This message originally delivered June 23, 1991PM.
Please take your Bibles if you would, and open them to the book of Philippians. The Book of Philippians chapter two, we're going to study in this tremendous epistle Philippians chapter two, and follow along as I start with verse 12. And read through verse 18, realizing we're just studying verses 17 and 18. This morning, okay. Philippians chapter two, starting with verse 14, not 1214. I'll read through verse 18. Follow along as I read, through everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault and a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ, that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I'm being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too, should be glad and rejoice with me. Does it seem to you like it does to me that so many Christians just struggle to get by? It seems like the majority of Christians are always in a struggle. If you ask them. How are you doing home when it is just tough? You just wouldn't believe how tough it is. Now, actually, I give everybody a break, because I sound like that a lot, I'm sure. But Alexander White said, as I told you last week, he was never going to let his congregation as long as he lived. It was pastor of that church, get out of x or Romans chapter seven. What's Romans chapter seven? The tremendous passage on the great struggle in the Christian life. The things which I want to do, I don't and that which I do, I don't, you know, all that which we all can still relate to, if there was ever scripture that we go, that's me. That's me. We see that in Romans chapter seven. But you know, one thing is we sing of power, we sing of a change life, we talk about it, we hear stories about it, but so often, deep in our hearts, there's sort of that emptiness, and we're wondering, Where's the power? Where's the strength from God? You know, Paul, who wrote Romans chapter seven, is also Paul, who writes Philippians, two verses 17 and 18, that we're going to study today. And you know what these are? This is Paul being an example of great victory. If you wanted to know the main clause of verses 17 and 18. It's this is the last part of verse 17. I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Actually, it shouldn't say this, I rejoice and I rejoice with all of you. It's the same word, both places, in fact, all four times in the same word. Look at verse 18. So you too, should rejoice with me, and rejoice again with me. Be glad and rejoice with me four times the word rejoice is there. Now ask your question. Does that make sense to you? Listen, Paul was in prison, in a foreign country, under the sentence of death any minute the executioner's could come in and say Your time is up. He is away from those that he loved. And yet he says in verses 17 and 18, to these people, I rejoice. I rejoice. Now, this is a Bible character, right? Oh, you say Kim, it's easy. Those the way Bible characters are Bible characters just that way. There's always rejoicing that they wouldn't be in the Bible if they were. No, my friends listen to the point I want you to see is this rejoicing came from Paul understanding something you see, naturally speaking, no one in prison in a foreign country under the sentence of death away from those He loves is going to be rejoicing in the Lord. No one is that's naturally speaking, no one is supernaturally speaking. Yes. But no one actually speaking is going to be that way. That Come on. We all know this, that Paul was in prison, we may not have been in prison. But we all know that life is full of sorrow and trouble and heartache. There's not a person here that hasn't had ache in their heart, to some degree or another. And if you haven't had much, hang on, because more is coming your way. I guarantee it. We live in a sin cursed world. There is problems all around. In fact, one man said if tears were indelible ink, instead of clear fluid, we would all be stained for life. Because we live in a world where there is trouble there is sorrow, there is suffering. But what's the difference between those that just struggle or all the time struggle if you look at and they look like defeated Christians all the time, compared to somebody who rejoices while in prison under the sentence of death away from his friends and family. I'm gonna tell you what it is. Listen. It's no great secret. The reason Paul could rejoice was because Paul on a please get this. Paul was led by his theology. I hope you're listening. He wasn't led by his emotions in the circumstances. The reasons why so many Christians today are often discouraged and defeated, including myself and I'm not saying that at all. You are this way. I know I struggle with the two. But the reason the difference between us and Paul, is this Paul I understood God believed with all of his heart and he believed what God's word said about him more than even his feelings or circumstances dictated. That is so important for us to understand the psalmist understood this when he said to himself, why are thou cast down for my soul, and wired thou disquieted within the hope that when God you see what is good theology, but this, you have hope in God. There's a reason to live. There's a God who cares. He's involved in our life. What are some things that Paul knew just from Philippians? Well, he knew this, he knew that he was a sinner saved by the kindness and grace of a loving God who sent His Son Jesus to die for him. And his response was gratitude. If you read Philippians, two, one and two, flip back there, and look at the first two verses of chapter two, it says this, is there any encouragement from being united with Christ? Well, yes. Is there any comfort from his love? Of course? Is there any fellowship with the Spirit? Is there any tenderness and compassion? Yes, the tender isn't compassion, or the merciful, kind, loving God toward sinners. Paul says, I've tasted it. I deserved how he was gracious to me. That changed his life. Guess what it did? It made him want to get along in unity with other people. If you see our ties in with verse three. You also knew that God was sovereign over all the circumstances. Did you know that? How about you? How about you? Come on, you got a boss, you don't like? You got trouble. You got a spouse, you don't like? You got some kind of trouble or heartache in your life? Is there some kind of uncomfortable situation which you were in? You know what Paul would tell you? He would say look at chapter one, and verses 12. Look, go back. And look, it says he would say this. Now I want you to know, brothers. That what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it's become clear throughout the whole palace guard and everyone else, that I am changed for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly to the point. He says, Look, even though the greatest mystery of the church is in prison, God is sovereign, gotta so sovereign, that the whole Patriot Guard is now hearing a group of young men all through Rome are now hearing the gospel. Hey, God is sovereign, even if I'm in prison, if it furthers the cause the gospel praise God, I'll go on. You also knew who Jesus was go to chapter two. And look at verse six. He knew who the pre incarnate Jesus was, who beat in the very nature God did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped. He knew the incarnate Jesus was looking for seven that made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearances. man, He humbled Himself and became obedient death and get this we already studied this, but he knows know who the post incarnate Jesus was. And that is this if you can say that term. I don't think theologically that's completely correct. But anyway, you look at verse nine, therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that is the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to that Allah, you know, the passage. Hey, he was led by his theology. One last thing. Look at verse 16, verse 16, sets up verse 17, and 18, verse 16, says this, as you hold out the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run, or labor for nothing, oh, don't, don't let that pass you by their friends, that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run a labor for nothing. The reason he can rejoice is this, his goal was to be found pleasing to God at the Bema Seat. And that is what led him. Now friends, I'll tell you something, one of the biggest concerns of my heart is to see that people are not just led by their hormones, by their emotions by their feelings. But there are people that are read by their theology. If you want to understand what you keep Jeremiah going, if you want to understand what you keep Paul going into the severes depress circumstances of Second Corinthians, If you want to know all the trouble, how could these guys hang on? If you want to know about people, even in our church, that are suffering, and you say, but they're so sweet, and they're suffering? They seem like they're doing so well? What is it? I want to tell you every time there's one reason, theology is given to our minds, revelation comes in the form of a book so we can read it and understand it. And as it's in our minds, we apply it to our lives. So do we go around stoic is if there is no emotion to it? Like being God loves me that is true. Now, as we understand that God loves us, we say, Great. At the modern vernacular, they used to say hallelujah. You see, we say fantastic, because it moves us emotionally. But first and foremost, we've got to understand truth. Let me give you a little illustration. This is an overhead made up for something else the law of sowing and reaping, but I want you to see it in a little different way. So here was thought in prison. Problems needs questions, questions, the flippin church lets Paul do it in prison. Oh, man, he got us to Christ, what's going on? God must not be working through us anymore. Now, Paul said, Look, when you have these things come into your life. There are decisions that you must make your decisions and your outlook, the way you think about life is going to be dependent upon your theology. Now friends, today, there are a lot of people that say, Hey, be happy man. Don't worry, be happy. Right, we can sing the song. I don't know how it goes, but don't worry, be happy. You know, the thing is we can listen, some preacher says, Hey, think positive, always think loving thoughts. Well, you know it, how do you do that? If there's nothing to draw on when you see the death of a little baby? Or you see, you see tremendous tragedy and sorrow Oh, well just forget all that. It's really not there. We'll just think and be happy. No. But you see, what's the center of theology in the Christian circles? What is it, my friends is the cross is the cross of Jesus Christ. What is that the center of our theology is the Holy Son of God was nailed viciously to a cross and was killed for our sins. So when it comes to decisions, what's going to rule us? Well, if self is ruling us, look what's going to happen. We are going to make decisions based on man's ways. That is reason circumstances, emotions, environmental things, philosophy, religion, what other people think codes, self concepts, old attitudes, old habits, but if Christ is really in our life, we will make decisions. And notice it's pretty simple. Two things here, friends, based upon God's word, and based upon the direction of the Holy Spirit. That's it. One leads the life one leads to death. You want to know about people that make it through suffering and trials, and you say, how do they do it? My friends, there isn't a lot of guesswork. I want to tell you something. They understand God's revelation, and they apply it to their life, even when it's difficult, even when it's hard to even when it seems that circumstances dictated Paul could have said, Hmm, I thought God loved me and had a wonderful plan for our life. After all, you all use the Romans wrote, I'm the one that wrote Romans. I thought he loved me and had a wonderful plan for my life. What's the deal? I'm here in prison, I may get killed. It didn't even shake Paul. It didn't even shake him. Do you know why? Because Paul understood something at the Bema Seat judgment. If you died as a martyr, you are going to get a great reward. And so when he says in verse 17, I rejoice guess what the first point is, I rejoice with what it says, even though I'm being poured out like a drink offering. What without a reference to martyrdom, he's about to die. And he says, even though I'm about to be sacrificed, I rejoice. And by the way, he didn't die then. But if you read Second Timothy, chapter four, verses six through eight, you find out that he did die then and guess what he said, I am now being poured out like a drink offering the same thing. The time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith I have finished the course Henceforth there is goodness, henceforth, there is laid out for me a crown of righteousness. What's it talking about? The Bema Seat judgment? What's he talking about here? directly because of the Bema Seat directly, because of his salvation directly, because of all the things promised about Christ, and told us about Christ and Philippians chapter two, Paul says this, I rejoice. I rejoice. We are told today that our emotions lead us we just feel God. My friends, you're going to find out that that's going to let you down. Not that you don't ever are overwhelmed with the Spirit of God, and have wonderful feelings. That's not what I'm saying. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. But what I am saying is this, our understanding of who God is, and his character is to lead us even in the darkest hour. He says, I rejoice. Even though to get this, I rejoice, even though I'm being poured out like a drink offering because I see something. I see the sacrifice and service that your faith is rendering. You know what was happening to the flippin church as a result of this they were sending a Pafford itis to him with love gifts, that was sacrificial service. The Bible tells us clearly there's no longer room for burn offerings we don't have to offer what if you came to church today that all right we got the altar of the knife and Mike Martin steps over Ned give it they got these big butcher knife so sharpen me and they get the fire going and you kill the old you guys think you guys think this is not a New Testament Church? Right? I mean, at least I hope you have some kind of knowledge of the Bible that you would least think that right? So whenever you see the knives getting out in the It's a pig roast, usually you see. All right, but their sacrifice now. Hebrews 13 says the sacrifice is when you share with others. Look over to Philippians four and verse 18. Here's the same word sacrifice use look what it says. He says Philippians four verse 18. I have received full payment and even more I am amply supplied now that I have received from a Pafford itis the gifts you sent they are get this the gifts they said they are an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God. Mark down there we will take time to look at Hebrews 1315 and 16. Guess what else you would find there? Listen, when you have people over to your home to try to minister to them for the Lord. When you spend time working in the nursery, when you sign up to go down to the toddlers, you and go down to the garbc conference and work down there at the convention center. And you do it and you say, even though as I think about it, I can smell the aroma of urine coming off the carpet, you know, I still, I still will do this for the Lord. And you look at it from that perspective, guess what it is to God, just like when they burnt the lamb on the altar, after they'd cut it up, there was a aroma that would come from that that was unmistakable. The Jew could spot it from miles away, they could smell the tabernacle and the smell of sacrifice. You know what the point is, as you live a life of love Ephesians five, one and two, it's a fragrant offering to God, what is it? Now we don't have to make sacrifices, because Christ was once and for all sacrificed for us. But now, as you make sacrifice to love people, as you make sacrifice in giving things to people, when you hear about somebody in need, and you send things to help them, when you hear someone's discouraged, and you call them up and give them a good word, when you do all those kinds of things. It's a sacrifice. And Paul said, Look, I rejoice even if I'm dying, because I see it's causing you to live a sacrificial life. And it's stemming from this faith that's in you, helping others. The way of showing that type of sacrifice. And I remember this whole idea of Paul rejoicing is based upon the fact that he wants to not run in vain or a belaboured thing. See verse 16. Ties right in. But I want you to notice this running, he says that I did not run in vain. I want you to remember the illusion you remember first Corinthians 924 to 27, that famous passage, where Paul says, I beat my body. I actually says in the Greek, I give myself a black eye. I go into strict training is the way the NIV says it. Why listen, because the Olympic athletes, he says, I'm quoting you this passage now the Olympic athletes, he says they do it so they could receive a corruptible crown. You know what they got? A reef. There was a kid you get a trophy, how proud you are? Well, they got to Reese. Well, guess what? What happens to a reef? It dries up. But we get an N corruptible crown. Now, listen, please don't miss the point. Paul said I beat my body. I keep it in subjection. I strive as hard as I can not to be led by anything other than the Spirit of God. For what reason? That I may get an incorruptible crown, the Olympic athletes getting to get a crystal crown, I do it to get an anchor for crown. In other words, he did it for the reward. The BBC led him he said, Hey, there's more to this life than just this life. I've got to remember, I am going to stand and give account of myself before God. He said the same thing I've already quoted to use negativity for six to eight, I fought a good fight. I've kept the faith I finished the court get this henceforth there's laid up for me a crown. Why was he rejoicing? Because Paul looked at death, Venus, I will then go and be with the Lord. My friends remember something? I am not talking about this. You do a bunch of good works, and therefore you make it into heaven. The Bema Seat is only for Christians. It's only for those who are once and for all had their sins forgiven. They've come to Christ for salvation. And it is a judgment of works. It's what God looks at your life and judges your life for how you've lived. Have you kept the faith? Have you fought a good fight? Have you finished the course? Or have you griped and complained? Like it says back in verse 14? Have you gone around murmuring and complaining, which is basically saying this when you murmur and complain? God isn't sovereign. He really doesn't think isn't in control. I want to ask you this question. Do you understand the place the BBC judgment you'd have in your life? Do you really understand it? Think of how our society thinks about this. When they think of God's judgment. They always say this, oh, man, don't give me this hellfire and brimstone stuff. Think about that they you know, they say they look at that at all. Man, that is just ridiculous. The fact that we're going to be judged by God, that's ridiculous. That has nothing to do with our life. That's typical what the world says. Listen, when marriage counselors counseling any different if they realized, the Bema Seat in their minds, that God is pleased when you struggle through a difficult marriage, and he may give a great reward for that. With pastors because so concerned about numbers in their church, when the Scripture clearly says about the Bema Seat, each man's work will be tried for the quality of its work. You see, it would make quite a difference. Is it really a factor in the decisions you make? Do you ever make decisions? Do you ever say NO to temptation? For this reason? Boy, I would love to give into this thing. But you know what? One day I'll have to face Jesus and he's gonna have to ask me about that. So I'll say no. Because I love him because I don't want to. If it isn't the goal of your life, then don't be expecting to rejoice when sorrows come and when troubles come. I challenge you to get out of red pen and open up your New Testament and read through it as fast as you can. Marking every time there is an illusion. In a reference or a phrase to the Bema Seat judgment, and you know what, my friends, you are going to be shocked. Because one of the absolute leading motivations in the life of the men and women and in the Bible was the Bema Seat, but they would be found pleasing that they will say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Listen. Colossians three says the way you work for your employer will be judged as the Bema Seat. It's not just how much you prayed, and how much you gave it, the missions conference. It's how you worked. Chapter Four says employers, you better treat your employees fairly because you have a master in heaven. The idea is the Bema Seat. They're sinker, these 510 says every detail on the body. Romans 14 says this. Don't you be judgmental towards other Christians because you have to stand before the Bema Seat. You better not be judgmental, because the kind of judgment you give to Christians God and they give to you. Or Hebrews 1317 elders, they must give account for the way they shepherded. That's why George Whitfield said this. He said Please, Mr. Whitfield, answer your critics. They're saying all these terrible things about you? And he said no, I am perfectly willing to wait until the judgment day for the cleanup of my character. When I am dead. I desire no other epithet. But this here lies George Whitfield. What kind of man he was the great day we'll discover. There'll be a day The Bible says when each man each woman, listen, there's get this there's a day when you will stand before God and your life will be unfolded. Now listen, there's always a balance here. You know why I see all of that and I can almost tell exactly what you guys are all thinking right now. You know what you're thinking? Oh, man, this just makes me sort of sick. I feel sort of sick in the pit of my stomach. Just before the courts of heaven. Oh man, is gonna be terrible. Because you've looked at the Bema Seat for so long from a negative perspective. This is what I mean. When you please stand down and come before the BBC. So here's Jerry and his thoughts you know All right, Jerry You scum you stink and scum. I know what you did not Tuesday 14th of May 1994. I watched you you know all the angels in heaven go we watched you we watched you. All the throne all the throne of heaven standing up and going down Jerry no good. That's that way some people think of the BBC. But I will tell you something. This is one side. One side is this There ought to be the fear of God in our hearts. Remember the balance. There's the balance. Here's the far side. There ought to be a fear of God, we will give account of ourselves to God in order to change the way we live. When we're in prison. If we just grew up and moan and complain, remember how see how this passage ties in verse 14 Do all things without griping and complaining do all things bitter, grumbling and arguing? Guess what? Paul was in prison. He didn't just get by it and just struggle. He rejoice. You talk about fulfilling verse 14, he rejoiced why? One reason is he had the fear of God and you realize you would answer to him one day and God was sovereign God had him in jail, God may have you and your job, God may have you and your marriage, God may have you in some trouble in your life, financially, whatever it is, God has got you there because God is trying to teach you a lesson. And for you to gripe and complain about it will mean failure, the Bema Seat because he says, I say all this, so I would have rather labored in vain at the Bema Seat. It's a one thing is you ought to be scared. There are times in my life, because I fear God, I don't want to sin. But friends, let me just for a minute, take some time to go over to the other side. Have you ever considered the other side? And that is this? God, who already declared you righteous in His eyes when you were a filthy, rotten, stinking sinner? I just described New Testament theology, by the way, and that is without argument. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were absolutely without hope. And without straight, we were guilty from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. Everything about us. And you know what God did? Even while we were his enemies, he loved us. While we were far from him, he sent his Son to die on the cross for us. And here's my point. Do you think if since you are an enemy of God, He paid the price for your sins through Jesus Christ. Do you think now that you're his child? That he's going to bring you up in front of the Bema Seat and go, Hey, you scum? No, he's a loving God. He cares about you. He loves you. He thinks about you more times. There are Sanders in the sea. And he is awesome not to be feared. But at the same time, listen, you are gonna be scared to death to stand up there. But at the same time, you are going to be so thankful to see your Lord Jesus face to face. pinata motivate us to that we'd be pleased to him. Listen, if you've got the thought about the Bema Seat that scares you. Then you're just like the man and Jesus parable. You remember one guy was given five talents one guy was given two talents and one guy was given one talent and you remember what the guy was the one talent Did he hit his talent in the ground? And when the master came and said, the guy with five, give me five more, the guy was two gave me two more. Where's yours? He says here I dug it in the ground. He says, Why didn't you at least take it to the bank? And you could have gotten some interest? And you know what the answer is? Let's know what the man said. The man who was scared of the BBC, the gentleman when he said, he said this, he said, You he said, I knew that you were a hard taskmaster. I knew you were one that was hard to please. And I was so scared that I hid my towel on the ground. You know what that is friends. That's a very sick and perverted view of God, that the loving Heavenly Father is some guy that's too hard to please, that the loving Heavenly Father is somebody that is going to stand up there here. All right, next. He's a God that has died on the cross for our sins. He loves us. And my friends, you don't have this on to motivate me and you have a mental note that you have about this. You having a hard time at work. But what have you found out and see, by the way, most employees are the most dissatisfied because they feel this way. They don't get noticed. And they don't get appreciated. So what happens, you're there are working in there, you're mopping the floor, it's your work. Now all of a sudden, you find out that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, ESPN, channel 40, even all of them are going to at the end of this year, film, a huge banquet in your honor, in which you're going to be rewarded. And what you didn't know is every time you had that mop in your hand, and you wouldn't even have the little crevice that no one saw the mop the floor. God saw. And by the way, if you think I make it up, he says he knows when you get a cup of water in his hands, in his name. He remembers it. Hell was said sudden you would say it's going to be worth it. And one thing I want you to remember friends is this we have got to absolutely stay making the type of decisions and living our life based on this idea that the BBC leads us. That is why Paul could say in verse 17, I rejoice even while I'm being poured out his drink offering because I see you guys making progress. And because I goal is that I would not have run or labored in vain. There's a tape that I was gonna play, but I'm just gonna tell it to you this. I played it last hour. I'm just gonna tell it to you. There was a reverend Francis Dixon in the early part of this century. And something happened to him, which I want to tell you about, which illustrates this point perfectly listen. True story, we got to tape on it. If you want to get a copy of it, we can do that somehow, if it's legal. A man from Noah stood up in his church in England, to give a testimony and said this. I was on business in Sydney, Australia. And a little old white haired man walked up to me and said, Sir, do you mind if I asked you this question? If you died tonight, would you go to heaven? I couldn't get out of my mind. I went back out to pasture became a Christian. And the whole church rejoiced. Reverend Dixon went to Australia and was in town preaching. A lady came forward. He said to the lady after she had received Christ, what made you want to come she goes, I was walking down George streets in Sydney, Australia. And a little old white haired man came up to me and said, Ma'am, ask you this question. You know, if you died tonight, if you'd go to heaven, she was I couldn't get out of my mind. I decided when I came back to my town here in Australia had to go to church. I came to this church. I heard you preach the gospel. And I came to Christ. It's because of that man. Later on that month, he was in another town in Australia preaching. He was a famous preacher back in the early 1900s. And he had to lunch with a deacon in the church. They had asked, Tell me, how did you come to Christ? He said, It's a strange thing. He goes, I was visiting Sydney, Australia, and I was walking down George Street. And a little little white haired man came up to me and said, Sir, my mind if I asked you this question, you know if you died, and if you go to heaven. He says, I went back now the pastor received Christ. Now I'm a deacon in this church serving the Lord. He told that message while he was speaking in the conference in Europe. And after the message, he told the story of those people that he met six people from Europe came up, and they all said the same thing. We were all on vacations or in business or this or that in Sydney, Australia. We all met that little man. It was all on George Street, and all of us are now Christians as a result of that testimony. He gave us some thought provoking question. Later on, get this. He went to a conference in India, a missions conference. He spoke One of the guys that was the head of the mission said, you aren't gonna believe this. But I used to work for the Indian government. They sent me to Sydney, Australia on business. I was walking down Georgia street, a little wonder man came up and asked me the question, though there it was the story again. Finally, he went to the West Indies. After he told the story there for West Indians came up and said, We can't believe you said that. We were walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia. We're not the same guy. Every one of their stories, they all came to Christ by a piercing question that sent them back to their homeland, to ask someone who knew the gospel to tell them the truth. Finally, Reverend Dixon went to United States he met a Navy chaplain. The Navy Chaplain said, told him the story of how he's gonna vote. He goes, Well, it all started when I was in the Navy and stationed in Sydney, Australia. Reverend Dixon said, Let me tell you the story. You were walking down George Street, and a little white here, man, Caleb, how did you know? After that, Dixon said, I've got to go to Sydney and find this old man. He called the pastor friend when he got there. You know about this man? Oh, yes, it's Mr. Gan all. That's his name. He's very old and feeble. They went to find them and he lived in a little old house. Not much to it at all. And it knocked on the door and a shaky old man trembling 90 Some years old came to the door. Remember, Dixon said, Mr. Gan Hall, I came all the way here to tell you how God has used your witness around the world. And he told him the story, but I just told you. You know what happened? Mr. Gan all broke down and started sobbing. Because I want to tell you something. Years ago, I was a wicked sailor. I wish there wasn't a sin that I haven't committed. And one night on the high seas, the midst of a storm, I was so terrified for my soul, and God wonderfully saved me through His Son, Jesus Christ. I made a commitment to him that night, that the rest of my life to the best of my ability, I would be faithful to try to ask 10 people a question that may get them thinking about Christ. The only thing is the reason I'm crying so hard is this I never knew until this moment that any of them ever came to Christ. The friends the reason I close with that story is is first it's a wonderful story. If that's all I told you, that would be a wonderful story. But the reason I tell you that story is this. A few months after that conversation, Mr. Gan all died. And he went from a little shack in Sydney, Australia, into the portals of heaven. And I want you to know, there was a rich welcome by one who is highly honored by God. And friends, when it comes to this idea of being able to rejoice in the midst of any circumstance, you have got to let the theology of the Bema Seat lead you. And that means this you can't always tell on this earth. What is happening, Mr. Ganahl didn't know it. And secondly, you are just called to be faithful. You aren't called to be successful but faithful. Let's pray. Father, I want so much to be a person that isn't jerked around, up and down by my emotions, but one that lives based upon my theology, and especially I want to pastor a church where there are people growing and their understanding of how the Bema Seat and the fact that we will give an answer ought to both warn us and encourage us in the way we handle trouble now. In Jesus name, Amen.