Please turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians chapter one, verses 12 through 18, through the first portion of 18. We'll read for this morning and look at this morning, Philippians one, 12 through 18. Philippians chapter 1, verses 12 through 18. Let's hear the word of the Lord. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known through the whole Imperial Guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in I rejoice. Let's pray. Father, we are grateful again to come before you and to have this opportunity to look into your word together. We thank you for the great encouragement of the book of Philippians and what we've seen already. And we pray that you would be pleased to minister to our hearts today. We know the power of your word, Lord, when your spirit actively uses your word. In our hearts, you do great things. You bring enlightenment to the soul, Father. You enable us to persevere. You provide strength and grace and hope and encouragement and rebuke and conviction through your word. So we ask that you would be pleased to minister to our hearts exactly as we need to be ministered to this morning. We pray that you would meet with us and that we would glorify you in giving heed to your word. Please, Lord, grant us your spirit. Please forgive us for our sins and be gracious to us. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Having expressed how he continually gives thanks to the Lord for the Philippians and having mentioned the specific way in which he prays for them, the apostle now moves on to reveal one of the main purposes of his letter. Having been under house arrest in Rome for some time, Paul knows that the brethren at Philippi are growing more and more concerned for him. Even when he was imprisoned at Philippi, I remember with the Philippian jailer when he was converted, they would have remembered that event. But the Lord had released him quite quickly. He was released the next day after he was arrested at Philippi. And so they probably were expecting his release from Rome much sooner than it was happening up to this point. Some time had passed. And so they might have began to question things. As more and more time was passing, one might begin to wonder if the Lord had somehow forgotten about his apostle. Or maybe some might be tempted to question the validity of all that the apostle Paul had taught them, since it seems like his enemies were prevailing upon him. Or maybe the apostle had done something wrong that led to this imprisonment and God in some way was putting a judgment on him. Whatever the case here, the apostle wants to comfort and encourage the church, offering them a very positive outlook on his imprisonment, such that while they continue to pray for his release, they can also rejoice with him over what God was actually accomplishing through his suffering. To this end, there are precious nuggets of encouragement here for us. to take in as we are given an encouraging glimpse into a positive outlook on trials and suffering so that we can learn to rejoice and appreciate God's intended use of them. It's very difficult for us when we go through times of trial and suffering, especially if it's wave upon wave. If another wave hits and the wave before that is still, the effects of that are still affecting our lives in some way, it can be easy for us to grow discouraged. fail to see how God is using these things for good, or at least trust him that he's using these things for good in our lives and to maintain a positive outlook. And so let's look at Paul's positive outlook on his imprisonment. He says in verses 12 to 14, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole Imperial Guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. And so again, as we make our way into the body of the letter now, we find Paul here clearly attempting to comfort the church as they are concerned about his imprisonment. And he does this by revealing how God has providentially used Paul in circumstances, or Paul's circumstances, as a blessed means of advancing the kingdom of God. That God is actually using Paul's trial and suffering as a means of advancing the kingdom of God. Notice a few ways in which Paul's imprisonment has been used unto this end. First, Paul states, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. The natural concern would sound like this. Why would God, this would be the question, why would God allow the apostle to be imprisoned in Rome? Why would he prevent the gospel from spreading further? When free, Paul had traveled all throughout Asia Minor. He was at the island of Crete. He went into Macedonia and Greece. He was traveling all over the place, but now he is detained at Rome and that for some years now. We have been taught about the sovereignty of God, they'd be thinking, and we know of the necessity of the spreading of the gospel far and wide, but why has the Lord then stunted one of his great apostles, his great apostle, to the Gentiles. And so Paul, wishing to quell such thoughts, tells them, brothers, I want you to know, I want you to know that my imprisonment has actually really served to advance the gospel. Indeed, the gospel has infiltrated territory that would not easily have been reached were it not for my imprisonment. Well, in what sense, Paul? In what sense can you confirm that? He says, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And so as the apostle was awaiting to stand trial before Caesar Nero, word had spread naturally throughout the empire and the entire imperial guard and beyond that, that he was bound and that he was unable to enjoy the freedoms that belonged to a free man. Because of his faith in and commitment to Christ. That's why this man was under house arrest. Not because he had done some moral wrong. Not because he was a thief or a murderer or somebody committed some kind of crime. But because of his faith in and his commitment to Christ. Indeed, the gospel, the good news of what God has done for sinners from all nations by the way of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, was made known through Paul's imprisonment. His chains opened up a door for the gospel to spread to those who served among the Roman Guard. And so, in this sense, the Gospel actually continued to advance through the Apostle Paul, even though he was presently detained. In fact, by virtue of his being detained, the Gospel had spread even further. Even though he was not free to travel, it spread by his being detained. But there's a second way in which the apostles' imprisonment served to further advance the kingdom of God as well. He gives us a second way. He adds, secondly, and most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. And so Paul's unwavering commitment to the gospel, his unwillingness to compromise, even in light of his imprisonment, we're told here, emboldened most of the brothers to speak the gospel without fear as well. It was Paul's boldness in the gospel that got him in trouble, and others were now being made bold by seeing Paul's imprisonment. Paul's confidence in Christ and the gospel promises exhibited by his willingness to suffer all things for the sake of the gospel. It rubbed off on the brethren, strengthening their confidence in Christ and the gospel promises, compelling them to boldly speak the word of God without fear as well. So they were infused, as it were, with a boldness in seeing his faithfulness. even to the extent of his imprisonment. They were far less inclined to hold on to their own lives as they saw the apostle willing to let go of his own life for the sake of Christ. And so for most of the brethren, Paul's imprisonment actually served to quell any reluctance they may have had to preach the word for fear of persecution, imprisonment, or even death. And so in these ways, then, Paul's imprisonment, we're told, actually served to advance the kingdom of God. The gospel spread further and the word was preached more boldly. One man's freedom was temporarily sacrificed so that the gospel could spread further by many men. But then I want you to see, secondly, as well, How after Paul gives this positive outlook on his imprisonment, he also speaks about what was happening by those who were preaching with different kinds of motives at the time of his imprisonment and seeing that he even took a positive outlook on that. He rejoices in the fact that Christ is preached. As Paul speaks of his imprisonment emboldening most of the brethren to all the more preach the word, he addresses another matter concerning those who preach Christ with ulterior motives, to be sure, just like today. There are people who are false teachers or preachers, not in the sense even that they just teach and preach false things, but there are people who preach the true gospel who are not genuinely converted and who have ulterior motives in their preaching. And so that was the case then as well. There were some who sought to contend with the apostle. They were envious of his apostolic authority and his labors, and they desired to compete with him in some sense to gain a following. Some covet the spotlight, and they see ministry as an opportunity to put themselves forward. They take on the role of a minister, not to glorify Christ, but to flaunt their abilities, to flaunt their speaking abilities, their leadership qualities, wishing to gain a following for themselves. And to this end, they despise true ministers of the gospel, being envious of their position, failing to realize that there are those who have been genuinely called by Christ and who are sincere in their desire to serve Christ. not coveting the praises and accolades of men. And so there are people like that today. And there have been since the time of Christ. And so Paul addresses this problem. But again, notice how he takes a positive outlook on it, even as he has his own imprisonment. He sees everything through a positive lens. Notice in verse 15. He states, some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. There are those who preach Christ out of envy and rivalry. They crave a following, and seeing ministry as a competition, they vie for followers and underlings to come under their wing. They love to be in a leadership position, and yet There are others who preach Christ out of goodwill, Paul talks about. They genuinely desire to see Christ glorified, to see souls saved, and the kingdom of God advancing in the building of Christ's church. Like John the Baptist, it is their desire to ultimately decrease so that Christ might increase. Well, moving on, the apostle adds, the latter, that is those who preach Christ out of goodwill, he says, they do it out of love. In other words, of course, the motivation is that they sincerely know Christ and they genuinely love Christ. They're sincere in their desire to serve Christ, and Paul says, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. They're not attempting to compete with Paul. They know that he's in prison because of his genuine defense of the gospel. Such are co-laborers with Paul, not his rivals, but his supporters working with him unto the great end of seeing Christ receive all of the honor and the glory. But then verse 17, he adds, the former, that is, those who preach Christ from envy and rivalry, they proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, serving their own selfish desires. In other words, they were not sincere. Not sincerely, he says, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. And so these individuals take advantage of Paul's imprisonment. They see it as an opportunity to one-up him, to mock him, and to advance their own selfish agendas. They hate Paul because he has a flourishing ministry. And so his imprisonment brings them joy and they would love on their part to do all they can to keep him there if possible. There are people preaching Christ, again, even the true gospel, who are phony, who are false, who have ulterior motives and are those who do it with sincerity. And so Paul brings up this dilemma. Now for a moment, it's worth noting that Paul is likely addressing this matter because the Philippians know this is going on. This is something they're aware of. In other words, they were probably aware of specific individuals who were speaking against Paul and trying to boast of their own ministries as a means of serving their own selfish purposes. And they probably spoke against Paul and his being imprisoned as something negative about him, in some way using that against him, adding to his afflictions, as it were, so that they could draw people to themselves. And the temptation for Paul could be to complain. Wouldn't that be the temptation? To complain, to be disgruntled about this, because even though he is faithful and he is sincere and his motives are pure, he is the one who has been unjustly imprisoned. And these other ones who are false teachers are out freely preaching the gospel for false motives. These guys are out there using Christ as a means of serving their own ambitions, and yet they are free. While Paul, who genuinely desires to serve Christ, is the one who was locked up. How many times in life do we look at Christians and we see the troubles that we get into because of our faithfulness to the gospel. And yet we see those who are against the gospel, whether it's Muslims or false teachers or people preaching the truth for wrong motives. And yet they're out there and they seem to be succeeding. They have a great following. They have a lot of money, a lot of backing, big, huge churches and things like that. And it's very tempting to say, well, what's going on? Why would God allow this? Well, the Apostle even addresses this from a positive standpoint, once again revealing how he can even rejoice in the face of such blatant disrespect and opposition, in the face of those who are even speaking against him. In verse 18, he adds these words. He says, well, what then? Some preach the Bible out of, right, false motives, out of pretense. Some preach it for goodwill and sincere love for the Lord. How do we answer this, Paul says? What do we have to say about this? Well, here's his answer. Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice. That's his answer. Even in these circumstances, whether in pretense, that is in lack of sincerity and with ill motives, you think of the word pretense, think of the word pretend, right? They're not genuine. Even those who preach the gospel for disingenuous reasons, Or, in truth, those who preach with sincerity and with genuine motives, whatever the case, he says Christ is proclaimed, the gospel that saves is still preached, and Paul can rejoice in that. that Christ is preached. See, Paul knows that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And even when individuals preach the gospel with poor motives and that seeking to rival Paul, God can still save by the purity of the message in spite of the impurity of the messenger. Paul was more angry about those who, of course, preached the false gospel, those who tried to add circumcision to the gospel or some kind of false teaching to the gospel that would anger him, that would rouse him up. But those who he knew had false motives but preached the true gospel, he could still rejoice in some sense, not that he's commending them, but for the fact that Christ is still preached. and purity. And so if Christ is all the more preached, even to Paul's hurt, remember they're mocking Paul, they're turning against Paul here. Paul would greatly absorb the offense for the sake of Christ. What a profound testimony of Paul's jealousy for the glory of Christ, even to his own shame and hurt. Paul would gladly absorb, right, affliction, persecution, mockery, shame, and hurt If in doing so, Christ would still be glorified. But we see again here the consistency in the Apostle's desire to maintain a positive outlook on what would normally be viewed as very unwanted circumstances. He is unjustly imprisoned for his faith and he rejoices because the gospel is advancing and because most of the brothers are emboldened to preach the word because of Paul's imprisonment. Some preach Christ out of envy and with impure motives, seeking to rival Paul. And he rejoices because in all cases, sincere and insincere, Christ is preached. Well, next time. Lord willing, we'll continue to consider the apostles positive outlook on his imprisonment, specifically dealing with his ability to rejoice in whatever the outcome of his trial turns out to be. We'll get into that next time. He adds another factor to the equation. He doesn't know what the outcome is going to be for sure. He believes that he will be freed and have an opportunity to get to Spain and to go and see some of the brethren before he's put to death. He believes that will happen and that does happen, but it's not a guarantee, but he's still able to rejoice no matter what the trajectory is. He can accept it because Paul says to live or die, he can rejoice as either trajectory will provide a positive outcome for the apostle and Christ will be glorified. He knows that no matter what happens, whether he dies or he continues to live, he knows that it will be the best thing. It will be for good. And so he sees it from a positive lens. Well, brethren, let's look at some applications that we can take from this first portion of Paul's positive outlook on his imprisonment. A couple of applications that we can take from this for us to encourage us as well. First, how did the apostle Paul maintain such a positive outlook? in the face of such very difficult trials. How do we maintain such a positive outlook? Remember, he was under house arrest in Rome for years. That can get drawn out. That can get very tiring. It's one thing for somebody to be under arrest or imprisoned for a day or two, or a week even, or two weeks, and you're kind of bold in the Lord, right? You're saying, well, I'm going to stand this out. But as more and more time passes by, like Job and his suffering, it gets very difficult to continue to endure that. You feel like this is not going to end. He was under house arrest and he was waiting to stand trial before Caesar Nero. Nero was the one who would be the judge over his trial. That's not the most favorable of the Caesars to stand on. And Nero had caused some of the greatest persecutions to come against the church. He had done much, brought much brutality against the church. In fact. After Paul is released, he will be released one time. A few years later, Paul will be arrested again and brought back to Rome. And on that occasion, Nero will have him beheaded. He'll have Paul's head cut off. And it's around the same time that Peter is crucified by Nero. So that's the king, the Caesar that Paul is going to stand before now. And then there are false brethren seeking to infiltrate the churches, speaking against Paul while he's in prison. There's not much he can do. His hands are tied and they're out there and they could seem to be getting the upper hand. And yet Paul was able to rejoice and to present reasons for his rejoicing in spite of these very difficult challenges. Well, let me leave you with two motivating factors that lie behind the Apostle's ability to rejoice during all such hardships and difficult providences. What is the recipe for the Apostle Paul's joy during these kinds of hardships and trials? Well, the first has to do with how he viewed his own life. And then the second has to do with how he viewed God. So Paul had a settled conviction about how he viewed his own life. And he had a settled conviction about who God is and what God is doing. And those two convictions enabled him to rejoice no matter what happened to him. in his life. And brethren, as I've always said many times in the past, what you believe will affect how you live. And so if we believe like the Apostle Paul does, we will find ourselves being able to find joy and to see things from a positive standpoint, even when we don't understand everything as we go through trials and difficulties. First then, first then, Paul, his view of himself. Prior to the Apostle's arrest, which led to his imprisonment, we have in Acts some insights into what happened before Paul got to Rome, what led to this imprisonment. We find that as he met with the Ephesian elders for the last time, as he was on his way to Jerusalem, He explained to them that although he knew that chains and afflictions awaited him there, he knew that there were chains and afflictions awaiting him at Jerusalem and he was going there anyway. There was an unwavering motive that drove him to fearlessly stay the course. There was something that enabled him to overcome all fear so that he could joyfully endure whatever lie ahead. He gives us the secret to it. If you turn with me to Acts chapter 20 for a moment. Turn with Acts chapter 20. This is just before Paul gets to Jerusalem. He is on his way. He's coming that way, heading east. And he stops in Miletus to meet with the elders of Ephesus for the last time. They meet him at Miletus. It's convenient for where it's a port city. And so they come down and meet him. And he gives them this lengthy message that he speaks to them, a wonderful pastoral message. But in here, he tells them as it were, He reveals to them the secret to His joy in no matter what He faces, being able to rejoice in His trials. Look at Acts chapter 20. We're only going to look at verses 22 through 24 for the time being. Acts 20 verses 22 to 24. Here's what the Apostle Paul says here. He says, And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem. constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, he doesn't know the details, except he does know one thing, that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. So let's stop at verse 23 for a second. Paul says to them as he has them. He's talking to them. He's coming to the end of his monologue. And he says, look, now I'm on my way to Jerusalem. And when I get there, I don't exactly know what's going to happen. God has not given me prophecy to determine exactly what's going to happen there. But I do know this. I've been compelled by the Spirit to go there. I must go there. And when I get there, the Spirit solemnly testifies, in other words, guarantees that no matter where I go, there are trials and afflictions awaiting me. Right? There's imprisonment and chains awaiting me no matter where I go. That's what I know, Paul says to them. He says, that's the trajectory that I have. Wherever I go, there's definitely suffering. I don't know how. I don't know in what way. I don't know at what moment. It'd be like somebody walking around having to keep turning their head left and right, thinking something's going to happen. But he doesn't have fear. He's not worried. He says he knows that that's going to happen. Now look what he says in the next verse in 24. Here's his response. But I do not account my life of any value. nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. So what is Paul's recipe for maintaining joy, for having a sense of comfort no matter where he goes, even though in his case, he's definitely going to face trials and imprisonment and chains? He says, I don't count my life dear to myself. I'm not holding on to anything in this world. I'm not clinging to anything in this life. He was about the business of constantly seeking to glorify Christ at all times. Paul's, his modus operandi, the main thing that drove him was to convey Christ wherever he was. That was his focus. And he knew that his liberties, his freedoms, his health would be and could be taken away at any moment. Suffering was a guarantee. It wasn't even a possible option. It was a guarantee. But he said, I've learned to let go of this life. I'm not I have no investment here. And because of that, when he is afflicted or persecuted or imprisoned, he can endure whatever it is for however long it is, as long as he's able to testify to the gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. He has one mission in mind, and that's his goal, whether he's in Jerusalem, whether he's in Greece, whether he's in Philippi and Macedonia or whether he's in Rome. He's always looking for the opportunity to present the gospel. And that's where his heart is. His heart was not with this world. His life was of no great value to him. Notice again, I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself. If only I can testify to the gospel, I can finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel, the grace of God. If I can do that, I'm happy. wherever I'm at, if I can testify to the gospel, finish my ministry. That was what was in his path. That was the focus of Paul. That's how he viewed himself. And that's how he was able to rejoice and have a positive outlook on all of the circumstances, because there was nothing that he was holding onto in this life. But then secondly, secondly, there was something else that compelled Paul to be able to maintain a demeanor of rejoicing, a positive outlook on his trials. And here it is. Paul was able to maintain a perpetual positive outlook during all of his trials. And he was able to rejoice through them all. First, because he was not holding on to this life. But then secondly, because he had a firm practical grasp on the reality of God's absolute sovereignty over all things. His view of God affected his ability to rejoice and to see things from a positive standpoint. In other words, Paul was able to search for and to discover the good that came about through his trials because he was absolutely convinced that the God who ordained them all had to have purposed every single one of them for some necessary and essential good. The Jews were very much involved with Paul's imprisonment and his affliction. The Romans were very much involved with Paul's imprisonment and affliction. But in a secondary sense, they were. God, he knew, is the primary cause, the one who ordains all things. He knew ultimately he could look beyond the Jews. He could look beyond the Romans. He could look beyond demonic powers and spiritual beings in the heavenly places. And he can see that at the center of all things on the throne looking at every trial, that God was the one who reigned supreme over all things and ordained all things for good. And that was what enabled him to rejoice. He could see things from a positive outlook, because they must be from a positive outlook, if God is ultimately the one behind them, no matter what all the secondary causes do and what their motives are. He knew that nothing ever that he faced, nothing was ever random. or in the control of those who hated and despised him. Those who had ill motives. You could point and say, well look, these people are evil. They have evil desires and they're demonic beings who are wicked and have evil desires. And he knew though that they did not have control. What they meant for bad and evil, he knew underneath that, God meant for good. That's why Job, in all of his suffering, does not mention the devil once. Even though the devil was very influential in harming Job. Job was at least aware of, right, the sovereignty of God. Now he questioned why God would do this. He didn't understand it. But he knew that he was afflicted ultimately at the hand of God. He knew it. To be sure. There were a lot of evil and wicked motives attached to the apostle's suffering. He could write books on how he was mistreated grossly by the Jews, how they lied against him, how they whipped him or they beat him and they hurt him before he even faced trial. Just how wrong he could have teared apart everything they did and showed how wrong it was and the Romans and he could have gone on and on and then he could have got into demonic powers. But he knew that all of that was on a leash and that that leash extended only so far as would produce good for Paul and for the kingdom of God. He knew that. How many times do we fail to see that in our lives? Right, we complain about things, simple things. Car breaks down. Oh, it's this one. crusty junky Chevy right now granted they could have made it a lemon and that's true or I bought it from someone who didn't take care of it properly didn't give it all the oil changes right that's true but at the end of the day there's even beneath all that the sovereignty of God who was ordained that for the purpose of of your sanctification and growth in his glory. In other words, there's a positive outlook that can come from that. There's a positive outlook that can come from the cross, a very positive outlook, our salvation. And yet we know that was the most wicked event in all of history. And we can see that even though they, by their wicked hands, had crucified Jesus, that God had ordained beforehand to use that means to accomplish our salvation. The Jews unlawfully arrested Paul and tried to kill him. But God shaped their hatred in such a way that it would carry Paul to Rome, where he would stand before governors and kings and royal guards, there and on the way there, securing a royal audience to hear the gospel. God was going to have those of a royal audience hear his gospel, as well as those who were average folks and those who were poor. This man, Paul, was willing to suffer all things for his faith in a professed, resurrected Christ. And there are others who share this faith. They knew that in Rome, that there was this growing movement of people who were putting faith in an individual who allegedly performed miracles and who died and allegedly was raised from the dead. That message was spreading. throughout the Roman Empire, and this man was willing to stand trial and to die for it. Remember when he stood before Felix, or one of the governors, I think it was actually Agrippa, and he said, man, if he didn't appeal to Caesar, he could have been freed, because it was such a ridiculous trial. But it was Paul trying to compel him to know that this was true, what happened to Christ. And he said, you almost make me a Christian. Paul said, I wish you would become a Christian except for these chains that I have and that you would enjoy what I have. And other struggling, vying preachers would receive encouragement from Paul's imprisonment, compelling them to preach with a greater boldness. There were individuals who were out there who were suffering, who saw people suffering, who saw the threat on their lives, who were preaching and probably were tempted to stop preaching or to hide or to have a fear of man. But when they saw Paul being willing to go into the prison, being willing to endure that for the sake of the gospel, the Spirit of God magnified that and strengthened, it says, most of the brothers. so that they would preach the gospel without fear. God used it in that way. And even ill-motived, wicked men pirating the gospel for their own gain would still be vehicles of blessing to others. Because the power of the gospel is in the message itself and not in the carrier of the message. That's why there are people who are converted under unconverted ministers. because of the message that God empowered. They happened to preach the true message. Somebody even goes into a Roman Catholic church where you don't hear the gospel preached but they read some scripture and some things are said and God saves them in that setting. Even though the priest is unconverted and all these other people are converted and they're saved because the gospel was in some way there in that church. Even if it was through red scripture or something that was said. Brethren, We can be certain that as we press through many difficulties and trials in life, that there is always this is important to understand this for us. We can be certain that as we press through many difficulties and trials in life, that there is always some essential and necessary good that God is doing through and by them always, always. Mold in the house for the cow. Not fun. Somebody comes over to repair it and they do a botched job. They don't even do the right work. Now, you do the right thing by challenging them. We have a responsibility, right? We don't just get walked on like a mat, granted. But at the end of the day, God had used that in some way in the life of the corpse. And all of us can relate to different things that we have suffered. Trials we're going through, illnesses, ailments. It's God's work in some way for good. I'll just tell you a quick funny thing. And this is minimal. This is like really small, but we're in the house there, a new house. And one thing I love is the property, right? I could live without a house. I could live with a hammock between two trees as long as the property's there. I just like the trees and the property and the birds. I like nature. And so there was somebody that was setting up a big light pole that they wanted to have at night to go up. So they had it put up and the truck went onto our property when it was all raining and the ground was saturated and dug up about two feet of our grass close to the road for about a good stretch of maybe, I don't know, 50 feet or whatever. And I just couldn't get my eyes off it. I'm like, man, right? Keyfish can relate to this. You want things to be clean, right, in the yard and look nice, right? You don't want anybody knocking over your mailbox and your brick, right? And so, so I'm like, I'm complaining about this. I'm like, I want to know who did it. You know, in my brain, I'm saying this to my wife, you know, because I like... And meanwhile, it's all the way at the tip of the property. Well, the Lord has a sense of humor. Because last week, We had, when it rained a lot, we had our, a delivery guy came, UPS or something or other, this guy came and all of a sudden we're sitting in the living room and we see a van stuck around our driveway with front wheels on one side of the, falling off the one side of the driveway and the rear wheels on the other. He's stuck and he's digging up my grass. Now this is close to the house. Now let's make matters worse. I'm gonna try to help this guy. Now, I'm not angry at him at all. I know, you know, it's an accident, but I'm just saying, there goes the grass there. Forget about it. I get my van and decide that I'm gonna go out and try to push him. Push him onto the driveway. Well, guess what? The van gets stuck. Now, I'm digging trenches the size of the Grand Canyon. Migrate you'll see that if you come to the Bible study today We had to put some dirt but upon a time this guy finally got towed out a tow truck came and towed my van out Right, there are these big huge gates of holes in in the grass and I just had to laugh I said man, the Lord knows, you know, the Lord got I would complain about that. It's from the Lord The Lord knows if something's gonna be an idol. He's gonna take it away He does it in love but I had to see the good in that even something so that seems silly as that and Complaining that my my father-in-law about his car that they might have dropped some oil in the driveway Well, I'm driving the lawn my fix the lawnmower But I forgot to put a screw in in his oil bursting out of a lawnmower all over the driveway So the Lord the Lord said it's from the Lord. I'm not complaining anymore. I'm done But I'm just saying that it's you have to see things from the standpoint of you know That what God is doing in these things and that's small. Those are little things of course But brethren we can be certain that there's always something essential and necessary and good that God is doing through our trials. Yes, we will suffer loss and hardship, but if we're not holding on to this life, if our sights are set heavenward, then we really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is why the apostle is going to move on to say, we'll see this next time. He gets to a crescendo, as it were, when he considers his life going forward. He doesn't know the outcome of this. When he comes to that crescendo of to live is Christ, to die is gain. That was the motto that drove Paul. Now, I'm going to open that up and define that next week. But that is the motto that drove Paul. If I live on, to live in this life is Christ. And guess what? If I die, it's gain. You can't lose. Now, brethren, we don't always see the good that is there in our trials. We don't always see the good. We don't understand it all the time, but it is there. It must be. The key is to remain faithful through it all, being unwilling to compromise, trusting that all things do indeed work together for our good. We have to believe that we have to stop and say, this is from the Lord. The weather is from the Lord. Tornadoes are from the Lord. Excessive rain is from the Lord. Cancer ultimately is from the Lord. And every trial is a refining tool that is shaping us more and more into the image of our blessed Savior, who loved us and gave Himself for us. We can be certain of that, even when we don't know. We don't understand the good in these things, especially when you're going through it. We can be certain, at the very least, that in some way, God is shaping us more and more into the image of Christ. We can secure a positive outlook because by faith we know that God is sovereign and everything he ordains is good and right and necessary and proper. All that he does is good and proper. That is how we will maintain our proper outlook. Let me just read the words of this hymn to you before we close. You probably have heard the hymn, whatever my God ordains is right. I just want to read the words of that hymn in closing. It says, whatever my God ordains is right, his holy will abideth. I will be still, whatever he does, and follow where he guideth. He is my God, though dark my road, he holds me that I shall not fall, and so to him I leave it all, and so to him I leave it all. Whatever my God ordains is right, he never will deceive me. He leads me by the proper path, I know he will not leave me. I take content what he has sent, his hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait his day, and patiently I wait his day. Whatever my God ordains is right, though now this cup in drinking may bitter seem to my faint heart. I take it all unshrinking. My God is true, each morn anew, sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart, and pain and sorrow shall depart, and pain and sorrow shall depart. Whatever my God ordains is right, here shall my stand be taken, though sorrow, need, or death be mine, yet I am not forsaken. My Father's care is round me there, he holds me that I shall not fall, and so to him I leave it all. And so to him, I leave it all. Let's pray. Father, we are grateful to you that you are completely sovereign. We are so thankful that nothing is left in the hands of chance. that nothing ultimately is left in the hands of opposition and enemies. And even though there are all manner of secondary causes and people with ill intentions and motives and demonic beings out there, and we need to watch and guard our hearts and the enemy is like a roaring lion and so on. We know that while we have responsibilities and to be cautious at the same time that at the end of the day, you are the one who ordains all things. And that if we are your child, if we are your children, if we are in Christ, then all these things are most certainly working together for our good. That you are shaping more and more of us into the Lord Jesus Christ. That you are doing good to advance the gospel and the kingdom of God as we are faithful to you during such times. Our testimony is used in the lives of others to give boldness and to encourage others. That our testimony It will be used as a means of spreading the gospel outward and that even while others may say things against us or against you and our sufferings, we know, Lord, that we can be confident that even in that, that Christ is proclaimed and mentioned and that opportunities will be there for the gospel to go forth. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to trust you at all times to not complain. to recognize your hand in all of the things that we face in this life, from the little things to the major things. And we pray that, Lord, that you would work in those who do not know you here this morning, that you would lead them to Christ, that they would be able to have the comfort that you are working in their lives for good and not unto judgment. For we know that those who are outside of Christ, even at this moment, Father, are condemned. And if they die, they will stand before you and will be condemned to hell forever. We ask that you would redeem, that you would awaken consciences to the gospel of Christ to seek you and to be saved before it's too late. Father, hear our prayers, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.