If you have your Bibles this evening, just for a moment, I want you to once again turn to Philippians chapter number 1. Philippians chapter number 1. In just a moment, I want to begin reading in verse number 12, just to lay the foundation, just to review what God is saying in this particular portion of Scripture. We understand this. If I am a student of the Bible, The greatest teacher is not a man. The greatest teacher is not a Bible college professor. But the greatest teacher is repetition. So allow us to read these verses once again, understanding the context of the scripture. It is the Apostle Paul that is writing this under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. As Paul is writing this, he is reminding them in context that there can be and there should be, at least for the child of God, joy even in the times and the days of suffering. We are not happy about the problem, we are not happy about the valley and the storm, but it is the results that God will use in these valleys and in these storms. So Paul is reminding the children of God in this particular instance that there can be joy in the days of suffering. Let me begin to read in Philippians chapter number 1 verse number 12 just repetition and review Paul said but I I would he should understand brethren that the things that the valleys the jail cells the thorn the beatings all of those things which happen unto me They have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. It is the Apostle Paul, as we review from this morning, that is reminding the children of God every time that he was beaten, every time that he was shipwrecked, every time that he felt this thorn in his body. It was all for the furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can we remind ourselves on a Sunday evening, whatever valley that you might be in, whatever trials, whatever troubles that you have suffered, it is not because God hates you, it is not because God has forgotten about you, but if I am shade, it is for the furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So what's the Bible? Verse number 13, why? So that my bonds or my chains in Christ are manifest, they're magnified, they're seen, where have Paul? In all the palace and in all of the places. Many, that's an amazing word. It literally means the majority of the brethren, those that were reading this letter, those that had heard him speak in a future time, and many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident, how? By my bonds. It wasn't the great preaching of the Apostle Paul that caused them to be more bold and confident in the Lord. But it was the Apostle Paul, a man of God, that knew how to suffer, that kept his testimony, that stayed faithful. And because he remained faithful, Paul said, most of the brethren, many of the brethren, now they're waxing confident by my bonds. They're much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ, even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, for selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing to add to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. Then he asked this question, whether they're preaching for the right reason, or they're preaching for selfish ambitions, what then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. I love this phrase, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing, I shall be ashamed. Paul is referring to his testimony. Paul said whether I live or whether I die, whether I walk out of this prison cell in the front door or whether they carry my dead body out of this prison cell, I don't want to be ashamed. I want to keep my testimony. I know what modern day religion says. They tell us now that we're saved. We can still live the way we want to. We can act the way we want to. We can look the way we want to. That's not what the Bible said. You know what Paul said? I don't want to be ashamed. I want to have my testimony right. I want to live right. I want to be pure. Whether I live or whether I die, in nothing shall be ashamed. Watch the Bible, that with all boldness. As always, so now also Christ shall be magnified, where? In my body, whether it be by life. or by death. So can I say it this way in the exposition as we laid the foundation this morning? Number one, look at what motivates the apostle Paul. This man that knew what it was to suffer. I'm talking about a man, he prayed three times, God, take away my thorn, God, take away my thorn. Most Bible scholars say it was some type of eye element or it could have been some type of pain in his body. But somebody said, do we really know? We don't know what it is, but I do know this, God allows thorns in the life of every believer. So what motivated this man? Historically, I mentioned this morning, it has been said every day of the life of the apostle Paul, there was pain in his body because of the beatings, because of the shipwreck, because of the thorn. So what motivated this man of God to stay faithful? in the trials and in the valleys. Look at verse 21, for me to live, here's his motivation, for me to live, it's Christ. and to die is gain. F.B. Myers said it this way. It's far better. It's far greater. As long as I'm living, I'm not living for myself as a child of God. We shouldn't be living for our selfish ambitions as a child of God. As long as we're living, oh, we're living for a higher purpose. We're living for a greater reason. It's for the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not to build up some kingdom upon this earth. but it's simply to give glory to the only begotten son of god who bled and died for your sins but paul said whether i live or whether i die if i live it's all for him oh but if i die it's far better i believe brother jim hill put it best what a day what a day that'll be with my jesus i shall see When I look upon his face, can you imagine? The one who shaped me by his grace. I can't imagine this. When he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land. What a day. I'll tell you what motivated the apostle Paul. One day I'm gonna see him face to face. One day it'll be worth every valley. It'll be worth every trial. It'll be worth every disease. We'll see the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh. Why did you not give up? Paul, why did you not quit on God? He said, I'll tell you why. As long as I'm living, it's all for Him. And when I die, the best is yet to come. That's the motivation of the suffering believer, what motivated him. But number two, look at the exposition, verse 22. Look at what is manifested in the suffering believer. You know the verses, you have memorized this text. But if I live in the flesh, This is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, watch this word, I want or know not. The apostle Paul is writing, he is reminding us, if I continue to live in this flesh, that is the result, that is the fruit of my labor. If all I do, as long as I'm in this body, is just live to please this flesh, that's what most people are doing. Sadly, that's what many Christians are doing. Even sadder than that, that's what some preachers are doing. But Paul said, if I just live for this flesh, If it's about my feelings, if it's about what I want, you know, Paul said, that's the fruit of my labor. It'll all end when I'm dead. But can we understand? It's not about this world. It's not about what we have done in this flesh. It's all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all about pleasing him and giving God all the glory. The motivation of the suffering believer, what is manifested in the suffering believer. But look at verse 23 of the exposition, what is mentioned in the suffering believer. Paul said, I love this phrase, for I am in a straight betwixt two. We don't have old English anymore. We should, but we don't have old English anymore. But to be in a straight betwixt two, it literally means this. Paul said, I'm hard pressed. My father was a mechanic. My wedding ring is one of his old Mack wrenches. I don't like jewelry, so I made my own ring. But anyhow, he was a mechanic, and I grew up when he was pastoring, and before he pastored, around shops and garages and all that kind of stuff. And man, there's all kinds of machinery and all kinds of tools, but every now and then, you'd see what is called a press. And Paul, that's what he's talking about. It is a press. It's the pressure of one end to the other end. Paul said, I'm hard pressed. I'm not as straight. Twixt two, there's one side of me that's pushing this way. The other side is pushing me the other way. Watch what the Bible says. You've memorized this. I'm in a straight, I'm pressed between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. You know, Paul figured out once he got saved, he was religious before salvation, but after salvation, he realized it's far better to be with God. This world is not our home. We're just passing through this as a child of God. This world should hold nothing for us. We're pilgrims in this land. We're strangers in this land. My wife, she's been up at Pittsburgh and that's where they had the surgery and a wonderful hospital, wonderful doctors. But I'm just going to be honest with you. I don't like Pittsburgh. They probably don't like Beckley, West Virginia. That's fine. I don't like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I found two bookstores across from the hospital. I got excited. So I went into one and I started looking at some of the literature and some things they had. And I'm thinking to myself, this is awful. This is terrible. I talked to the one young lady working at the desk. She didn't believe in God and she was an atheist among many other crazy things. So I went to the other bookstore and I kind of mentioned that that bookstore down the rain there, it's not much of a bookstore. And they said, well, that's our friends. And I started looking at it. I found out something. I don't fit in there. I don't belong there. But can I say it don't matter if you're in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, if you're in Charleston, West Virginia, or you're in Beckley, it really don't matter if I'm a child of God. We're in a straight betwixt two. We don't belong to this world. Paul said, if I could only be with the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm hard pressed. So we see the motivation of the suffering believer, the manifestation, the mention. Number four, here's the message and I'm done. Look what matters, verse 24, to the suffering believer. Paul said, I don't fit into this world. By the way, there's not a Christian on this earth that should fit into this world. Pastor, they told me, told you no doubt also. Many people did. If you're gonna reach young people, when I started out and I mean, everything's changing now. You gotta be relevant. And can I say, God's not relevant. This Bible's not relevant. It don't fit into this world. He don't fit into this world. We should never fit into this world. Paul figured out something. We don't belong to this world. We're just pilgrims. That's why we feel strange. Many times we feel awkward. Young people, when you go to school and you feel uncomfortable, can I make a statement? That's good. That's a good thing. I grew up in a Christian school, a decent school. There's times I felt uncomfortable in the Christian school. Paul said, we don't fit in to this world. So look what he said what matters. Never, what a word, nevertheless. I don't know why we don't use this old English. I love that word. I don't think I've used nevertheless in a regular conversation. I should. Paul said, nevertheless. I wanna be with Jesus, but nevertheless. I wanna go home, but nevertheless. I wanna see him face to face. I'm in a straight, I'm hard pressed. Nevertheless, God, I felt this way this year. God, the pain. God, Paul looking up. I can't take it no more. Just let me go home. I believe in heaven. I believe my pastor, brother Eugene Harmon. He's from Ballard, West Virginia. Great, great soul and a great man of God in Athens, West Virginia. He built a church, three, 400 people in a town of 1500, just a great man of God. Some man came up to him one time and said, you shouldn't pray about heaven or you shouldn't desire heaven just to get out of your troubles. My pastor said, well, that's not the only reason I wanna go, but that's a good reason to go. Whenever we leave this earth, all your problems, all your troubles, all your pain. I can imagine Paul said, oh God. I know I've seen some things Paul did. Paul heard some things also in the third heaven. Paul said, but I want that glorified body. Nevertheless, there's a reason God kept him here. Can I say, child of God, I don't know what you're going through, I don't know what you may go through, and neither do you, but there's a reason. Watch the Bible. Nevertheless, here's what matters, to abide, watch this phrase now, in the flesh, That refers to, once again, it refers to your physical body. By this time in the life of the apostle Paul, he knew what it was to suffer in this body. He knew what it was to have physical pain in this body. I know God's a God of miracles. I know God can heal. I know God can do all of those things, but he didn't do it for the apostle Paul. You know what the Bible said? Paul, I know you wanna go home. But nevertheless, it's more needful for you to abide in this body that is full of pain, that has suffered, that knew what it was to be beaten. It's more needful. Watch this, Paul writing for you. Here's the message and here's what matters. Paul writing to the church of Philippi. They were brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul said, if it was all about me, if it was just my desires, I beg God, just send me home. Just let me leave this prison. Just get me out of here, God. I don't care about this world. I'm not comfortable in this world. God, there's pain in this body. God, just let me see you face to face. But nevertheless, it wasn't for the apostle Paul that God kept him here. It was for the people that Paul ministered to. I thought about your pastor this afternoon. We were praying for the man of God and God healed him and God touched him. You wanna know why? For you. God knew that you needed this pastor. God knew. Oh yes, yes, God could have took him on home and you would have sorrowed and we would have wept and all these things would have taken place, but he'd have been happy. He'd have been shouting. He'd have been giving glory to God. He'd have been tickled to death for all eternity, but nevertheless, you needed him. I want to say this tonight. Aren't you tired of this world? Aren't you just sick of this world? We're gonna vote, we're gonna do our best to fix it. And every one of you ought to vote and I pray to God you vote right. I know you're pastor, you know what voting right is, but anyhow, that's another message. But the best we can vote and we don't make a difference, but it won't change a whole lot. We're just trying to do our best till we get there. But you know, Paul said, I'm so sick of this place. But there's another reason God kept me here. It's for you. Sir, every husband in this building, every father in this building, you have a purpose. Every mother, every wife, you have a purpose. Can I say it this way? Every Christian, if you're breathing, you have a purpose. I don't know if you ever knew brother Carl Johnson. He was right up from Beckley and he was one of our dear friend, one of my father's dear friend, a great writer, one of the greatest books on prophecy. He wrote a movie, Moody published many of his books and he was from right around where we live and all that kind of stuff. But I remember when God let me pastor at the New Life Baptist Church years ago It was one particular evening. I'd only go there once a month. But I remember it was more of an assisted living type place. And man, we'd have church. I mean, we'd roll the wheelchairs in and they'd bring beds in and they'd put little monitors on. And I'll never forget Brother Carl Johnson. He stayed there with his sister. They kind of split a room. I'm talking about a great man of God. I'm talking about a man that if there was ever a Bible scholar, at least that I knew, he was the closest that I ever knew. He knew the word of God. One night he told his sister, he couldn't get out of his bed, but they brought a little baby monitor and they set it on the pulpit and he wanted me to preach and he could listen. I'm thinking to myself, what can I preach to that man of God? What can I say? Just a young pastor, 25, 26 years old. What can I tell that man of God? And I did my best to preach in that little nursery monitor. We got everybody back to the room the best we could. And I remember before I left, I told the assistant there that was with me, I said, I wanna go see brother Johnson. I wanna see him before I leave. And I walked in the room and he was smiling. He said, that was a wonderful message. He lied, but anyhow, that was a wonderful message. Oh, thank you brother for preaching to me. And I said, brother Johnson, I appreciate you wanting to listen. This was a man of God, literally. Books sold around the world. God used him in an amazing way. And at that time, he couldn't even get out of bed to go to church. Brother Johnson, I wanna pray with you before I leave. That'd be wonderful. Brother Dale, you pray with me. He said, but before you pray, I wanna say something. This man of God that had preached around the world and wrote books and published books. He looked me in the face as a young pastor. And he said, you know, Brother Dale, I can't get out of this bed now. I can't go preach revivals anymore. I've written my last book, I can't write anymore. But he said, I'm still breathing. I have a purpose. Can I say it tonight? I don't understand all that, but if you're still breathing, you're needed. You have a purpose. Paul said, I'd rather just go on home, but I'm here for you. Can I say tonight, we need each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, more than we've ever needed each other in this day we're living in. So that will not change your valley, sir. Man, that will not take away the pain. It'll never take away the suffering. But what matters is you're needed. You have children. I preach to the grandparents almost every week of my life. You have grandchildren that need you. So I wanna go to heaven. Absolutely, we all do. But you have people in your life that need you. Pastor, if it is okay, if Adlai can help me with this invitation, if that's all right to do it this way. I want her to come and get ready in just a moment. Many came to the altar this morning. I love the altar in a public setting, worship. Maybe you can't kneel down physically. God already knows that. I can kneel down. Getting up is kind of hard, but I can kneel down. I got that. Maybe it's hard on your knees or something. So maybe just to let God know you're serious tonight. Maybe if you can't come to the altar, maybe you can come and sit on these front pews in just a moment, or maybe you're more comfortable standing along these walls. Sir, I don't know how you're suffering. I know how I'm suffering. I thought the other day if the trumpet would just sound, it'd take away the cancer. My wife wouldn't be laying on the couch with IVs in her, wouldn't be there. Instantly, we'd be with Jesus. There's a reason we're all still here. There's a purpose we're all still here. Just a moment, I'm gonna pray now. I want every child of God, I know it's Sunday night, but I want every child of God to come, and maybe if you can't kneel down, you can sit on these front pews, but I want you to come and say, Lord, help me to live a life that matters. Help me to live this life with purpose. God, allow me to be needed for my family. Oh yes, you should work. Oh yes, you should labor. It's more than that. It's spiritual. They need you. You say, they're not listening. You'd be very shocked. Very shocked. My father didn't think I listened to anything he said when I grew up. He was shocked. He said, my grandchildren, I don't even get to see them. They need somebody praying for them. They need a grandmother and a grandfather. Come tonight and fall on their face. Say, oh God, touch my grandchildren. They need you. Young people, this world needs you more than you could ever dream. They need you. I know we want to go to heaven. I want to go to heaven. I'm ready. I'm ready. I think it'd be wonderful to get there before the election. I think that'd be a good thing. That may not happen, but until it does, let's live with purpose, reason, a life that is needed. Would you stand with me? Every head bowed, every eye closed. Heavenly Father, God, thank you for the Bible. It's an amazing book. Thank you for every word, every line, every verse, every chapter, every paragraph. But I believe it's your preserved word tonight. So Lord, if I believe it's what you say, I gotta trust it. God, you told us tonight that we're needed. I don't understand all that, but you told us. were needed. So I pray for every grandmother, every grandfather, every mother, every father, every young person. God, I pray for every Christian in this building. Let us live a life of purpose, of necessity. God, let us humble ourselves around an altar to come to dedicate ourselves to live this life of purpose. Jesus name Adley would you sing every child of God let's come people already at the altar from the front to the back whatever it is bring your mother bring your father bring your husband wife you're here alone you're not here alone why don't you in the Holy Spirit just come up to the altar and say Lord I'm gonna dedicate myself I'm gonna live for a purpose I'm gonna live for necessity I'm not gonna waste this come on tonight come on tonight He's coming. He's coming. They'll be gone. They'll be gone. Oh, it'll be worth it all then. When we see Jesus, don't give up. Don't give up, child of God. It'll be worth it all that day. This ain't so small. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase. Oh, run the race. People are still praying. You can look up here if you're not praying. I thought about this so often. Can you imagine the first glimpse of His face? The little bit we're going through this year, the things you're going through, it'll all be erased. First glimpse. Don't give up now, child. Live your life with purpose. Live for a reason. Hallie, you sing that next verse. Preacher, you come as she sings. you