You know, in times of trouble, it is good to trust him, isn't it? That's sort of what our text is about here this morning. I think you will see that as we go along. I have titled the message, It's going to be all right. I usually don't title my messages with little Diddy sayings, but this seemed appropriate and kind of gets the point across this morning. You know, sometimes little children fall down and skin their knees, don't they? Sometimes they bump their heads on coffee tables and sometimes they get lost in Walmart and they just sob with terror. And then mom appears out of nowhere and she picks the child up in her arms and she tells the child, it's going to be all right. Now, I don't know how moms always know that it's going to be all right. It doesn't seem like it's going to be all right, does it? When I was a child, I fell and gashed my head on a lawn chair. And it was bleeding everywhere. And it didn't seem to me like it was going to be all right. But mom told me that it would be all right. When I fell off my bike and broke my arm, it didn't seem like it was going to be all right. It seemed like it wasn't going to be all right when I looked down and saw my arm twisted and dangling. But she told me it was going to be all right. And after a while, it was all right. The title of the message this morning is it's going to be all right, no matter what has happened to you, no matter what the circumstances are that have overtaken you, no matter what you have lost, no matter what the world has done to you, it is ultimately going to be all right. Now, let me say, first of all, that the message this morning applies only to those of you who are in Christ. To those of you who are in Christ, it is going to be alright. But it is not going to be alright for those of you who reject Christ. For those of you who do not trust in Christ, things will certainly not be alright. For those of you who prefer this world to Christ, things will not be alright. For those of you who prefer to go on in your sins, it will not be alright. When you fall down and skin your knees in this world, it will not be all right. When you bump your head in this world, it will not be all right. When you get lost in the Walmarts of this world, it will not be all right. If you do not have Christ, then every worldly loss is loss indeed, and it will not be all right. But in Christ, you can live with assurance that it will be all right in the end. Now you say, Brother Ron, you don't know how bad things are for me. You don't know how sick I am. You don't know how I am stuck in a hopeless situation. You don't know how miserable I am and how there is no way out. You don't know how far in debt I am. You don't know how badly I am treated at home or at work. And you are right. I don't know all those things. But one thing I do know If you know Christ, it's going to be all right. You will remember that Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from Rome where he was under house arrest. Now, when it says house arrest, it doesn't mean that he was put up in the local holiday inn. It only means that he was not in the common prison or the dungeon. Rather, he was in another holding place and he was watched by a Roman guard 24 hours a day. Now, Paul had been imprisoned in Caesarea for two years, and then he was imprisoned in Rome for another two years. And Paul was incarcerated against his will. The Bible says that he was in chains, and I'm sure that Paul was most miserable in his chains. But what is interesting here is how relaxed and easy Paul was under his uncomfortable circumstances. It is good to see the example of Paul here and to see how he accepted circumstances with ease and with grace and with contentment. Now, this kind of attitude didn't come easy for Paul. It says in the Bible that Paul had to learn it and he had to learn it the hard way. Flip over to Philippians chapter four. We'll take a look at the end. You ever read the end of the book first? Sometimes you find out what happened when you flip to the end. Philippians chapter 4 verses 11 and 12 says, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, you see, in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Now, I ask you how? Is it that Paul was able to be so easy and so content while he was chained up under a Roman guard? First of all, he was content, the Bible says, because the gospel was being furthered. You remember that from last week, I believe. In Philippians 1.12, it says, But I would, ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. Now, you remember that Paul had been called and set aside, it says in Romans 1.1, unto the gospel. And therefore, he was quite satisfied to be locked up in prison when he saw that it was resulting in the spread of the gospel. This must have warmed Paul's heart when he heard that Christ was being talked about in the palace and in all other places. And then Paul heard that some of the brethren were preaching Christ more boldly because of his example. And Paul was very happy to hear such good news. And besides that, others were preaching Christ to make Paul jealous. But Paul was just happy that Christ was being preached. So you see here that Paul's commitment to the gospel of Christ helped to ease his pain. and to make his suffering more tolerable. And he rejoiced to see the gospel being furthered. Now, I hope that we also continue to take great pleasure in the furtherance of the gospel here. God has given us a ministry here at our church. And one of our great duties is to defend and protect and advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we should take great pleasure in it regardless of our circumstances. But there is a second reason why Paul was content in his bonds. Not only was he seeing the advance of the gospel, but also he recognized that his sufferings were conducive to his own personal salvation. Take a look at Philippians 119. That begins our text for this morning. Paul said, for I know that this... I believe when he says this that he's talking about all of the things that had happened to him. His beatings, his shipwreck, his imprisonment. All of those things. People adding to his afflictions by preaching Christ out of envy. And he says, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation. This was Paul's way of saying it's going to be alright. I know that this shall turn to my salvation." Now, while Paul was languishing in prison, he had time to think of all the things that had happened to him. He thought of the beatings that he had suffered. He remembered the shipwreck. He remembered the four years of imprisonment. He looked down and saw the chains on his wrist. And he said, I know that this shall turn to my salvation. Now, what did Paul mean when he said that this shall turn? to my salvation. Now, some commentators say that Paul must have meant all of those things would turn to his deliverance from his bonds. But I think there is every reason to believe here that Paul was referring to the ultimate salvation of his soul. Paul was acknowledging that all of these things that had happened to him would ultimately result in personal spiritual benefit to him. Now, we often think of salvation as merely being the conversion experience, don't we? But here we see that salvation is a work of God that begins before conversion and continues after conversion, as in Paul's case. Paul was dramatically converted on the road to Damascus, but here we see that he is still being saved, and he recognized that his sufferings would contribute to his salvation. There is much work to be done in the soul after conversion. We must never think that all is done in one moment. But the work of God in our souls continues for the rest of our lives until we are finally and fully redeemed in the end. And Paul saw his sufferings as a contribution toward his salvation. Now, how did Paul know that his sufferings would turn to his salvation? The answer is that he knew his own theology. Paul knew the Old Testament scriptures thoroughly from his studies in rabbinical school and under Gamaliel. But more importantly, after his conversion, Paul studied at the feet of the risen Christ, you remember. Remember what he told the Galatians in Galatians 1.12. He said, For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so Paul was steeped in the theology of Jesus Christ. And he told the Philippians, don't worry about me. It's going to be all right. This was the great doctrine of Paul. God works all things after the counsel of his own will. And Paul applied that principle in his own life. Paul could have complained that the Roman jailer had control over him. But Paul knew that it was not the Roman jailer at all, but it was God who had control. Paul could have complained that his circumstances had him under control, but he knew that God had control over his circumstances. And with this good theology, learned at the feet of Christ, Paul was easy in his bonds. Now, this is the same theology which he taught in the book of Romans. You may remember, we read it in Sunday school or referred to it in Sunday school, Romans chapter eight and verse twenty eight. Brother Jack quoted it this morning. It goes like this. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. This is a hard saying, isn't it? How is it that all things work together for good to them that love God? It doesn't seem possible that all of these suffering circumstances could work together for good. And yet Paul says that they do. And there is only one reason why this can be, and that is that God works it so. What a massive and supernatural work that is to superintend every circumstance such that the ultimate good of the believer is achieved. Only God can do such a thing. And Paul knew that God does such a thing. Paul said all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. There is a reason why all things work together for good to those who love God, and that reason is that God has predetermined it. God has planned it, God has decreed it, and God will bring it to pass. Now, we know that it's all going to be all right for the called of God because of the doctrine of predestination. Now, let's read on to understand how it is that we may know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Would you turn there with me to Romans Chapter 8. Verse 28 and 29. And we're going to see how it is that things always work out for good. For those that love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose, so let's start reading in verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now, many times we don't read on there, do we? But it says for whom he did for know. He also did what? Predestinate. To be conformed to the image of his son. That he might be the firstborn among many brethren, moreover, whom he did what? predestinate them he also called and whom he called them. He also justified and whom he justified. Then he also glorified. What shall we say to these things if God before us who can be against us? You see, it's going to be all right and it is going to be all right because God has predestined ultimate good for his people. What a wonderful and comforting doctrine that is. How good to know that even when we are chained in prison, it is still all right. Now, the world, as you probably know by now, hates that word predestination. And it hates that word because it will not have someone else dictating the terms. Man will not have a doctrine that says that God is in charge Man would rather say that fate or chance is in charge rather than to acknowledge that God is in charge. But Paul said that God predestinates. Let me just say, first of all, that the doctrine of predestination is a thoroughly biblical doctrine. The word itself, as you've just seen, is used freely and openly by the Apostle Paul. we just read, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. But then look also at the book of Ephesians, chapter one. If you will flip over to the book of Ephesians, chapter one, verses four and five, it says, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. You see, that was his plan. And then it says being what? Predestinated. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will and then look down at verse 11. It says in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh what all things. after the counsel of his own will. So the word predestination is certainly used in the Bible. The word predestination when it's used in the Bible is always used. You may not know this, but it's always used with reference to God's previous determination of the eternal destinies of men. However, that is not the only thing that God controls. We just read that God controls all things. But He controls all things, including the destinies of men. This concept of prior determination is found in various other places of the Scripture. Once upon a time, some evil men gathered together to crucify Jesus Christ. But the Scriptures say that God determined beforehand that this should be done. This is in Acts chapter 4. You may want to look at it. Acts chapter 4, verses 27 and 28. And in Acts 4, 27 and 28, it says, For a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. One day, Paul and Barnabas were preaching to some Gentiles and some of them were saved. But look how many were saved in Acts chapter 13 and verse 48. Acts chapter 13 and verse 48. It says, And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. In 2 Timothy 1.9 it says, Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now, predestination is not a terribly difficult concept. Predestination means that God has a plan and He carries out that plan and brings it to pass. Let me give you a couple of examples. I've used this before, so if you've heard this before, just bear with me. When a builder wants to build a house, he starts with a plan, doesn't he? It is called a blueprint. And the builder determines to build a house. The builder predetermines to build the house. Before the house is ever built, the builder determines to build it. And then the builder goes about building. He orders the lumber and the plumbing and the electrical materials, and he builds the house. And when he finishes the house, it matches his blueprint. And you might say that the builder predestinated the house. He predetermined it. and he brought it to pass. Every one of you predetermined to come to church this morning. I doubt very seriously if any of you were just out randomly driving down Brunswick Road when your car swerved randomly into the driveway of Grace Baptist Church. Rather, you went to bed last night with the plan to come to church today. That is, you predetermined it, and then you did it. And God operates the same way, you see. God is an intelligent, thinking, planning God. He's much more intelligent, much more planning than you are. He does not operate haphazardly or arbitrarily. God does not spin the world into existence and then watch to see what happens. Rather, God does all things according to His wise counsels. Nothing is out of control. Nothing frustrates his plan. His plan is always accomplished. God brings his plan to pass. And with respect to the eternal destinies of fallen men, Paul calls this concept predestination. Oh, how we love this great doctrine. We love it because by it we can say it's all going to be. All right. How can we relax when suffering circumstances lock us in our little prison? Well, we relax because we are in the hands of a powerful God who has predetermined to do us good. We are not in the hands of evil men. We are not in the hands of principalities and powers. We are not in the hands of evil circumstances. We are not in the hands of fate. We are not in the hands of the evil governments. But we are in the hands of a God who has set His love upon us forevermore. And God will control all things for our good. Only a rebel against God could hate such a doctrine. But the called of God love it. and they glory in it. It says all things work together for good to them who love God. To them who are the called according to his purpose for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. And so Paul was easy in his bonds because the gospel was being furthered, number one, and because he knew that his own salvation was being furthered by the things that happened to him. But there is a third reason why Paul did not wrestle against his bonds, and that is he expected that all of this would turn out to the glory of Christ. Take a look at Philippians 1.20 in our text. And Paul says, according to my earnest expectation, this is what Paul not only expected, but earnestly expected. That is, he knew it to be true. So according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. This is the great desire of every Christian that Christ may be magnified and glorified. Now, it is not so important that I be magnified, but it is most important that Christ be magnified. We saw last week that the furtherance of the gospel was a very high priority in the purposes of God. It is a higher priority than our comfort. And therefore, we should expect that we will be called upon at times to sacrifice and perhaps to suffer for the sake of the gospel. And now we see that the glory of Christ is also a very high priority in the purposes of God. The glory of Christ is the final goal of our life. It is the ultimate goal of all Christians. All of our thoughts, all of our actions, All of our words should be made with consideration of the glory of Christ. We should rise up in the morning to the glory of Christ. We should walk through the day to the glory of Christ. And we should lie down at night to the glory of Christ. And we should endure hardship, if necessary, to the glory of Christ. But also notice here that Paul endured suffering with the expectation and hope that Christ would be magnified where? In his body. In his body, you see, in verse 20. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he said, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. Now, we have learned in the Ladies Bible Study recently that a human being is composed of a material part and an immaterial part, and both of these parts are to be yielded unto God. Now, some incorrectly suppose that the body is the carnal part of man and cannot be controlled, but that is not what the Scriptures teach. The Scriptures teach that we are to honor Christ with our bodies. Our bodies are to be yielded in the same way that our minds and our hearts are to be yielded. You cannot serve Christ with the heart without also serving him with your body. And Paul said, I desire that Christ be magnified in my body. If this is what Christ wants from me, if this is how Christ is magnified in me by my suffering in chains, then I sit contentedly in them. But also notice in verse 20 the extent to which Paul was willing to sacrifice his body for Christ. His hope was that Christ would be magnified either by his life or by his death. Now, most of us will never be called upon to make such a sacrifice. But if we are so called, then we are to submit willingly for the purpose of the glory of Christ. Now, I want you to take a look also at the principles of life and death, which govern Paul and made his sufferings to be done with more contentment It says in Philippians 1.21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. First of all, we see Paul's principle of life. His life was Christ. This is what our life is intended to be. Our life is intended to be an extension of the life of Christ. Our life is Christ living through us. Christ is the sum total of life. It is not Christ plus this or that, but it is Christ. The glory of Christ is the goal of our life. The grace of Christ is the tenor of our life and the Word of Christ is the rule of our life. We receive our life from Him and we give it back to Him. But then we also see in that verse Paul's principle of death. He says, to die is gain. Now, this is not the principle that governs those in the world. Death is a great loss to a carnal, worldly man, for he loses all his comforts and all of his hopes. But to a Christian, death is gain. For it is the end of all of his weakness and misery and the perfection of all of his comforts. It is the fulfillment of all of his hopes. And therefore, for the Christian, death is not a loss, but death is a gain. Now, secondly, we see that for a Christian, death is a welcome departure. It's interesting here. Take a look at Philippians 1.23. Look what Paul said. He said, having a desire to depart. This was the way Paul felt about it. He had a desire to go. This world that we live in is a cursed place. We all know that, right? We're living in a world that has been cursed by God. It is a falling, fallen place. It is a place filled with many troubles because of sin. It is a place where there are many enemies of Christ. It is a place many times of suffering and misery. It is a place where death rules the day. And therefore, it is not wrong to have a desire to depart. We look forward with some anticipation to departing this place, just as Paul did. But also notice that for a Christian, death is the passageway to being with Christ. When we die, we go immediately to be with Jesus. Jesus told the thief on the cross, you might remember, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise. And then our text, it says, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ. But then take notice that to depart this world and to be with Christ is better in verse 23. That is, it's better than staying here. It is better in heaven than it is here. That goes without saying, doesn't it? It is better to be face to face with Christ. It is better to be in a loving place than a hateful place. It is better to be in a righteous place than in a wicked place. It is better to be in a peaceful place than in a warring place. It is better to live with saints in heaven than to live with reprobates on the earth. It is better to live where there are no tears. It is better to live where there is no more death. No more pain, no more sorrow, and considering all of that, Paul says that it is far better. It's more than just better, you see. It's far better. But I want you to understand that we are not to depart and go there until our work for Christ is done here. Look what Paul said in verses 23 and 24. He said, For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. That is, the church at Philippi. Now, each one of us are ministers for Christ. You remember in Ephesians how we studied that, and it's the job of the pastor to equip you for the ministry, isn't it? And all of us are ministers for Christ. We all have work to do for Him here. Our work may not be on such a grand scale as the Apostle Paul. But we have work to do and there is a time appointed for that work. It seems that Paul had work appointed for him to do in the church. He said, nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. There is always a great need in the church and there is much work to be done in the church, the church can hardly spare faithful ministers when the harvest is plenteous and the laborers are few. Though Paul may have had the most reason to want to depart, yet he was willing to continue in this world as long as God had any work for him to do. We are to serve Christ in this world for a time, and then we will live with him forever. You remember how I said that there are priorities in the purposes of God. Some things are not compromised at all. The glory of God, the honor of Christ, the furtherance of the gospel. These are high priorities in the plan of God. And we are often called on to make sacrifices and even to suffer for their sakes. But there is something else that God loves. And we see that in our text. And that is his church. Whatever is best for the church, God will do. And look what Paul said. He said, and having this confidence in verse 25, I know that I shall abide and continue with you, that is with the church at Philippi, for your furtherance and joy of faith. Paul said, I am confident that I'm going to be released from prison because you need me. The church at Philippi needs me, and so I am confident God will release me from my bonds so that the church can be furthered. Lastly, notice what service ministers are to render to the church. They are not to bring strife and contention, but they are to further the church in the joy of faith, it says. There is great joy to be had in the faith of Jesus Christ, and ministers are to advance the church in the faith. Tradition tells us that Paul was eventually released from his house arrest, and for a short time he traveled around comforting the churches. Paul was needed for the building up of the church, and so he stayed around for a while to serve Christ in this way. After about a year of ministry, it seems, traditionally says that he was beheaded for his faith. And so Paul finally departed to be with Christ, which he says is far better. Would you bow with me, please? Our Heavenly Father, now we thank you for the words that you have given to us in this passage of Scripture. We pray, Lord, that You would, by Your Spirit, illumine these words to our hearts. Cause us to see the great truth of them. Cause them to bear upon us so that we might make them a part of our lives. Help us, O Lord, to serve You. Help us to endure our sufferings, to be content. Help us, Lord, to see all of those things that would cause us to be content. Help us not to be discontent. Help us not to wrestle against Your will in our life, but help us to submit to it. And we know that when we do, that all things will ultimately turn out for our good and that it will all be alright in the end. We thank You for that great promise. That great promise which is based upon your predestination of us unto glory. We thank you for these things. We thank you for Jesus Christ and we pray in His name. you