender mercy's like a river ♪ With no end, it overwhelms me Each time I come to your presence, I stand in wonder once again. Each day I fall on my knees, cause your grace still amazes me. ♪ One nation, savior ♪ ♪ You make a way ♪ ♪ You are the author and the keeper of my soul ♪ What can I give you? Lord, what can I say? I know there's nowhere to repay you. You need to offer me. It's still amazing Your love is still a mystery Each day I fall on my knees Your face still amazes me It's stronger. It's higher. It's deeper. It's wider. It's stronger. It's higher than anything my eyes can see. Your grace still amazes me. Your grace still amazes me. Okay. Well, good evening in the Savior's precious name. We trust that all is well with you wherever you're found in the world tonight. Now, this evening I'm using a little microphone here. I hope that it's working and maybe some people can indicate that everything is coming over loud and clear. A couple of thumbs up will help with regard to that. I trust then that it isn't as echoey for you tonight, so I trust that everyone can hear me loud and clear this evening. I would appreciate just your help even through the service. Thank you for joining with us and we trust that the Word of God will be a blessing even to your heart tonight in the Saviour's precious name. We're going to pray and seek the Lord together and so let's call on the Lord and leave the meeting and his word in his hands as we come to hear God's precious word. Let's seek the Lord, please, together in a word of prayer. Let's pray. Father in heaven, We come to Thee again in our Saviour's precious name. We're ever thankful for the opportunity to go to Thee. We thank Thee for the welcome we always receive, for we find our acceptance in Christ. We come, dear God, as beggars, aware, dear Father, that without Thee we can do nothing. Conscious, O God, that we need Thy Spirit. and to help dear God of the great inspire of scripture that our understanding might be enlightened and our hearts open to what the Lord would have to say to us this evening. We lift ourselves and our families before thee in prayer. We're crying to thee O God that in thy mercy For those who are found in their families out of Christ, Lord, that they'll soon come, O God, to their senses, brought there by the working of the Spirit of God, Lord, to the realization of their need of a Savior, a Savior to save them from sin and to save them from coming judgment. We cry, O God, that thou wilt show us mercy. We confess that we're undeserving of it, but then, Lord, it wouldn't be mercy if we were deserving of it, and therefore we pray for mercy. We rejoice that the mercy of the Lord endureth forever. His tender mercies are over the sons of men. We cry, Lord, in these days, O God, that thou will come and show thyself even to us. Show thyself to be a God of great power. a God of majesty, a God of mercy, a God of revival. Lord, come, revive our own hearts personally. May we simply not go through the motions tonight as we gather together. But Lord, we cry to thee that thou wilt be with us and be one of our number. We do cry to thee for those who mourn tonight. We lift thee specially, O God, our sister, Mrs Graham, before thee. Lord, we cry to thee that thou wilt draw near to this dear woman, we pray. We thank thee for every remembrance of the Reverend Wesley Graham. Lord, we pray that this family circle will know thy comfort, even in this their time of great need. We thank Thee for all that Thy servant was enabled to do by the grace of God. Lord, we thank Thee for a race well run. We thank Thee for the prize and the crown that has been won. And we praise Thee, dear Father, that He's gone to be with Thee. And for Him that is far better. We pray for those who remain on earth. Lord, comfort their hearts. Show them that Thou art the God of all comfort and the Father of all mercies. Lord, draw near to such and for others, Lord. Across the province, we think of those who need our prayers. Lord, lift them up, we pray in the Saviour's precious name. And grant, dear Father, help to be given to such. Lord, we pray. Lord, come near us, we ask. Lord, come and encourage our hearts. And may, dear Father, even this meeting be owned of God. And for we pray these, our prayers, in and through the Saviour's precious and worthy name. Amen and amen. I'm going to take off the jacket tonight because it is warm and we're very thankful for the weather that we have received today. And we trust that you're all keeping well wherever you are. Let us know that you're keeping well at some stage, please. But let's concentrate on the word of God and we're praying that the blessing will be found in the Word of God tonight. We're turning in the Bible to Philippians chapter 1. The book of Philippians and the chapter number 1 and we'll begin our reading at the opening verse of the chapter. So it's Philippians in the chapter 1 beginning our reading at verse number 1. Hall and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, and with the bishops and deacons. Grace be on to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you, all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, in so much as both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye are all partakers of my grace. For God is my record. How greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. In this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent, and that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. But I, would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places, and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ, even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. But then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And therein do I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit. of Jesus Christ. Amen and we'll end our reading there at the end of the verse number 19 of Philippians and the chapter number 1. Let's again just briefly pray and you pray that God will minister to your heart even through his word tonight. Our Father in heaven, we come again in our Savior's precious name. I'm thankful, O God, for the people that are here gathered together with us for the time of prayer and for the time of Bible study. We thank thee for, O God, thy dear saints, and whatever their need would be tonight, we pray that it might be met in and through Jesus Christ. We pray thy word will be a blessing and a challenge. Lord, fill me with thy spirit. Lord, save us from professionalism, we pray. Lord, grant, dear Father, us to know the Lord standing with us, helping us and enabling us as the Word of God is preached. And so guide in all aspects of the meeting. Glorify thy Son. We offer prayer in and through our Saviour's precious name. Amen and amen. Why That's a question that's hard to find an answer for at times. A broken-hearted mother asks why when she holds her dead child in her arms, but no answer is forthcoming. A grieving husband asks why when he stands at the grave of his wife, but no adequate answer is supplied. A distraught child asks why when they cannot do something or go somewhere on the orders of a parent. But no satisfactory answer seems to pacify the inquirer. I'm sure this question, why, was at the forefront of the Philippian believer's mind when the news reached them that their friend and spiritual father, Paul, had been arrested and put into prison. Their thinking process probably went something like this. Paul is God's servant, a man who has given his life over to doing the will of God. The avenue of ministry that he has given himself wholeheartedly to since he was converted, that of the preaching of the gospel, has God's divine stamp of approval upon it. So why? Why then is Paul languishing in prison, unable to engage in what God has called him and equipped him to do? Paul, foreseeing their questioning, dealt with that very question, why, in this first chapter of Philippians. Especially the verses 12 through to 14. Let me read them to you again. But I would that ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. You know, there may be some here watching in tonight Some within our own congregational family who are questioning why has this pandemic come to our nation and why has it led to the curtailing of our ability to gather together for public worship in the house of God. A satisfactory answer may not be forthcoming to your questions, but I am convinced that what has taken place has, in the words of Paul here in verse 12, it has fallen out rather onto the furtherance of the gospel. Why, we are Calvinistic in our doctrine, though at times we do not behave as Calvinists, because if we did, then we would submit to the absolute sovereignty of God that controls the events in our lives and the happenings, every happening within our world. John Calvin wrote, all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God. And so we must conclude that all that has come upon us has been sovereignly purposed by God and that very truth should be a comfort to us this evening. Mr Spurgeon remarked, there is no attribute of God more comforting to his children than the doctrine of divine sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles, they believe that sovereignty hath ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. Apostle Paul in these verses furnishes the sense of God and Philippi with an answer as to why all that had befallen him had befallen him. All that Paul endured and suffered was onto the furtherance of the gospel. I'm convinced that these words provide us with the answer as to why, to the why of COVID-19. All has occurred, all has happened onto the furtherance of the gospel. Tonight I want us to look at this man who viewed life, life's events through that very lens. And everything that's befallen me will fall right to the furtherance of the gospel. I want us to look at the kind of man that says such a thing and what we can learn about such a man and that we as believers would become such Christians in our lives that we would understand that all that befalls us in this world happens and falls out for the furtherance of the gospel. So from these words here in verses 12 and 14, verses 12 through to 14, I want us to see a number of things. I want you to see first of all the passion of the Apostle Paul, the passion of the Apostle Paul having spent part of his early adult life, persecuting the church, Paul became the greatest advocate and advertisement for the gospel when he met God on the Damascus road. From that moment onwards, a passion gripped his heart. And it wasn't a passion for sport. It wasn't a passion for making money. It wasn't a passion for politics. It wasn't a passion for farming. It wasn't a passion for education. No, rather the passion that gripped the Apostle Paul's heart was a passion for Christ and a passion to make Christ known. This was the very thing that became the very passion, the very heartbeat, the very thrust, the very purpose of the Apostle's life. That passion for Christ and to make Christ known as identified for us in the words of verse 12, the furtherance of the gospel. Paul did not live for, neither was he willing to die for the furtherance of his name. He didn't live for and he didn't die for or was willing to die for the furtherance of his fame. Neither was he willing to live or to die for the furtherance of his reputation. You see all of those things had died when the old man was crucified with Christ. When he died to all of those things. When he owned Christ as Lord, he died to his name, to his reputation, and to his fame. But rather Paul was willing to live and to die for the furtherance, for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a noble, what a noteworthy passion motivated this servant of God. As we think of that, let me ask you what passion do you live for? What drives you in life? What motivates you? What gets you out of your bed in the morning with enthusiasm to meet a new day? What consumes your energies? What dominates your time? What takes up your thinking? What makes your life tick as a Christian? What passion do you carry in your heart? Is it for the gospel? It was for the Apostle Paul. It was of little consequence to Paul as to what would happen to his body, what happened to his own career, what happened to his own name. The only thing that really mattered to this man, God's servant, the Apostle Paul, was the progress of the gospel. That was his overwhelming, that was his solidary passion, just that the gospel would be furthered, the furtherance, the advancement of the gospel. Oh, for a passion like Paul, oh, that I would have a passion like Paul's. that I would live and that I would be willing to die for the furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, for a company of saints whose only passion is for the advancement of the gospel, the furtherance of Christ's kingdom, the spreading of God's truth, the driving back of the kingdom of darkness and the propagation of the good news of the gospel. Oh, for a band of people who have a passion for that and for that alone. This is what Paul lived for, the furtherance, the advancement, the progress of the Gospel. Oh, that we would come out of this lockdown with this single passion, burning within our very souls, within our very beings, the furtherance of the Gospel. What can I do to see to the furtherance of the gospel? How can I see to the propagation of the truth of the gospel? How can I see the gospel reaching into regions that have never been reached with the gospel before? Oh, for a burning passion like that, brethren and sisters, for the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I note in the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles, As well as Paul's letters and epistles to either the certain churches or to certain individuals, I notice within all of his writings there in the New Testament the extent to which Paul's passion for the furtherance of the gospel went. Let me condense what we read in all of those writings under three main headings that reveal the extent of Paul's passion for the furtherance of the gospel. We come to appreciate the passion of Paul for the furtherance of the gospel through the things that he sacrificed, through the things that he sacrificed. Paul sacrificed many things in his life so that the gospel could go forth, so that the gospel could march forward, so that the gospel could be furthered, so the gospel could be advanced. What did he sacrifice? He sacrificed his position within Jewish society. Here's a man who was a Pharisee, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a man who had a zeal, and yet it was not according to knowledge. Here's a man who was well respected in the religious circles of the day, but he gave it all up. He gave it all up for the furtherance of Christ's gospel. He sacrificed his time. He sacrificed his energy. He sacrificed his comforts. He would even sacrifice, I'm sure at times, his health. All so that the gospel could be furthered. Think of the time. Just one aspect. Think of the time that he sacrificed and he spent traveling those missionary journeys, those three great missionary journeys. I tell you, he didn't go by car. He didn't go by train. He went by foot, by horseback, he went by boat. and he spread the gospel, so going into Europe itself, into Macedonia and beyond, into Philippi, right there along in modern day Turkey as it were. There's the Apostle Paul giving of his time, giving of his energy, giving of his comforts so that the gospel could be carried where to? To the regions beyond where the gospel had never been preached. all was possessed with the same spirit as missionary C.T. Studd was possessed with, who said these words, if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him. Can I ask you, what have you sacrificed in order that the gospel would be furthered in this community? in this nation, in this world. Last week, Miss Margaret Russell returned home to Northern Ireland after spending the last 37 years serving her savior in the land of Kenya. 37 years, she gave her life to serving the master There's a woman that sacrificed much. She'll sacrifice much. What about us? Have we heaped upon God's altar our time, our finances, our prayers, our plans so that the gospel might be furthered? Or is God's altar empty? Because we have made no sacrifice for the spreading of the gospel. Among the children, among the young people, among the adults of our nation, have we made any sacrifices, any sacrifices whatsoever? We come to appreciate the passion of Paul for the furtherance of the gospel. Secondly, through the things that he said. Let me give you just three. Speaking of the bonds and afflictions that abode in him, Paul said there in Acts 20 verse 24, But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. In Acts chapter 21, when speaking to the household of Philip, Paul said in Acts 21 verse 13, Romans 15 verse 20, So I have strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundations." Paul's words, unlike our words, were backed up with action. He followed through on what he said. what he determined to do, what he had resolved to do within his life. He follows through on it, brethren and sisters. Oh, we have said many a thing. Maybe at some convention meeting, I'll go with him, with him all the way. And what happens? Some trial, some difficulty comes. And we're a little bit like John Mark. We go back. We're a bit like Demas. We're nowhere to be found. Oh, we find his passion in what he said. Here's a man who's willing to die. Here's a man who's willing to go to the regions beyond where Christ had never been preached. Here's a man who's going to finish his course with joy, and he's going to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. This is his passion. This is his goal. This is his purpose. He would say in other places, we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. We preach Christ crucified, Christ making unknown. This is the man's passion. And we find that very passion exhibited to us, revealed to us in what he says. And what he sacrificed was something else, in what he suffered. In what he suffered, it shows me and it helps me to appreciate the passion that this man had for the furtherance of the gospel, that he was willing to suffer for the furtherance of it. 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23 to 28 is the natural place for us to turn if we want to see what Paul suffered for, for the furtherance of the gospel. But there's another passage in 2 Corinthians It's in chapter six. If you want to turn there, there Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter six lists what the gospel minister must expect when they enter into such an office. And this, he writes, from personal experience, I believe, Paul's just communicating to these individuals who are going to become ministers of the gospel. He's saying, brethren, this is what you're to expect. I'm going to, as it were, set out the job description of what it is to be a minister. And this is what I have learned from my personal experience. This is what you're going to experience. What does he say? 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 4 through to 10. But in all things approving ourselves, he's including himself as the ministers of God, in much patience and afflictions and necessities and distresses. and stripes, note the plurality, and imprisonments, and chillments, and labors, and watchings, and fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unthemed, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness in the right hand and the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. Here we have the sufferings of the Apostle Paul. And he was willing to suffer these things because of the Gospel. He wanted to see the Gospel furthered because it was this man's passion. Whatever I have to face, whatever troubles I have to go through, whatever difficulties I have to press through, I'm willing to press through it because this is now my singular passion. Christ and making him known and making his gospel known. I ask you, brethren and sisters, as I ask my own heart, is this my passion? Is it? Is this what I live for? Let me ask you, what have you suffered? What have we suffered? for our endeavours to see the Gospel furthered. What have we suffered? Someone shouting out the window at us on a Lord's Day at the open air? Terrible suffering, isn't it? Some remark from a friend or a work colleague, some smart remark, because we've tried to further the Gospel in our place of work, is that what we've suffered? It's hardly, it's hardly Brethren and Sisters 2nd Corinthians 6 and 11 stuff, is it? Oh, to be able to say in the words of the hymn writer, at thy feet I fall, yield thee up, my all, to suffer, live or die, for my Lord crucified. The passion of this man who desired to see the furtherance of the gospel. But in these words in Philippians chapter one, we not only see the passion of the Apostle Paul, we see the submission of the Apostle Paul. the submission of the Apostle Paul. Rather than seeing his troubles and trials as things that hindered the Gospel, happenings that applied the breaks to the advancement of the Gospel, Paul relayed to his friends in Philippi that his present imprisonment had actually resulted in the progress of the Gospel. That's what the word furtherance means, advancement, profit, progress. I believe that in this we see the submission of the Apostle Paul to the sovereign will of God for his life. We don't find him here complaining about his situation. we don't see him filing for help from these people to get him out of his present predicament but rather we find a man happily resigning himself resigning himself to the will of God because he knew he knew that all things were working together for good he knew it and he lived it look at those words again in verse 12 but I Would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather on to the furtherance of the gospel. In layman's terms, Paul was saying something like this, God had a better plan than I even had. Instead of my imprisonment shutting down the ministry, it has expanded the ministry. All that has befallen me has turned out for the progress of the gospel and in that I rejoice. I know there may be people and you're watching and you're frustrated at the inability of getting to church and assembling with the saints and you're not the only one. You're not the only one. Some of you may be questioning Has this lockdown not curbed our ability to make Christ known? Has it not hampered the advancement of Christ's kingdom? Has it not damaged the testimony and witness of Jesus Christ? Yet, if we believe that all things are sovereignly controlled by God, then we have to submit, as Paul did, to the fact that all things have fallen out rather onto the furtherance of the gospel. We look at this COVID-19 and wonder what good, what good could ever come out of such a situation? What good could ever come out of this? And yet I was interested to read in the latest edition of the British Church newspaper, the front page headline. This is the headline, Worldwide Surge in Demand for Bibles. worldwide surge in demand for Bibles. The article went on to say that publishers of Bibles have reported a worldwide surge of interest in buying Bibles and other Christian literature. Some of the publishers are reporting an increase between 44% and 60% for certain Bibles as compared to this time last year. a 44 to 60% rise from this time last year. For our own part, there has been an increase of those viewing our online services. Our virtual congregation is much larger than the congregation that we would normally have attending the church services on a weekly basis. While online broadcasting is not church, It'll never replace church. It is a poor substitute for church. Yet we are thankful for those beyond the congregation who are watching. The services we could say, could we not, as Paul here said, that the things that have befallen us have fallen out to the furtherance of the gospel. Could we not say that? I believe that we could. You know there have been times when the enemies of Christ have attempted to impede the gospel with their wicked actions only for their actions to have been used by God to spread the gospel rather than to stop the gospel. Let me give you two examples one from the Bible the other from church history of what I mean. In Acts chapter 6 the flagellate New Testament church came under attack In Acts 8 in the verse number 1 we are informed that there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem. Verse 3 proceeds to tell us of Saul's actions. As for Saul, He made havoc of the church, entering into every house and healing men and women, committing them to prison. Now you could ask yourself the question, place yourself in those circumstances? Place yourself as a church member of the Jerusalem church and you're seeing your brethren and sisters being arrested? and thrown into prison, and you're wondering, and you're maybe thinking to yourself, how? How is this going to advance the gospel? Will any good ever come out of such persecution? Well, verse three proceeds to tell, or verse four proceeds to tell us, therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. They went everywhere preaching the word. There was the dissemination of truth. on the basis, on the back of this persecution, where we would think no good could ever come out of it, we see that those that escaped the persecution went here, there, yonder, throughout Israel and beyond into Samaria, spreading out the gospel, disseminating the gospel, taking the gospel out to the regions beyond. We are told that they went everywhere preaching the word, That which was designed to stop the gospel was used by God to spread the gospel. Because that's what God does. He makes the wrath of men to praise him. The second example is taken from church history. Most of us know John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, but prior to the writing of The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan was a great preacher. Tremendous preacher. His preaching was so powerful that his enemies and the enemies of the Gospel put him into Bedford Gaol to silence him. But Bunyan was determined to make sure that those outside the jail could hear him preach inside the jail. He preached sermons at the top of his voice that wafted over the walls to the people outside the jail who came to hear him preach though they could not see him. And so his enemies decided to take him further down into the prison. and put him down into the jail where nobody would be able to hear him preach. But then that gave Bunyan the freedom to write Pilgrim's Progress, which has preached to millions and millions of people, generation after generation. That which was intended for the hindering of the gospel actually was used for the help of the gospel. That what was used to try and stop the gospel was used to spread the gospel. Because that's what God does. What is God doing in these times? I don't exactly know. I don't exactly know what he's doing, but I know in the broadest of senses that he is ordering all things after the counsel of his own will, and is doing all things for his glory and for the good of his blood-bought church. Thus, I gladly submit to his will, though I may not be able to fully decipher it. I submit to it, though I may not be able to fully decipher it." There's a third thing that we see from these words. We not only see Paul's passion and Paul's submission, a man who desired to see the furtherance of the gospel, but we see rejoicing of the Apostle Paul. Paul rejoiced in the advancement, the furtherance of the gospel and there are two advancements with respect to the gospel that he specifically rejoiced in because Paul knew that such advancements had only taken place because he had been imprisoned. These things would not have taken place if he hadn't been put into prison. And so he is rejoicing. What are those advancements? Well, Paul firstly rejoiced in the advancement of the gospel through his own ministry. Through his own ministry. Note the words there in verse 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. Now, brethren and sisters, God's witness was bound, but thank God God's word wasn't bound. Ah, the witness was bound, but the word wasn't bound. If it hadn't been for Paul's imprisonment then, there would have been those in Rome who would never have heard, and not only heard, but received and believed the Gospel. I can say with 100% certainty that there were those who had received and believed the Gospel because of Paul's visit here to Rome, because of what Paul writes at the very end of the book. Turn there in your Bibles to Philippians chapter 4 and to verse 22. Philippians 4 verse 22, Paul is coming to the close, the conclusion of his letter. Salute every saint, verse 21, in Christ Jesus, the brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. There we go. The gospel had reached Caesar's household. The soldiers that kept Paul in house arrest, those Officers, those soldiers, chained to the Apostle Paul. There were those who were able to come and hear Paul preach. He had freedom. There was freedom granted to God's servant with respect to that. Those soldiers heard the Gospel. The saints, the people in Rome heard the Gospel. Even right to Caesar's household, the Gospel reached in there. And it was only possible because he had been put into prison. At times we may feel that life's circumstances destroy the opportunity to spread the gospel, but those circumstances may be just God diverting us, maybe to another sphere of service, maybe to another field of ministry that will prove to be just as fruitful as the previous or the last one. And so I may be speaking to someone here tonight and you're frustrated. It seems to be that God is closing the door to some ministry. It might be that circumstances appear that you're going to have no outlet for ministry. But let me say that you'll prove just like the Apostle Paul proved that a door will open for the furtherance of the gospel. God will open a door. He'll open a way. He'll give you a new field, a new sphere of service that'll just be as fruitful, if not even more fruitful than the last. And so do not kick, do not resist God's leading, God's probing, God's pointing you in a new direction. Yield gladly to Him. He knows what is best. He knows what is best. Secondly, Paul rejoiced in the advancement of the gospel, not only through his own ministry, but through the ministry of others. You would have thought that the imprisonment of the Apostle Paul by the imperial powers of Rome would have caused other preachers to go into hiding, to go into hiding for fear. If they're arresting Paul, well, I'm next. They could have thought that. But Paul's incarceration had the opposite effect. Instead of having them running in fear, it made preachers bolder in their witness for Christ. Look there at verse 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. fear, believing that if God could minister through Paul in his present condition, he could minister through them as well. The brethren became bold in their witness for God, speaking the word without fear. Now what I learned from this is that people are looking to us for an example. How we respond to trials has an impact to how they will respond to trials. How we speak for Christ at school, at work, at home, will influence how they speak for Christ in their school, their workplace, and their home. And so I asked you this evening, is your example an inspiration to others? As people look at you, are they Are they much bolder to speak for God as they see your boldness, as you speak for God? You know, Paul wasn't so partisan that he thought that he was the sole custodian of the truth, and neither should we be. God's servant went further than I go, because Paul rejoiced even when others preached Christ, even of envy and strife. Paul was just glad that Christ was being preached. Paul's incarceration became an inspiration. It inspired others to take up the baton where he had left it down. May you take up the baton where others have left it down. Paul's trying circumstances did not suppress his passion for Christ. It did not oppose his submission to the will of God and it certainly did not dampen his rejoicing in the gospel's advancement because Paul had come to realize that all things in his life had fallen out rather for the furtherance of the gospel. Let us see the same in our lives and leave with God what he wants to do through these days of lockdown, believing that all things will fall out to the advancement of the gospel. and the furtherance of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May God give us that vision and may God help us to be involved in the progress and the advancement of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless his word to our hearts tonight for Jesus' sake. Amen. Well, before we close down and shut off the broadcast tonight, again, thank you for joining with us. We're very thankful for the congregation that we do have tonight in front of us, a virtual congregation. I trust that all has come well through to you this evening. Can I just say that all are well within the congregation and we're very thankful for the Lord's mercies towards us. Can I remind you of matters to pray for Can I encourage you to pray for our Lord's Day services at 12 noon and 6pm. And can I say that I want to make the announcement tonight that this Lord's Day, God willing, will be the recommencement of our drive-in church services. So that will be our drive-in church services at 12 noon and at 6pm. let me also say that those services will be broadcast still on Facebook Live and so if there are those who are isolating, those who are required to do that or maybe you just feel that it's still a little early for you to join In that particular setting, well then you can still watch the services as you have been doing on Facebook Live. So the facility will be up and running, God willing, on the Lord's Day. But that will be the recommencement of our drive-in services. Whenever this meeting is concluded, I will be putting up an advertisement with respect to that on the Facebook page. I want you to read the guidance. I want you to read the guidance if you're planning to come. I want you to read the guidance that will be put up underneath or alongside that post. Those guidance and measures must be adhered to. They must be adhered to and we will make sure that they are adhered to. I suppose the greatest adherence is that no one is permitted to leave their car through the service. Okay, so I want to make that, make you aware of that. So just keep that in mind and we're not coming for a social get-together, we're coming to worship the Lord and so we want you to adhere to all of the rules. Can I say those within our congregation, the church family, that our eldership will be ringing you, you will get a telephone call from one of our elders in the will of God and they will be making you aware of all of the guidelines that are to be followed. So please We want to keep ourselves safe. That is the reason for these things. We want to keep everybody safe but we do want to join for public worship. I do know that there are those and they're wanting to give their tithe and their offering. That'll not take place this Lord's Day but in the will of God it'll take place the following Lord's Day. So not this Lord's Day but the following Lord's Day we'll be taking in the tithe and the offering. Please pray for those services that everything will run smoothly and that we'll be able to maintain these. These services will be maintained as long as we're permitted by the government guidelines and by the government direction and by our own presbytery. So please read that little post whenever it goes up and we want you to remember that. Our Wednesday night meetings will continue in the form of Facebook Live services, live here from the manse. Our Sunday services will take place on Facebook Live and the drive-in, and then our Wednesday nights will continue just online for the foreseeable future and the will of God. That's our Wednesday night prayer meetings. And then as I mentioned in the opening prayer, We were saddened and shocked to hear of the passing, the death of the Reverend Wesley Graham yesterday. Brother Mr. Wesley Graham, the Reverend Graham, ministered in Bristol and then he also ministered in Nepal. He was influential in the establishment of the link with the Reverend Paul Thapa and the church there in Nepal. And sadly, our brother was diagnosed at the beginning of the year, just after the week of prayer. He preached at the week of prayer, and then I believe it was the following week, he was diagnosed with an illness. And unfortunately, that illness has taken him to be with Christ. It is not unfortunate for him. He has seen his savior. but we are remembering his wife Carol and the children and that funeral service is on Friday I believe. Please pray for them as a family circle and lift them before the throne of grace for the Lord will comfort their hearts even in these days. Those are all by way of announcements. We trust you're keeping well and In the will of God, we'll see you either on Facebook on the Lord's Day, 12 o'clock, six o'clock, or at the drive-in service. And so we trust that the Lord will bless us. Pray for those meetings that the Lord will give us help and power. Now, let me encourage you to spend a little time with the Lord, with you and your family members, and just seek the Lord and pray. Pray for me and pray for the work of God in these days, that all things will fall out to the furtherance of the gospel. Let's seek the Lord together in prayer. Loving Father, we come before Thee. We commit ourselves to Thee in prayer. We come now, Lord, to call on Thy name. Lord, give a good spirit of prayer among Thy people. Lord, may hearts rise to Thee, we pray. And may hearts be blessed and encouraged, even in the Lord. We look to Thee, O God, for a blessing from heaven. Comfort those who need comforting. We pray especially for the Graham family. Lord, we pray for thy dear servant, Mrs. Graham. Comfort her heart and the children's hearts as well, and grandchildren. Lord, we commit all to thee. And we pray, Father, that they may know the comfort that the God of all comfort and the Father of mercies can give even to thy people in their time and hour of need. Answer these, our prayers. For this we pray in our Saviour's precious and worthy name. Amen. May the Lord bless you until we meet again.