Tonight's scripture to sanctify the offering will be easy to remember. Psalm 1914. Does that hit? Okay. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength. and my Redeemer. I'm always surprised when I wake up early in the morning, I'm beginning to shave, and all of a sudden I catch myself humming a song that I, just meditation. In fact, that's what the word meditation means here in the Hebrew language. And I kind of catch myself sometimes like Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart Be acceptable to my sight, O God, my strength and my Redeemer. Thank you, Father. Amen. so so You. Oh. Thank you all for playing this song. He draws me aside to be tested and tried. But in the valley, he restore my soul. There's a beautiful scripture that says they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. And some of you have shared your tears with me lately. And I thank you for that because tears are very powerful because of that Scripture. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Say that with me. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Say it one more time. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." And because of that beautiful song that y'all did, He draws me aside to be tested and tried, but in the valley He restoreth my soul, I believe that those thoughts and this song are very powerful for all of us as the body of Christ in this place. He washed my eyes with tears that I might see The broken heart I had Was good for me He tore it all apart And looked inside He found me full of fear and foolish pride. He swept away my things that made me blind. And then I saw those clouds Were silver lined And now I understand Twas best for me He washed my eyes with tears that I might see. There's a woman I need to tell you about. Her name is Vera. We used to, every once in a while, have the opportunity, whenever we had a funeral in California, to go see her there. And she had a story, and her story was that all of her life she had sung for God until she got mad. And she stopped, and she told God, I will never sing for you again. Isn't it amazing how we live our lives, how we think that He'll take us at our word and say, OK, that's all right, you can quit. No, He's created us for certain things. And it was her son-in-law that died, was that right? Of cancer. And that's what made her so mad. And then one day she was driving early in the morning, and she heard this song. That stone that she had put at the door of her heart. The Holy Spirit power began to roll it away so that God could move inside of her again like he did before, and she was never the same after that, but she cried a lot. So if you're in the time of tears, there's something marvelous getting ready to happen for you and everybody around you. He washed my eyes with tears that I might see the glory of himself. Revealed to me I did not know that he Had wounded hands I saw the blood he spilt Upon life's sense I saw those marks of shame And wept and cried He was my substitute For me he died And now I'm glad he came So tenderly And washed my eyes with tears that I might see. Amen. We're going to open this book, The Miracle of Miracles, that you and I have access to the living word of God. And tonight, we'll begin in the book of 2 Corinthians. And we'll read the last verse of chapter four. I remind you again, the Bible was not originally written in chapters and verses. That was done by man. And so when you have a break in the chapter, that does not mean there's a break in the thought. And so we began, though, with 2 Corinthians, the fourth chapter, verse 18. Thank you God for the Holy Spirit inspired word that you have given to us. The Apostle Paul writing these words by the Holy Spirit, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And then he begins the next chapter grammatically in the Koine Greek that the Bible was inspired in with a little particle, a particle Gar, G-A-R, it's important. These little words that we just flash right on by are so important or they would not be. They're inspired. The little word Gar in the Greek language and what it means, the particle here means I'm going now to expand on what you have just read in verse 18. The rest of the words you'll be reading is an expansion on the words I have just read to you, and I'll read again, and then move into chapter five of 2 Corinthians. While we look not on things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen, For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know, and the word know here comes from a very powerful Koine Greek word that means that look inside of thee God, Look into the part of me that I can't even understand. The part of me that is so very spiritual that God only you can look upon. Would you look upon and would you help me to comprehend the things that you're going to reveal in the book of 2 Corinthians? For we know or we have an intuitive awareness, an inward awareness, that if our earthly house, that's this thing here, that if our earthly house is how this tabernacle were dissolved or went away, ceased to exist, this thing, will not last forever, thank God. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, God, we have, we have, we possess a building of God. Jesus said it this way in John the 14th chapter And I love the King James translation. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you. unto myself, that where I am, Jesus said, there you may be also. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands. And Jesus really taught a great lesson They were showing him the temple that had been built there on the Temple Mount. And he said, this temple that you're looking at was built by the hands of human beings. But I want you to know there is, as Revelation reveals, one of my very favorite parts of the book of Revelation. The apostle John writing in Revelation 21, he says, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. prepared the bride to do unto her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, look, the dwelling place of God is with men, and God himself shall dwell with them and be their God. And there shall be no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things are passed away. this place eternal in the heavens. And I could not read that without asking you to look at the book of 2 Timothy, the first chapter, verse 12. 2 Timothy 1.12, for which cause the apostle Paul writing by the Holy Spirit For the which cause I also suffer these things. There is suffering in this tabernacle, in this house. For the which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. I do not have an awareness of any dishonor. For I know, and that's the very same word used in 2 Corinthians that I read to you. For I know I have an intuitive awareness inside of me, in my heart. I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him. All my sins and all of my life I have committed to Jesus. That I have committed unto him against that day. a home eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, we hurt, we begin to decay. And I'm going to tell you something, and listen carefully. One of the worst things you can ever do is become one of these false charismatic people who come to someone who is hurting and sick and in pain and say to them, because you are in good shape yourself, and I have seen this, I've heard this, and I will not stand for it. Look at someone who is suffering and say to them, if you had enough faith, you wouldn't hurt, you wouldn't be sick. That's a lie. God have mercy on anyone. And I have actually seen people who said that to people, and I've seen how they left this world. I'd suggest that you do not condemn, but that you build up in the most holy faith those who are suffering and hurting. That's the love of God. that passeth all understanding. For in verse two of 2 Corinthians 5, for in this we groan, earnestly desiring. That's what I want. That's what you want tonight. Whatever's wrong in your life, begin to earnestly desire to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. If so be that we being clothed, we shall not be found naked. Now listen carefully because you need to settle this if you have it in your heart. You basically are three. You have a physical body, You have a soul that is your emotions and your ability to think and to have an abundant life, that's your soul. But there's another part of you, and that's the part of you that Jesus seals, your spirit, until the day of redemption. This word naked here applies to a believer who has never allowed the Holy Spirit to turn their soul into that which will last forever. Are you listening? You can lose your body. You can lose your emotions and your soul and your thinking, but when you have Jesus, you cannot lose your spirit. For the spirit, it's the spirit that is sealed until the day of redemption. There will be people who will not have the clothing, the righteousness in eternity that they could have had. if they had given their soul into the hands of the Spirit of Almighty God. I pray to God you understand that. And from this day forward, you will seek with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind, and I will. I'll be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus. for my righteousness and your righteousness. See the filthy rags that they are and know that you can be clothed upon with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Verse four, for we are in this tabernacle to groan, being burdened Not for that we should be unclothed, and that's what some people are doing to themselves after they've accepted Jesus, but being clothed upon that mortality, oh God, might be swallowed up of life. Now, another particle. Now he that wrought us for this selfsame thing is God, who hath given to us what? The earnest of the spirit. What is the earnest of the spirit? You ever sell anything and they're trying to get the abstract and all that right so you can own it? correctly and have a good deed to what you're paying for, then many times you put down earnest money. And that means I intend and I promise that when you have the deed and the title down legally 100%, then I'll pay you the rest so I can own the property. And that's what God is saying here. You are saved, but you can grow in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord by worshiping and trusting until the day you draw your last breath in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse six, therefore, or because of this, We're always confident. Did you know that you can be that kind of a person no matter what circumstances? And they're gonna come. They're going to happen. You're going to fail in some ways as a human being, but you don't have to be a failure forever. It can be changed and things can be made right. with man and with yourself and with God. Therefore, we're always confident, knowing that while we're at home in the body, that's right now, we are absent from the Lord. We're not in the presence of Jesus, literally. For we walk by faith and not by sight. We're confident, I say. Are you? Yes, I am. Confess it. For we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Either at the rapture or when I physically die, I'm gonna leave this old house. I'm gonna leave it, abandon it, and my spirit will go back to God who gave it. And angels will usher you in the presence of God. We should not have any fear of physical death. It's God's way of getting us out of this old house. and into our mansion that has been prepared for us. Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you. I believe him. Don't you? Well then believe him more and let your confidence become strong. The devil hates you. When you have confidence in God and call him the liar and the murderer, that the thief that he is. The devil. He's a liar. He's a murderer. He's a thief. And he wants to rob you. And he wants to kill your joy. Oh, today at the 8 o'clock service, a little girl came up on the stage here and said to Brother Phil, would you sing I have the joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Wherefore we labor, we work. There is a place for work. Faith without works is dead. We labor that whether present or absent, we shall be accepted of him. Whether I'm in this body or the one to come, I have been accepted and you have been accepted in the beloved. And then here comes the verse for every believer. It's not the judgment to see whether you're going to heaven or hell. It's the judgment seat of Christ, known as the Bema judgment. Not to decide on where you will spend eternity, but what you have allowed God to do in your life and to build up for eternity. That's what this next verse 10. For we must all, all saved, appear before the judgment seat of Christ, not to see whether you're going to heaven or hell, but to reward you. for the things you have allowed God to use you to give him honor and to give him glory. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ who that everyone may receive the things done in the body. There are things I can do in this body that will be revealed, there'll be evil, evil thoughts, evil doing, anything I've done that is evil is going to be revealed at the judgment seat of Christ. And I might hide it here, but I can't hide it there. And what do we do then? We go to the Lord and ask him to cover that with his blood. And I say to myself tonight, and I say to each of you, if there's anything in your life that's not right, as a believer, call on Jesus to cover it with his precious blood, and he will. And you can move on to higher ground. Everyone may receive the things done in his body. Not soul, not spirit, but body. According to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. There is good and bad, even for saved people. There's good, and you know the difference, and there is bad. Knowing therefore, listen carefully, Verse 11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest to our conscience. For we commend not ourselves again to you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf. that we may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. Appearance doesn't matter. How about your heart? I don't like to talk about what I'm going to now. I had three people who were members of the church I pastored in Spiro. There was Melba and WT and their one beautiful daughter. Their beautiful daughter played the piano so beautifully. And she and her mother sang some of the most beautiful duets. But this daughter married the wrong man. And he was so evil. that He caused her to cut her throat. Brother Phil, you were with me when we went out to their house after she had taken her life. And every time I hear the songs they sang, I think about it. How sad. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God. Or whether we sober, it is for your sake. And I close with this beautiful, true verse to put underneath all that has been spoken from this Bible. For the love of Christ, for the love of Christ, constrains us because we thus judge. If one died for all, then we are all dead. That he died for all, that they which live should not live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Father, We thank you that you have given us an answer to the things that this old body can cause us to do. And we're thankful that the spirit can lead us to the blood. And we're thankful for your words in the epistle of John, Father, where you have said these words to us. If we confess our sins, we are saved. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you, Jesus. As we stand to sing, thank God that you can live here as clean and as pure as Jesus himself, if you will allow Jesus to have what you can't handle. is able to handle it, in Jesus' name, as we sing, amen. We're gonna offer a pass me not, oh gentle Savior. Oh, yes. Pass me not, oh gentle Savior, hear my humble cries, while on others our calling do. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others our calling, do not pass me by. This sister, and I praise God for her, but she's getting ready to have some surgery. And she was nice enough to write it all down for me so that, you know I'm an old man, I forget things. And she has written it all down, but she wants to be anointed. And I'm going to ask Brother Stone to come and Brother Phil. And she's obeying. the book of James, the fifth chapter, and I have a lot of preachers that say, all you do, Bill, is go around with a bottle of oil and pour it on people. That's a lie. I have never anointed anyone who didn't ask me to. Would you dare tell them you wouldn't do it? Not me. Thank you. Father, we thank you for this, our sister, and now give her grace as she goes toward the healing that she will receive. In Jesus' name.