1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:12,560 Let's dive in. You have your Bible handy. 5 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,280 We're going to be in Acts chapter 16, Acts chapter 16. 6 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,960 I want to look at a certain time in Paul's life leading into this 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,400 collaboration of what God has for us. 8 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,360 Beginning in verse 25, if you have your Bible handy, Acts 9 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:32,000 chapter again, 16 beginning in verse 25, the title of the 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,360 message is called It's time. And if you get there to that 11 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,480 portion of scripture, if you can as you're turning there, just 12 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:45,440 look at your neighbor and say neighbor, my neighbor, it's 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,200 time. It's time. 14 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,240 Just look at someone you love and tell them it's time. 15 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,480 Look at someone you really don't like and tell them it's time. 16 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:57,960 I'm just kidding. No, no. 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:00:59,400 Notice. Notice. 18 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:05,160 Notice Paul's time of his life. Look at verse 25, the Bible 19 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,960 says, but at midnight, Paul and Silas we're praying and singing 20 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:13,280 hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 21 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:17,000 Notice the time of Paul's life. It was midnight. 22 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,560 Normally midnight is the darkest hours of the night, and suddenly 23 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,640 there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the 24 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,080 prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were 25 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,280 opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,920 And the keeper of the prison, awakening from sleep, noticed 27 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:40,240 that, and seeing the prison doors were open, notice what the 28 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,200 Bible says. And everyone's the prison doors 29 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:44,120 were open. Excuse me. 30 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,760 Supposing that the prisoners had fled, he drew his sword and was 31 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,480 about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud 32 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,560 voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. 33 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,120 Then he called for a light. He ran in. 34 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,240 He fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 35 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,000 And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be 36 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,480 saved? And so said, believe on the Lord 37 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:17,360 Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. 38 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,240 And then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who 39 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,760 were in the house. I believe that it's time. 40 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,680 It was Billy Graham when he was asked. 41 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,200 Billy Graham is one of the most prolific preachers of the past 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:38,560 generation who has spoken the gospel to many people, millions 43 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:44,240 of people, through virtual, also in person gatherings. 44 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,520 And Billy Graham has travelled the world preaching the gospel. 45 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,720 They asked him in an interview what was the greatest shock of 46 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,120 his life and he said the brevity of it. 47 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,360 And I believe that is true for every single one of us, that 48 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:07,120 when it comes to time, it is often a word that we use a lot. 49 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,720 Husbands, you might have used this with your wife. 50 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,000 When you were ready to leave, you said it's time to go. 51 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,760 Maybe mom, you might have used this when you declared this in 52 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,280 your house to all of your teenagers. 53 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,360 Then it was time for you to leave. 54 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,160 Maybe you've heard this word or this term from your teenagers 55 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:36,720 when they came up and asked you mom, dad, when is it time to 56 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,280 eat? I was sitting at the stoplight 57 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,720 and the stoplight had turned green, but the car in front of 58 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,440 me would not go because the person was stuck looking at 59 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,760 their phone, not at the light. And I just honked my horn a 60 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,800 little bit, a holy honk. And I gave them a little bit of 61 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:59,080 nod and I just said to myself, it's time to move. 62 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:04,040 I believe we often use this time, this word time a lot. 63 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:09,160 We use it a lot where we say we don't have the time, we are not 64 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,160 making the time, you're not spending enough time. 65 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,200 We use this term a lot that we're killing time or we're 66 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:24,160 counting time, or we say to people in marriages it's about 67 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,280 time. Or we tell our loved ones they 68 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:33,960 can take their time. Or people work part or people 69 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,640 like to choose to work full. We like to say that time heals 70 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:46,400 or time flies or time is money. We actively use this word time, 71 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:53,120 but we poorly live out our time. I mean we struggle with our 72 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,640 seconds. We become mundane in our minutes 73 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,440 and many times we become complacent in the call that God 74 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,320 has placed upon our lives. Listen to what James said in 75 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:10,400 James chapter 4 verse 14. He said you do not know that 76 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:16,840 what tomorrow will bring. What is your life for you are a 77 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:23,400 mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 78 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:31,720 I realize this again on Monday when I went Tuesday, excuse me, 79 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,480 when we went back to my father in law's house, who had passed 80 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,280 the structure that he had built with his own hands and drawn 81 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:45,680 with his own pencil, still was there, empty, but his presence 82 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,760 was gone. And even to this day, I continue 83 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,920 to think as I walked through his house that I wish we had a 84 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:57,640 little bit more time. I wish we had a little bit more 85 00:05:57,640 --> 00:05:59,880 time. The Bible says that your life is 86 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:02,880 like a vapor, a mist. You're here today and you're 87 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,760 gone tomorrow. Listen to what Paul said in 88 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,920 Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8. For at one time you were 89 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:15,440 darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. 90 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,400 Walkest children of the light. Notice again what Paul said in 91 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:23,600 Colossians chapter 4, verse 5 in regards to our time. 92 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:28,640 Walk in wisdom towards those who are outsiders, making the best 93 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,680 use of your time. You remember there's two 94 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,800 different words for the word time in the Bible, the Greek 95 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:43,400 word chronos and Dora, the Greek word keros. 96 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:49,080 I'm probably not pronouncing that right, but chronos speaks 97 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:56,200 of the quantity of time, but the word carros speaks of the 98 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,440 quality in which you use the quantity of that time. 99 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,280 And I don't think many times we have a issue with the quantity 100 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,440 of time. I think our issue is that we 101 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:12,840 don't use the quality of the quantity of the time that God 102 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,600 has given to us. And what we begin to do is we're 103 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:22,280 seeking to withdraw from life things that we never deposited 104 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,520 in with time. And what happens in our lives is 105 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:31,320 this is we begin to regret the past times rather than rejoicing 106 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,160 in the past times because we took for granted the past time. 107 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,760 And now we want a different future. 108 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,720 But we never laid the foundation for a different life in the 109 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,440 past. That does not mean that God 110 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,680 cannot redeem our time, but that does mean this, that we should 111 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:54,360 make the best use of the time that God has given to us. 112 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:58,160 You will live for eternity. I will live for eternity. 113 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:02,000 You have it best, a good 70 to 80 years of your life. 114 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:07,200 That is, a little portion of your life is spent on earth. 115 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,680 The majority of your eternity now is going to be spent with 116 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:18,200 the Lord Jesus in heaven. And the question is not how well 117 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:23,120 or how fast you can live out your 70 to 80 years, but how are 118 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:25,880 you preparing yourself for eternity. 119 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:30,080 The house that you live in one day will not matter. 120 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,400 The car that you drive, 2 generations, 3 generations from 121 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,320 now, it will not matter. But what will matter is the way 122 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,760 that you spent time in each relationship and now you passed 123 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,520 a legacy of love and life down to your family. 124 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,120 Listen please, it was one pastor. 125 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,400 Put it this way, the best use of life is love, and the best 126 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:59,480 expression of love is time, and the best time to love is now. 127 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:03,120 If there's a man who knew this, it was the apostle Paul. 128 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:07,040 Paul was a man who was radically changed by Jesus. 129 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,120 You can read his story in Acts chapter 8 and Acts Chapter 9. 130 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,520 But this was a man who was a murderer. 131 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,800 He was a persecutor of the church. 132 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,160 He was religious, he was zealous, but yet he was dragging 133 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,880 Christians off to prison. And God took hold of his life. 134 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,440 And when God took hold of his life, God took hold of his 135 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,200 heart. And when he took hold of his 136 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,760 heart, he, his life was driven in a whole different direction. 137 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,880 And because of that, the apostle Paul would begin to use his life 138 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,360 in a radically different way than where he was heading on 139 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,840 that way to Damascus. He would now live his life for 140 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,520 Jesus. His vision would be Jesus. 141 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:50,520 His mission would be people. His cause would be love. 142 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,640 And Paul's life began to did this radical change. 143 00:09:54,800 --> 00:10:00,240 His eyes were open for the first time to see who Jesus is and who 144 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,480 is life was meant to be in the calling that God has. 145 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,960 As we go through the book of Acts, it's not just the Acts of 146 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:11,080 the Apostles, it is the act of the Holy Spirit. 147 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:16,400 Without the Holy Spirit, there are no apostles, there's no 148 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:21,720 power, there's no perseverance, there's no mission to accomplish 149 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,600 without the power of the Holy Spirit over their lives. 150 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,440 When you read through the book of Acts, I want you to get this 151 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:32,440 idea that the time of the book of Acts is a 40 year period. 152 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,120 In this 40 year period throughout the book of Acts, 153 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,040 it's not that we're reading chapter after chapter. 154 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,760 There's one miracle every day. There might have been and it 155 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,280 might not have been recorded or it could have been. 156 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,960 They were sporadically spread throughout 40 years. 157 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,280 Many times when I read the book of Acts, I'm like, wow, God, 158 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,440 will you just move this way? And I believe God is moving this 159 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,000 way today. Are we available that God would 160 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,560 use where he tells us to wait sometimes he tells us to walk. 161 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,800 Sometimes he tells us to ask for healing sometimes. 162 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:11,440 And we believe that the outcome comes from the hand that is 163 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,840 wounded for our transgressions. Do you see Jesus is moving? 164 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,720 And in the life of Paul, men and women in the book of Acts, every 165 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,080 second matter to them because they were saved. 166 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,880 Every hour became something that was holy to them because God 167 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,840 made them holy. All their days now would make a 168 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,280 difference because they were compelled by Jesus Christ. 169 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,680 And when we come to Acts chapter 16, Paul and Silas had just 170 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:41,240 arrived in the city called Philippi. 171 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,920 You probably remember that city because it's where Paul wrote a 172 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,120 letter to a church called Philippians and he told them to 173 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:53,240 rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. 174 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,040 It is here that Paul met a woman by the name of Lydia, and Lydia 175 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,480 becomes a believer. And it's here in Philippi where 176 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,920 Paul had a mandate to preach. He had a mission to reach and a 177 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:08,560 message to teach the gospel. All of Paul's time was wrapped 178 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:15,160 up in all of this truth that because Jesus is alive, anything 179 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:19,120 is possible. And so he comes to this place in 180 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,600 his life. Now in Acts chapter 16, and we 181 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,920 see that the apostle Paul is using his time for something 182 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:32,160 that really does matter. And you might be wondering, how 183 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:36,440 did Paul get into this dark time in this prison at midnight? 184 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:40,040 If you would just back up with me in the chapter in verse 16, 185 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:45,240 Paul was on his way to prayer. In verse 16 of chapter 16, as 186 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,440 he's on his way to prayer, the Bible says, says there's a 187 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:51,160 certain slave girl and she was possessed with a spirit of 188 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,840 divination. They met us who brought her 189 00:12:53,840 --> 00:13:00,600 masters much profit by fortune. So Paul is on his way to 190 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,160 Bridgetown Church, stops at Starbucks. 191 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,440 At Starbucks, he meets a girl who's possessed with a demon. 192 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:15,200 As he's at Starbucks, he now realizes that this girl is being 193 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,080 trafficked and he decides to pray over her. 194 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,800 So notice what happened. The girl followed Paul in verse 195 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,760 17 and cried out, saying these men are the servants of the most 196 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,280 high God who proclaimed to us the way of salvation. 197 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,480 And this she did for many days. But Paul greatly annoyed. 198 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:34,600 Have you ever been had like holy annoyance? 199 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,320 Have you ever had holy annoyance? 200 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,320 Paul was greatly annoyed. Isn't it great to hear that Paul 201 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,480 was annoyed? Now don't use this as an excuse 202 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,600 for you to sin. But no, I love that the Bible is 203 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,520 just real. Just real. 204 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:58,040 Paul's annoyed. He turns to the girl and he 205 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,160 looks at the girl and he said to the Spirit, I command you in the 206 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,240 name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. 207 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:12,720 And he came out that very hour. Now notice how Paul utilized his 208 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:17,480 time. Paul is on his way to prayer. 209 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,440 Nothing fancy. He's not going to a Brandon Lake 210 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,920 Phil Wickham concert. He's not headed to a big church 211 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:30,000 service. He is on his way to prayer. 212 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,360 Notice how Paul struck the ground in his life. 213 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:39,680 He struck it with holy habits. You see, the Jews would pray at 214 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:45,200 9, at 3, at six. They had constant habitual 215 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,600 times. And as Paul was doing that, 216 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:54,040 which was normal, he meets and has an opportunity with a girl 217 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:58,800 to set her free in the name of Jesus. 218 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,360 This could happen at Vaughn's. This could happen at Stater 219 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,440 Brothers. This could happen at Classic 220 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:06,760 Coffee. This could happen at Diplomat 221 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,400 Frisella's. This could happen at the thrift 222 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:16,000 store, Valley Thrift. This can happen anywhere in our 223 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,920 city. As we're doing that, which is 224 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:23,800 normal, we're aware that God is doing something spiritual. 225 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,480 So what do I use my time for? This? 226 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:29,520 This is what I could use my time for. 227 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:35,760 I use my time to cast out what I have been negotiating with. 228 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:42,960 I use my time to cast out what I've been negotiating with. 229 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:47,000 Now notice what Paul does. He's annoyed by this girl. 230 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,000 And then he speaks not to the girl. 231 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,280 He speaks to the Spirit that is in the girl. 232 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,960 Now a lot of people have canceled out demon possession. 233 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:03,360 It is important for us to know that demon possession is real 234 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:09,120 and it still happens. But listen, please, if we want a 235 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:14,120 little bit of reality. In Acts chapter 8 verse 9 236 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,400 through 24, we read about demon possession. 237 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,760 Again. In Acts chapter 13 verse 6 238 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:22,800 through 12, we read about demon possession. 239 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,920 Again. In Acts chapter 19 verse 13 240 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,840 through 20, we read about demon possession again. 241 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:33,200 There, there, there are many different theological stances on 242 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,320 demon possession. Some people see that there is a 243 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:41,960 demon behind every Bush and they blame everything about their 244 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,200 life and their attitude on a demon. 245 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:50,160 But yet on the flip side of it, there are people that have 246 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,120 canceled out the spiritual realm altogether. 247 00:16:53,600 --> 00:17:00,560 Listen, I can't make an excuse for my flesh when I sin, but I 248 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:06,160 can also say that there are no longer any demons or people 249 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,400 aren't possessed by demons. Now as a Christian, I firmly 250 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,839 believe theologically that you cannot be demon possessed 251 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:18,640 because the Spirit of God lives within you and because the 252 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,920 Spirit of God has taken residence in you theologically 253 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,480 through the words of Jesus, He's delivered you from the strong 254 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,760 man. Now in that you are filled with 255 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,200 the Spirit of God. The house is now full of your 256 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:36,120 hearts, full of the Spirit, but people still are open that don't 257 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:39,160 have the Spirit of God to demonic possession. 258 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:45,040 Now the reason why I say that is because when Paul came to this 259 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:50,400 girl and he spoke to this demon, the Bible says that he came out 260 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:54,840 that very hour. Notice the time, It was that 261 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:04,200 very hour that this had actually happened in Paul's life and 262 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:10,440 noticed through Paul's life. We have to understand that there 263 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:16,400 is a spiritual battle and warfare that is happening all 264 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:21,440 around us. And Paul dealt with it that very 265 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,600 hour, that very hour. I'd like to submit this to you. 266 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:30,000 Sometimes we delay what God is telling us to deal with. 267 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:37,960 Sometimes we delay what God has told us to actually deal with. 268 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,680 We put it off for another hour. We put it off for another time. 269 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:51,280 We make an excuse of why in this moment we can't deal with it at 270 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,520 that specific time. And I think the real reason is 271 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,880 this is that we choose happiness in this hour rather than 272 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:03,080 holiness in this hour. And I think sometimes in our 273 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:07,040 lives we think that we can experience sin and that is going 274 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:11,720 to be greater than what the father has actually told you in 275 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,560 his word. Now, this is so important 276 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,520 because all of us as dads have a specific love for our children. 277 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,720 All of us as as fathers and mothers, we have words that we 278 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,440 want to say to our children, not because we're frustrated at 279 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,120 them, not because we hate them, not because we're angry with 280 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:37,440 them, but because we love them. And so we'll sit our children 281 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:42,840 down and we'll look them in the face and say, listen, I love 282 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,840 you. And what I'm about to tell you 283 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:51,880 is because I love you. And so we say things that might 284 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:57,040 hurt or rub against the grain, but because we love them and we 285 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,440 can foresee the path that they're going on, everything 286 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,800 within us is. Waving our hands and weeping in 287 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,360 our heart. Don't go in that direction. 288 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,960 I wonder if we would see that through what the Father has done 289 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:16,720 for us and the person of Jesus that the Father would say to us, 290 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,960 I love you so much. I'm going to put the cross in 291 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,880 front of you. I'm going to put Jesus in front 292 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,360 of you. And this is what I've heard 293 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:26,720 sometimes when I'm speaking to people. 294 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:34,360 And that is this. I learn better by experience. 295 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,160 I learn better by experience. And this is what I've heard. 296 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:47,440 I hear you, but I won't heed to what you have just said. 297 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:55,120 And I think sometimes in our lives we hear what God has said, 298 00:20:55,280 --> 00:21:00,680 but yet we don't heed to the process of what He's laid out 299 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:06,240 for us to stop negotiating with. There are things in your life 300 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,160 that you just stop negotiating with. 301 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,040 There are things in your life that you have to deal with at 302 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,280 this time, in this hour and in this moment. 303 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,400 There are, there are attitudes that we have to deal with that 304 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:21,080 that God says deal with it at this time, in this hour. 305 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,800 And I just want to just just be, I want to shoot truthfully with 306 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:26,520 you. Stop negotiating with 307 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,760 pornography. Stop negotiating with 308 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,040 pornography. Stop putting off what God has 309 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:35,960 told you to handle. Stop negotiating with 310 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,920 drunkenness. Stop negotiating with jealousy. 311 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,600 Stop negotiating with giving into your lust. 312 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,680 Stop negotiating with the the movies that you know you 313 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,240 shouldn't even be watching. That if Jesus was there with 314 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,800 you, sitting with you, you wouldn't even go see that. 315 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,880 Just stop negotiating with flirting with someone while 316 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,160 you're married. Stop negotiating with your 317 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,760 anger, your hatred, your unforgiveness, your abusive 318 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,320 speech. Cast it out of your life. 319 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,160 I think sometimes in our lives, we, we, we don't want to cast it 320 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:08,520 out. We don't want to confess it. 321 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,480 We don't want to crucify it because we believe we have more 322 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,280 time. But what if you didn't have more 323 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,920 time? What if this Sunday was your 324 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,840 last Sunday? What if your heart failed? 325 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,600 What if your lungs didn't fill up with any more air? 326 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,720 What what, what if in the moment now that you weren't promised 327 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,120 tomorrow that you would understand that you can't shake 328 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:34,360 hands with sin and not live with a heart that is broken? 329 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:39,360 What if we come to a place that we would, as first John said 19 330 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:42,400 that if we confess our sins that he is faithful and just to 331 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,520 forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us of all 332 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,760 unrighteousness. What if we would come and 333 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,040 crucify what Paul said, our flesh. 334 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,600 Not a really popular message in today's age of believing in 335 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,880 yourself and following your heart. 336 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,200 But what if we crucified our flesh? 337 00:22:57,560 --> 00:22:59,720 What if we crucified our desires? 338 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,960 What if we come to a spot where where Jesus said take up your 339 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,720 cross and follow me? AW Tozer, put it this way, we're 340 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,720 not diplomats, we're prophets and our message is not 341 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,840 compromise, but it's an ultimatum. 342 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,800 It's time. I think it's time that in the 343 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,920 church we stop negotiating with the things that the Lord's 344 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,560 telling us to cast out. But also I I believe it's time 345 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,160 to live with so much boldness that it might create conflict. 346 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:32,280 It might create conflict in your lives and your relationships. 347 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:35,680 Notice what happened with the apostle Paul in Acts chapter 16. 348 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,040 The Bible says. But when our master saw that 349 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:44,120 their hope of prophet was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, 350 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,720 dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities, 351 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:49,760 and they brought them to the magistrates, and said, These 352 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:55,800 men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city, and they teach 353 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,840 customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or 354 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,240 to observe. And then the multitude rose up 355 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,640 together against them, and canceled Paul and Silas and the 356 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,880 magistrates. They tore off their clothes, and 357 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,680 they commanded them to be beaten with rods, and when they had 358 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,960 laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, 359 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,040 commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 360 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:26,960 What did Paul and Silas do? They were setting a girl free, 361 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:33,320 and they were now bound. Did you catch that? 362 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:41,520 They had boldness enough to go against the cultural norms of 363 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:47,760 Rome and find within themselves because this man was no longer 364 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:52,800 making any profit. He would now raise up a crowd 365 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:59,400 and a chant to now come against Paul and Silas and this is what 366 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,240 the Bible says happened to them. And I want you to write this 367 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:08,200 down if you take notes. Verse 20 says a verse 19 says 368 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,000 that they seize them. They seize them. 369 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,000 Notice this because they set a girl free. 370 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,840 The Bible says in verse 20 they dragged them, so they seize 371 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:19,760 them. Then they dragged them. 372 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,840 And notice this, verse 20 through 21 says they brought 373 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,440 them. They brought them now before the 374 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,600 magistrates. And notice what they did. 375 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:32,120 Verse 22, They lied about them. And verse 22, they rose up 376 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:36,960 against them. And then in verse 24 they beat 377 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:44,120 them and they threw them in to prison, and then they bound 378 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,080 them. Let me tell you what boldness 379 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,440 will often lead to. Here's what it is Seizing, 380 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,280 dragging, bringing, people lying about you, people rising up 381 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:01,160 against you, people beating you. And notice this, throwing them 382 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:06,600 in to prison. But Paul and Silas did that 383 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:14,400 which was good and they experienced that which was evil. 384 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,680 I love Paul and Silas. They didn't live out their 385 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:23,520 Christianity in a casual way. They weren't cowardly in their 386 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,760 Christianity. They didn't compromise in their 387 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:30,880 Christianity. They committed to the gospel at 388 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,880 any cost. They would glorify God with all 389 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,440 of their life. Please write this down. 390 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,600 This is so important that we set this expectation. 391 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:49,440 A+B in your faith doesn't always equal C A+B does not always 392 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,480 equal C You could do everything right. 393 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,320 You could be following passionately after Jesus and you 394 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:02,200 still get cancer. You could be the person that's 395 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,320 still thrown into prison. You could be the person that 396 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,960 still lied about. You could be the person that 397 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:12,360 comes to such a place where you because you did that which was 398 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:14,760 right, you experienced something that's wrong. 399 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:22,040 Boldness always causes conflict. Now I'm not telling you that 400 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:26,400 you're angry and you're mean in your Christianity or you're 401 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,840 you're cocky in it or, or just proud. 402 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,280 What I'm asking you to be is humbly bold. 403 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,200 Humbly bold. I was walking with a, with a 404 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:44,160 friend and I, I was walking past a security guard and I, I 405 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,680 stopped because I felt like God was telling me to stop in that 406 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,760 moment and talk to this guy. And so I just started talking to 407 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,680 the security guard. I said, what's your name? 408 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,920 And my friend, he tapped me on my shoulder just two weeks ago. 409 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,760 He tapped me on my shoulder. He's all listen. 410 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:01,080 He's all listen. I got to tell you something. 411 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,400 He's all, do you have to give everybody you meet a word of 412 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:10,440 encouragement? But I want to be sensitive when 413 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,280 God tells me to stop, that I stop. 414 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:18,800 And there's a lot of times, listen, I miss moments because I 415 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,400 don't stop. There's a lot of times where I 416 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:25,120 pass by things that I feel like God's saying, hey, pull the car 417 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,040 back around and I'm like, Nah, Lord, I'm too busy. 418 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,600 I got a lot to do, but what if we were so led by the spirit, 419 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,720 empowered by his word that we would come to such places where 420 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,640 with the, the card out there, the no strings attached card 421 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,720 that you would take it. And the Lord says, I want you to 422 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,440 buy that person a coffee right there, or I want you to buy that 423 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,480 person breakfast. And then they, they come up to 424 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,120 your table afterwards and they say, how did you know that? 425 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:58,240 That I, I was, I'm a single mom and, and I'm struggling in my 426 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,760 finances. I don't know that, but God does. 427 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,360 And there's a God in heaven who loves you and cares about you. 428 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:09,480 And he died sending his Son on the cross for your sin. 429 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:15,160 And it just creates moments of obedience when you're willing to 430 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:20,280 be bold enough to take a stand. Listen, I love Paul and Silas 431 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:21,760 because they didn't kneel in fear. 432 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,360 They stood on the truth of God's Word. 433 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,680 That and I believe that one reason why the Church of God at 434 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,800 this present moment has so little influence, Charles 435 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,720 Spurgeon wrote over the world is because the world has so much 436 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:38,440 influence over the church. And I think so many times we're 437 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:45,160 unwilling to in our lives lead and leave lifestyles that honor 438 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:50,120 God because we're not broken enough and bold enough to see 439 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:53,920 change. You see, boldness is the acting 440 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:58,640 by the power of the Holy Spirit on an urgent conviction in the 441 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:03,320 face of some threat. And I really believe that we 442 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:07,680 need the Spirit empowered conviction, courage and urgency 443 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:12,040 in this moment to cancel out half hearted, fearful and 444 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:16,160 indifferent Christianity eternity. 445 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:23,160 One day you will enter in, and I'm praying that we would live 446 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:27,360 with so much boldness that when God comes back for his own, He 447 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:32,280 has no problem recognizing us because our banner is clear. 448 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,200 Paul and Silas, they didn't fight for truth. 449 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:40,120 They fought from the truth. And I've said this to you 450 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:44,760 before, but I really believe that telling the truth to a 451 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,640 culture built on lies is an act of spiritual warfare. 452 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:52,440 Telling the truth to a culture built on lies is an act of 453 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,640 spiritual warfare. And we are in a culture now that 454 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:01,400 calls good evil and evil good. We are living in that type of 455 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,720 culture. And I want to tell you some 456 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:08,960 truths that really matter that will fly in the face of culture 457 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:14,600 that need to be said. That God is the Creator, that 458 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,320 Jesus is still the Savior, that you were made in the image of 459 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,840 God. That men aren't women and women 460 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:27,480 are not men, live in girlfriends and boyfriends are not spouses. 461 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,080 The Internet is not the local church. 462 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,240 Words are not guns and feelings aren't always fact. 463 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:38,320 Creatures are not the creator. Jesus is the answer. 464 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:43,280 The gospel still has power. The blood of Jesus still works. 465 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:47,000 The Bible is still true. The church is still advancing, 466 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,480 and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. 467 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,520 You see, Paul and Silas's obedience disrupted the cultural 468 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:55,960 norm. So I want us to pray as a 469 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,120 church, this as we enter into July. 470 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,840 Will we stop asking God to shriek, shrink our conflict, and 471 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,880 start asking God to grow our courage? 472 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:07,760 I believe it's time. I believe it's time. 473 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,000 And lastly, as we close out our time together, I think we could 474 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,120 use our time right now to declare in the darkness what 475 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:15,480 we've actually learned in the light. 476 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:20,400 And this is what happened to Paul and Silas in chapter 16. 477 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,040 It's midnight. It's midnight. 478 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,240 Paul and Silas are in prison. And notice this. 479 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:32,040 They begin to pray and sing hymns to God and the prisoners 480 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,120 were listening to them now. Now notice if you would. 481 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:39,240 No sound system, no church service. 482 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,680 Everyone's not coming in for good hospitality at Bridgetown 483 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:45,520 Church. There's no coffee, there's no 484 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,920 water bottles, there's no ice cold lemonade. 485 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,880 There's no one greeting you at the door. 486 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,880 There's no usher there. No one is saying hi to you at 487 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,600 this place. It is cold, old and moldy. 488 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,000 The people there aren't friendly. 489 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:07,200 There are prisoners there, and they're surrounded by all of 490 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:11,240 these prisoners. And Paul and Silas, in the midst 491 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:16,480 of such hostility, make a choice in the darkest time of the night 492 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:21,760 to lift their voices to God. And the Bible says that they 493 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:27,800 began to pray and they began to sing out loud. 494 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:31,160 They began to lift up their voice to God. 495 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:35,080 And this is what happened. In the midst of it, the doors 496 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:38,760 were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 497 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,840 Do you see what happened? How did Paul and Silas know that 498 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:49,720 in this moment, the darkest night of this moment, how would 499 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:54,880 they know the hymns to sing? Well, they learned these hymns 500 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:58,360 in the light so they could proclaim them in the dark. 501 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,760 And I think that's important for us to realize because some of 502 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,800 us, we want to learn things in the dark, which we will, but we 503 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:09,159 should learn them in the light so we could actually proclaim 504 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:12,760 them in the dark. And this is Paul and Silas. 505 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:18,080 Now the Bible says that these were just two men, Paul and 506 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:22,480 Silas. No Hillsong concert, no worship 507 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:26,400 event. This is just Paul and Silas in 508 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,280 prison. And the Bible says that they 509 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:32,840 were bound. Now the Bible also says this 510 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:37,760 about them, that that they were there in verse 24. 511 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:42,520 Having received such charge, he put them into the inner prison 512 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,400 and fastened their feet in stocks. 513 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:48,600 The Bible also says that they laid many stripes on them. 514 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,600 That's not clothing, that's not prison wear. 515 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:58,240 This is they beat them with rods and they had scars and wounds on 516 00:34:58,240 --> 00:35:00,960 their back. So they're placed in the inner 517 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:03,440 prison. What does this look like? 518 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:06,480 This is the deepest, darkest part of the prison. 519 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,680 And in the deepest dark of the prison, the Bible says that 520 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,200 their hands and their feet were bound. 521 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,840 Now we, we get this idea that that Paul and Silas were just 522 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:20,560 sitting there like this, bound in chains. 523 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,640 That's not, that's not what what they would do in Rome. 524 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,440 This, this is how they would bind you in Rome. 525 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:33,480 They would bind you like this, just like this, the whole time 526 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,680 your hands are fastened, your feet are bound, and the only 527 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:44,840 place you could do is look up. Now in this moment of being 528 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:50,440 bound, the Bible says that Paul and Silas, as they laid there, 529 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:57,560 notice they laid on their back that was just beaten, rubbing 530 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:03,280 against the dirt of the floor. The darkness is so thick you 531 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,160 could feel it in the room. And there they were in that 532 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:13,280 moment looking up, singing hymns to God. 533 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:20,160 And all of the sudden the Bible says that their chains came off, 534 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:24,520 the doors came open. Now, now, now, check this out. 535 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:27,440 Listen to the story. There was a great earthquake 536 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,160 that the foundation of the prison was shaken. 537 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:35,040 And immediately all the doors were open and every chain was 538 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,800 loosed. And the keeper of the prison was 539 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,320 awakening from his sleep. Now, you could either be woke or 540 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,040 come awake, but you can't be both. 541 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:54,040 Some of us it's time to wake up with the gospel of Jesus Christ 542 00:36:54,720 --> 00:37:00,800 and see the person of Jesus and worship Him for who he is. 543 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,160 This is worship that leads to witness. 544 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:09,760 They didn't witness first in the prison, they just worship first 545 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,960 in the prison. And maybe your job right now is 546 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:15,800 not to witness right now there, it's just to worship right 547 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,800 there. And your worship and your 548 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:21,800 intimacy leads to the activity of witnessing for the Lord. 549 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:26,560 I really believe that in this time you can sing when people 550 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:29,200 are asleep. I really believe you can sing 551 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,880 when you're suffering. You can sing when you don't like 552 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,360 the spot that you're in. You can sing because worship 553 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:40,320 changes the atmosphere. How did all of this happen? 554 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,480 Listen, this is heaven rejoicing worship. 555 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:49,840 This is earth shaking worship. This is door opening worship. 556 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,920 This is bondage breaking worship. 557 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:59,760 This is life altering worship. What would I encourage you to do 558 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,440 in this moment of summer slumber? 559 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:09,720 Wake up and worship. I don't want to go to church. 560 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,560 I'm too tired. I don't want to go to no other 561 00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:14,760 community event with the community. 562 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,720 I don't want to. I just want to put my head back 563 00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:21,280 down and sleep in. Good things happen when you show 564 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:24,840 up. Do you believe that good things 565 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,920 happen when you show up because Jesus meets you when you show 566 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,080 up. I I wonder if Paul and Silas, if 567 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:36,320 they were to ride out their life, one of their bucket list 568 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:43,200 spots was a prison in Philippi. I don't think so. 569 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:46,120 I don't think they were going, hey, let's check this off our 570 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:47,440 bucket list. Silas. 571 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:52,360 We spent time in the inner prison of Philippi and maybe 572 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:55,080 some of you are in a spot that you never thought you would be 573 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:57,760 in. You just didn't think that. 574 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:00,480 Can I encourage you to do something this morning? 575 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:04,520 Worship. It's dark. 576 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,800 Pastor Casey Worship, I don't like how it feels. 577 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:14,280 Worship people are against me. Pastor Casey worship people 578 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:19,080 don't like me worship. Worship is not based upon a 579 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:22,400 feeling, it's an act of obedience. 580 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:28,320 And the reason why they were able to lift their song was 581 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,360 because they were first laying down their life. 582 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:37,880 And if we could go against everything that we might say is 583 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:42,920 living the dream that maybe is turning into a nightmare for 584 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:45,400 you. If I can encourage you in this 585 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:49,800 prison that you feel like you're in, mobilize your praise. 586 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:54,160 The praise team's not always going to be with you on Monday. 587 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:57,520 The band's not going to go with you when you're in your car. 588 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,280 The band's not going to be with you when you walk into work on 589 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:03,520 Monday. It won't be with you when you 590 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:06,280 get the news and you have to go in the elevator when you just 591 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:09,760 heard someone that you loved is now dying within three months 592 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:13,200 and you have to get in that elevator and take that elevator 593 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:14,760 down. But you feel like your heart. 594 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:19,640 You just can't. You have to mobilize praise in 595 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:22,760 that moment. When I mobilize praise, it opens 596 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,960 my eyes to the person of Jesus and it opens my heart for the 597 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:32,000 freedom that God has. I believe there is healing when 598 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:38,560 we worship because when you become broken, that's where God 599 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:42,680 begins to make you whole. We hope you enjoyed this message 600 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,760 and we'd love for you to join us in person every Sunday at 10:30 601 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:47,480 AM. For more information and 602 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:49,680 updates, visit wearebridgetown.com. 603 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:51,960 Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next week.