But yeah, we had a good week. Good last two weeks with two different churches. They both went really well. Grateful to be able to do it. But we had a good week with the church. The Lord blessed. They had good attendance, each service. And good spirit, good liberty. Grateful to be able to go and do and be a blessing. Couldn't do it without y'all and y'all praying and undergirding it. And that makes all the difference in the world. And knowing things here are being taken care of too. is a big help. It's kind of like how Proverbs 31 refers to the virtuous wife that the husband loses no gain in doing his work because he's not fretting on what's going on at home. He can work without any loss and that's kind of like us on the go. We're not worried what would be happening here while we're gone. That makes a big, big difference. Look at that, Proverbs 31, let me show you that real quick. I know we talked about it before, but it's a great reminder for us to remember how important it is to be in that place, and this would be on both sides for both of us. We've all been in that position where you were concerned about what somebody might be doing or not doing. That'll steal your attention, your focus. You're not near as productive You're not near as productive, and that's the idea of being able to be productive. You know how it is. If you're focusing in on yourself, meaning if you're having a little pity party, you ever notice? You've heard me say that before. The higher the pity party, the less productive we are. You just seem to mess up when you do things. Things don't work out the way you want it to work out. But it says in verse 10, who can find a virtuous wife for her worth is far above rubies. Simply saying she's a rarity. The heart of her husband safely trust her so he will have no lack of gain. That's a tremendous principle there. And that's what I refer to knowing that when I'm gone and doing stuff, I safely trust what's going on and there's no gain loss in doing in the productivity there. we've all been in places where you had to go away, but you was wondering what was happening while you was gone. And you kind of torn between the two. So that's a rich reward there when you consider. And when you think about us as the church, no matter how we look at it, we are the bride, right? So in the same way as a virtuous bride, that's the idea is that if Jesus was concerned about the problems that may be going on, that same Spirit would be concerned in me, you know, because He does live in us, right? And so there's no worry there on His part, therefore there's no worry of the Spirit going on in me. And so that's a sweet blessing, you know, that's a sweet, sweet blessing. But look, y'all have anything you wanna give away? Anything you wanna give away? Ain't he good, Carolyn? He is good all the time. He sure is. He's kind to us. We're up to chapter eight in 2 Corinthians, but anywhere y'all been walking through, we've missed some ground. That's one of the dilemmas being away. We don't get to cover some of these great truths that are very, very rich and good. But anything stood out to you when you was walking through these things, anywhere. And it don't have to be in 2 Corinthians, that's obvious. Well, you can be in any particular place that was just ministering to you. Goes along what I'm talking about, if you look in chapter six, as you're getting something together you want to give away. You know, chapter five, Paul gives us some thrust has moved him in tremendous ways. Obvious, being a new creature changes everything. Changes how you think, changes who you trust, changes how you talk, changes how you walk, it changes everything. And in chapter five, he does bring that out, that verse number eight, where he says, we are confident, yes, we'll please rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. You see two things in that in chapter five, that one, you see a burden and you see a blessing. What is the burden? The burden is there's a groaning in all of us to be clothed with more Jesus. Isn't that what he said? He said that, look if you would in For an example verse 6 says so we're always confident. It's chapter 5 verse 6 So we're always confident knowing that while we're at home in the body. We're what absent from In the couple of verses before that use the word grown twice if I'm not mistaken. Verse 2, for in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. That is that which God has planned for us. We know He's already told us flesh and blood is not going to inherit. HEAVEN. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE WHAT? CHANGED, RIGHT? AND THAT CHANGING THAT TAKES PLACE IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK LIKE JESUS. HOPE WE HAVE. I JOHN 3 SAYS, HE WHO HAS THIS HOPE IN HIM SHALL BE PURE EVEN AS HE IS PURE. THAT IS, We don't know what we'll be, but we'll be like him. 1 Corinthians 15 talked about that. Remember this old body was sown in corruption, but it's going to be raised in what? In corruption. So we see here, and then he says it again in verse number four, for we who are in this tent, remember a tent is something that you what? You can move. Yeah, it's a tabernacle that can be picked up and move easily compared to a permanent dwelling, a permanent house. Remember, we are what? Sojourners. We're nomadic people passing through this world. This world ain't our home. So we're tabernacling in it. We're living in this tent, but this tent is gonna be changed. So we grown what? Being burdened, not because we wanna be unclothed, But further clothe that mortality may be swallowed up by life. So you see a burden, a burden in that, a burden. But verse number eight's gonna remind us of chapter five. We are confident, yes, well, please, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. So we know we go into Him. So there's the blessing. There's a burden want more of him but the blessing is he's coming for us. Verse 9 says that therefore we make it our aim whether present or absent to be what well pleasing to him. Man that's the beauty of it. The beauty of it is that we can live right now and walk by faith knowing that we're burdened because we would like to be rid of this old body of sin but we're blessed knowing that he's made a promise, he's gonna confirm us to the end and he's coming back for us. But the beauty of it is, is that we can please him right now. I don't have to wait then to please him. He's made it available because he's made me a new creation to be pleasing in his sight right now. So he tells us a great motive that, hey, we wanna be pleasing to him. And then verse number 10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. So that's a great motive. Knowing, hey, I'm gonna have to face Jesus one day. And man, I don't wanna waste what he's done for me. I don't wanna count the grace of God worthless. Now I want to trample it underfoot. I want to be used by Him and let Him at work. Verse 11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we then persuade men because everybody's going to have to face God one day. The brethren are going to face Him in the strength of Jesus, but lost people are going to have to face Him in their sin. So what do we do? We're moved and persuaded that we're all well known to God and I trust are well known to your conscience as well. That not only do we want, we know that God knows us, but we want the people of God to know who we are and what moves us. And then he goes in the verse number 12, in the verse number 13, 13 says, look, for if we are beside ourselves, that is, if we seem out of our mind, not all there, that's because we're passionate in love with God. But if we seem with a sound mind, it's so that we can be a blessing to you. For the love of Christ does what? Constrain us. That is, it masters my life, the love of Christ. masters my life because Jesus died, didn't he? And he died for who? The dead because everybody died, right? Everybody's dead in their sins and trespasses and Jesus died for the day, but only those who believe him are going to find life in him. So we go tell that he died for the day. And that's what verse 15, for the love of Christ compels, 14, verse 15 says, he died for all that those that live again, is the idea, who are born again, who have life in him, shall live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. Now, our English teacher knows that we need to know the difference between a conjunction and a preposition, right? Because the word for, like in verse number 14, verse 13, verse 12, those first verses there, for those are conjunction carrying over thoughts for us. But when you look at verse 14, where it says that if one died for all, then all died, that for there means he died in our place. He died in our stead, on our behalf. So it's a different than transitioning with the same mindset into the thought, use them in two different ways. And the same thing in verse 15, and he died in our place, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who what? Died in their place, in their stead, and rose again. So that, we see it again if you look in verse number 20. 20 says, now then we are ambassadors for Christ, in Christ's stead, in Christ's place. Christ is not here physically as he was then, he's here what? Spiritually in us. So as he was God's ambassador, now we're Christ's ambassador. So we represent him. So now then we are ambassadors in place for Christ as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ or in Christ's stead or Christ's behalf, that word behalf is the same word as for that we've been talking about in his place. be reconciled to God. Now we're His mouthpiece. We're His ambassador, we're His mouthpiece. We represent Him because He lives in us. And He's really preaching Himself, what? Through us, imploring men to come to Him. Same way, verse 21. For He made him who knew no sin to be what? Sin in our place. in our stead for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Boy, isn't that a wonderful word right there? Man, our life for his life. He died for the dead. To make the dead, what? Alive. And if you don't die before you die, you'll never live after you die. Isn't that right? Oh man, that's like 14 or 15 words, probably the best words ever penned. Ain't no doubt about it. That right there at verse 21 is a wonder, is a wonder, is a wonder. That's the gospel in just a few words. For God the Father made Jesus the Son who knew no sin to be sin in our place. that we, and you could add in there, who knew no righteousness might become the righteousness of God in him. Righteousness was a foreign thing to us. But because of the supernatural work of Jesus and God's amazing grace, our lives could be swapped out, amen. That not only are we now innocent, but we've been bestowed with the holiness of Christ Jesus to walk in that, to live from that in everything that we do because of what he accomplished for us. And everything bad about us was placed upon him. None of our sin was held back from him like none of his righteousness is held back from us. Isn't that a wonder? All the wickedness, the iniquity, The deception, every wrong thing about us was placed upon him. Not one thing, I mean the vilest of the vile was placed on him and not one ounce of his righteousness was kept back from us. Now that's a wonder there. Man, that we become the righteousness of God in him. You can't get no more righteous than that, can you? And that's what we are positionally. before Him. You'll never be any more righteous than you are right now because of what Jesus has accomplished in our lives. So boy, isn't that a wonder? And that's where then Paul goes in, in chapter six, when he says, look, we're workers together with Him, as he's already mentioned, as new creations, we're workers with Him, pleading that message of reconciliation with you not to receive this grace in vain. For God says, in an acceptable time, I have heard you and in the day of salvation, I've helped you. And then he says, behold, I want you to see this right now is what? The accepted time and see it that right now is the day of salvation. Everything about it is what? Right now. Man, right now, not that you being resaved every day, Now He salvaged your life, but it's a fresh, present, active work that He's always doing in our life. And it's for today. And for those that have not received Him as of, because Paul knows when he writes this, there are gonna be people there at Corinth that heard this, read, that still haven't been reconciled. He's saying, don't waste another day. Today's the day. Give your life to Him today. Today's the day. Verse three. We give no offense in anything that our service, our ministry may not be blamed. He was saying we don't want to give an offense. That's not our intent. Our intent is that we want to be servants. We want to serve. We want to serve. I had jotted down just a difference between a false teacher and God's servants. You see, false teachers break you down to build up their lies and falsehoods in your life. That they may be exalted in what they have so they can take what you have without you ever even realize you've been deceived. That's deception, isn't it? I'll read that again. The difference between, and I'll read the difference in God's servants, false teachers want to break you down to build up their lies and falsehoods in your life that they may be exalted in what they have so that they can take what you have without you even realizing you've been deceived. Meaning, They are gonna promote themselves over promoting Jesus. They'll bring Jesus to view, don't get me wrong. They couldn't get away with doing what they're doing if they didn't bring in elements. But who are they gonna make it about? They're gonna make it about themselves. And they're gonna make it to the point is you can't have everything God has intended for you to have unless you come through me. Or you give to me. Are you so into me? I'm where the gold's at. When I say gold, I'm not talking about a goal, I'm saying gold. I'm where the meat of it's at, that God's put his blessings on my work, my ministry, and they'll break you down to build up their lies and you, man, they so deceptive. You know how many people? or caught up, happened even at Corinth. What was happening at Galatia is that Peter talks about it all through the scriptures that these false teachers are gonna continue to rise up and they're gonna be able to gravitate to a certain element and they're gonna mislead people and they don't even know they're being misled. But it's gonna all be about, and they cannot teach about Jesus, but they're still gonna what? Break them down so that they see their way as being the only way and that if you really want anything in life, you gotta go through them. Go through them. Now, God's servants are used by him to tear down the lies. Pull down strongholds and cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in your life. that they can edify you and build up the body of Christ so that the Lord may be exalted and magnified through you and your faith obedience to the truth. That's a world of difference. God's servants are gonna be used to tear down the lies. pull down strongholds and cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in your life so that they can edify you and build up what? The body of Christ so that the Lord can be exalted and magnified through you and your faith obedience to the truth. Not that you got a planet here and you got a planet there. It's a life that's given over to Jesus and say, Lord, you can use me anywhere. in any way to bring glory to you. And this is what Paul is saying here. Watch what he says. Verse number four. But in all things, we introduce ourselves as ministers of God. How? In much patience, in tribulation, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tollments, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fasting. So you see these N words and then he's gonna shift to what? By, by purity, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and by dishonor, by evil report and good report, and then he's going to shift to what? As deceivers yet being true, as unknown yet well-known, as dying And behold, we live as chastened and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing what? All things. So I jotted down a little note for myself just to remind us we're servants. And this is what he's saying, regardless of the conditions or the circumstances, of life, no matter what the circumstances are, we're to serve God in what? Patience, in tribulation, because these are all circumstantial, right? These are conditions, tribulations with needs, distresses, being whooped with a cat and nine tails, in stripes, being in prison, in torments, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fasting. No matter what anybody else does when they're in those circumstances, we want to be known as what? Servants. Whether we're here or we're in our homes, Are we in the community? Are we in other places? No matter what the circumstances presented us in life, Paul is saying, we wanted to be servants. We want people to know and see us as servants. He already told them that, remember in 1 Corinthians. Let every man consider us as servants and stewards with the mysteries of the gospel. So regardless of the conditions that we must face, no matter what everybody else is doing in those conditions, we want to be known as what? Servants. We don't want to take advantage of people with the circumstances that are going on in life, right? At all, in any kind of way. Then you see, no matter what others do or how they do it, We don't wanna model how everybody else may be doing it, and that's what he's saying here. We wanna do it by what? Purity. We wanna be pure. We wanna do it because we've got knowledge, insight from the Lord. We wanna do it with long-suffering, that is forbearance. We forbear with people and their circumstances. We wanna be what? Kind when we do it. We want the Holy Spirit to be the one who leads and feels and influences We want to be sincere with our love. The old King James used the word unfeigned, right? Our love unfeigned, simply saying genuine, sincere. We want to do it by a word of truth. That is, we can cling to the scriptures while we're doing a thing. We want to do it by the power of God. That is obvious God at work in His presence in our life. By the armor of righteousness on the right hand on the left hand that is we we are well equipped We're truth ready. We're righteous ready. We are gospel ready We're ready for the conflict in the war that goes on against it. We want to do it what by honor and honor dishonor. That is basically saying that people are not always going to see us doing it honorably. We're going to be questioned in how we do it, but we want to do it with honor by evil report and good report because you know how it is. People are going to say good things and people are going to say bad things. And you can't remember, he's already told, he's told Timothy, we looked at it the other night, he who wants to live godly is gonna suffer what? Persecution. They're gonna be lied about. So that helps me. No matter what anybody else is doing, regardless of that, how we do it, we wanna do it by God. And him alone at work in our life and his ways. And then, no matter what others think, or say, regardless of what they think or say, because that's what you see with the as. See the contrast? We are considered deceivers, yet we're going to be true. As unknown, yet we make ourselves known. As dying, behold, we what? live, as chastened, yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet, what, possessing all things. So that's gonna apply, no matter what they say, no matter how they do it, or no matter the circumstances, in everything we do, we want people to see as a servants of Jesus, servants of his people, and that we serve in a gospel to a world that'll perish without it. And doing it with all our heart, amen? And I believe that's why he does that with the ins, the bys, and the ases. In, that is saying, conditions, whatever they are, we're not gonna alter our service depending on how good or bad it is. If we get thrown in jail, we're gonna serve him in the jail. That's what they did. If we eating high on the whole, we're gonna serve him. If we ain't got nothing, we're gonna serve him. We just wanna be servants wherever we are. And the by, how we wanna serve, who's given us everything we got to give away. Man, Jesus has gotta be all over it and all in it, how he did it, right? and then no matter what people say about us. Sometimes they're gonna say good things, sometimes they're gonna say bad stuff. We just gonna stick with it, amen? We are gonna stick with it. So that just blessed me when I was reading through that. Jeremiah 9, this was in, if you go to Jeremiah 9 and we'll close it out, this was drawn out of Paul mentioned this when he wrote the first letter. When he made reference to the fact that Jesus is our wisdom, Jesus is our sanctification, Jesus is our righteousness, Jesus is our redemption. This is all of God. This is the way that it is, so that no flesh can glory. No flesh can glory, but all glory goes to Him. So Jeremiah 9.23 says this, let not the wise man glory where? 9.23, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. You can put beside that, don't let him glory in his mind, in his capacities. Let not the mighty man glory in his what? In his might. And nor let the rich man glory in his, his money. So we see, let them not glory in their mind and their perception. Let them not glory in their might and power. Let not them glory in their money or their purchasing power. You see political power, you see military power, you see the, the ability to, uh, Perception, the mind, man's wisdom. Don't let any of us glory in that. Verse 24 says, but let him glory, glory in this, that he what? Understands and knows me. See that? When you understand and know him, no matter what condition you're in, no matter what circumstances you face, you can glory in him. And when you understand and know where everything comes from, now you can serve him from that. just like Jesus served. So he says, let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord, not us, who? Him, amen. And I exercise loving kindness, judgment, Righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight, says the Lord. And that's exactly what Paul was saying as a servant, wasn't it? He was saying those same, look, being loving, kind, showing kindness, showing mercy, showing forbearance and long suffering, showing righteousness and sincere love. You know that that's where my delight's in. So no matter how anybody else is gonna do it, I wanna do it his way. And I wanna do it for his glory. and His glory is always gonna what? Edify and build up His people. And it's not gonna make people glory in me, you're gonna make people what? Glory in Him, amen? You're gonna point Him to Jesus. And that's how we wanna serve, that's how we wanna live, that's how we wanna walk. So I keep that in my mind, hey look, it ain't about our mind, it ain't about our might, it ain't about our money. If there's anything to glory in, It's the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ became everything for us that we need to walk in this life. And he's given us everything. We have everything. But the thing is, we're not everything. We need him for everything, amen? And he's the everything that we point people to. And we just keep pointing people to in everything that we do. And man, these things bless me. They encourage me, they give me strength, amen? All right, anybody else? Let us pray. Father, we bless you, we thank you, we ask you to help us as we go forth even from here tonight knowing that you've made us new men and women, old things passed away and all things have become new. You've given us a ministry, you've given us a message, you've given us a mission. You've given us the right motives on why we do what we do. And we do see the burden of wanting more of you. And we see the blessing of knowing that we have everything we need. And we have a promise that you're coming for us soon enough. And while we walk through this world we live in, whether we are absent from you or present, we can be well-pleasing in your sight. So help us go forth as your servants that we can be a blessing to others, that we can help them see that you came and died for dead men, that dead men could be made alive in you. So help us go proclaim that good news that you've swapped with us and taken our sin and given us all your righteousness in Jesus name, amen. Love y'all. Y'all have a good night.