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All right Acts, Acts 20, Acts 20 and you know just the last few days I've just been dealing with a lot of phone calls and messages and things and I just wanted to bring us back to remember some very fundamental truths of our our faith and our walk with the Lord and it's surprising like what I'm going to preach essentially I consider to be the milk of God's word very much so but it seems like whenever there's confusion and trials and challenges we tend to just forget some of these very basic truths and I want to preach about that this morning and when you look at Acts chapter 20 look at verse number 22 Paul says and now behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me so to give you a quick context here there was a drought in Jerusalem brethren in Judea was suffering because of the drought and Paul had gone and taken a collection from several churches especially the gentile churches to to put a collection together to go help the brethren down there in Jerusalem and so he's now going to Jerusalem to help these brethren that are suffering and so he's bound in spirit he's talking about his own spirit there his need to go to Jerusalem to help those brethren in Jerusalem but then he says not knowing the things that shall befall me there he goes look there are I don't know what's going to happen to me once I get to Jerusalem because he's always had a lot of conflict with the Jews obviously they hate the message of Jesus Christ and he has had much you know like I said much conflict much controversy that has followed him from Jerusalem so he's not sure the kinds of troubles that he's going to face then he says in verse number 23 the only one that knows these things of course verse number 23 save or accept the holy ghost witness of in every city saying the bounds and afflictions abide me so he goes the holy ghost he knows he knows exactly all the sufferings all the turmo's all the struggles that I go through in every city everywhere he's gone preaching he's had uh you know controversy that's followed him he goes uh and then he says only the holy ghost basically uh at the end of it saying the bound the bonds and afflictions abide me he goes there are still bonds and afflictions that are going to follow me and the holy ghost is the only one that knows those struggles that I'm going to face right so he knows he's not like he when he gets to Jerusalem he's expecting troubles he's expecting problems he goes the holy ghost knows what they are okay so you think well Paul look don't go to Jerusalem man like it's going to be really hard for you there but then he says these interesting words in verse number 24 but none of these things move me but none of these things move me the title for the sermon this morning is none of these things move me none of these things move me and like I said this morning's message essentially I believe the milk of God's Word but we need to be reminded that we as believers should be unmovable and even when we have times of confusion of conflict of uncertainties that that is an easy time when you can lose sight on the Lord lose sight on our faith and be moved you know with confusion and be moved with potential doctrines that are believed or held to because of your study in God's Word and so I want you to notice Paul's heart like he's he's going to he doesn't know what's going to happen next he doesn't know what's going to happen in Jerusalem but he goes whatever's going to happen I'm not going to be moved but none of these things move me then he says neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God because I can't allow the problems and the termos and the confusions and the controversies of life to move me he says I've got a race I've got to finish my course and Brevin you all know that you've been set on a race and it's a marathon race it's the rest of your life now that you're saved you're running this marathon race with the finish line being Jesus Christ in eternity with God in heaven forever and what does God want us to do in this race that he set before us to preach or to testify the gospel of the grace of God that's what we've been called to do on this earth this is why we're still on the race this is why God has not taken us home to be in heaven just yet because we have a work to do for our Lord God and we can't be distracted if you get distracted in a race you're going to lose if you get distracted as you're driving you know you oh what's going on over there you get distracted by your phone you might cause an accident that's what you know those sermons are for brother Oliver to preach anyway about being distracted while you're driving okay but look distractions can cause us to forget the race that we're running can make us think hey is it worth running the race or it might cause us to get off the racetrack or to consider is it worth it like what am I you know am I gonna get to the finish line I'm just telling you Brevin yes it's worth getting to the finish line stay on the right race that is set before you and let none of these things move you let none of these things move you is a title for the sermon this morning and that's all I wanted to take from Acts chapter 20 so move away from there and come with me to Psalm 62 come with me to Psalm 62 I've got five points for you today so you can be stable secure that you would not be movable with every little issue that pops up whether little or whether great it doesn't really matter you know God tells us that we can be unmovable focused on the race that he has set before us and first of all we need to start with the first and most important point of course and we're going to read that in Psalm 62 and it says here uh in verse number one Psalm 62 verse number one truly my soul wakes up upon God from him cometh my salvation Brevin what is it that we are waiting or resting or hopeful upon it ought to be the Lord God Almighty it's got to be him it's not pastor Kevin Sepulveda it's not new life Baptist church that I'm waiting and hoping and patiently abiding upon it's always the Lord God all right you need to secure yourself in God it says in verse number two he only only he only is my rock and my salvation he is my defense I shall not be greatly moved I shall not be greatly moved why because he is sorry he only only is my rock and my salvation he is my defense I shall not be greatly moved hey none of these things shall move me none of these things should move you and if we want to be unmovable we need to make sure that our only rock is our Lord God Almighty point number one is secure yourself on the rock you need to figure out what your rock is you know I hope I can be a rock to my wife but I'm not always the best rock okay I mean I try my best to be strong when my wife is weak I try to be strong when my wife needs help and I hope my wife can be strong for me in return when I need her help right because we're there complementing one another obviously in different ways in different uh roles that God has equipped us to to meet but you know our only rock truly brethren is the Lord God and look how God never moves our God never changes his word has never changed he is always our defense he is always our salvation and if truly our rock is on the Lord God you will not be moved you will not be unsettled you will not be confused the reason you get unsettled is because when you get confused when you have uncertainties it's because you've gotten off the rock right you think I can do it on my own or I can rely on someone else or I can rely on my pastor Kevin Sepulveda or I can rely on New Life Baptist Church or I can rely on brother so-and-so or family stuff forget it listen those that there's sometimes hope I hope we can support each other we can edify one another but the only rock the only unmovable rock is your Lord God you need to remind yourself of this I love the words of the psalmist he says I shall not be greatly moved because I've I've preached in the psalm I feel like not even that long ago I guess it was I can't remember now it feels like not long ago to me okay but I remember looking at this and goes well not greatly moved so maybe I'm a little shaken a little bit shaken all right but I'm not going to be greatly shaken I'm not going to be greatly moved and what I love about this psalm is we see like he knows the reality that you know he's he's troubled obviously the psalmist is troubled many times he's troubled because of enemies or life situations that have developed around him and he begins to remind himself okay yeah the Lord God is my rock I will not be greatly moved all right like you know but I am a little bit moved I am a little bit shaken in the current situation that I find myself in but then as we keep going through this psalm we start to notice that his his uh confidence begins to build con with fitness uh uh what's it like a strength okay something that is uh confidence means with strength okay when we talk about his confidence being uh increasing as the psalm goes on we're saying that his strength continues to increase as he says these words because it says in verse number three how long will you imagine mischief against a man you shall be slain all of you as a bow and wall shall you be as a tottering fence sorry bow and wall a bow and wall uh shall you be in a tottering fence he says about his enemies he talks about the ones that are making him feel insecure that they're like this fence that's always shaken like my God is a rock that never moves but you're always shaking you're always changing you know and whatever it is that you're you know if God is not your only rock whatever other rock you trust in is going to shake it's going to move all right again if you put yourself on that fence you're going to be shaken you're going to be confused and you know he's talking about his enemies in this sense right now but it continues in verse number three how long will you imagine mischief against a man you shall be slain all of you sorry ready sorry as a bow and wall shall you be in a strong turn as a short tone fence they only consult to cast him down from his excellency they delight in lies they bless with their mouth but they curse inwardly sealer so we can see what the psalmist himself is facing he's facing friends that have betrayed him they said nice things to his face but they've backstabbed him he's dealing with betrayal and then he says in verse number five my soul wait out only upon God for my expectation is from him once again you see the only one he can wait upon the only one that he can rest upon is God his expectation is from him from God you know the only one he expects to do something great for his life is the Lord God he's reminding himself of this truth look at verse number six again he only is my rock and my salvation he is my defense now he says these words i shall not be moved he said before i shall not be greatly moved in other words yeah a little bit shaken now he says i shall not be moved like at all okay not even a little bit like his his confidence has built up in the Lord he's reminding himself of the great God that he serves and now he says boy now that i've rested upon the Lord i've meditated upon him all the other situations are moving you know shaking fences and whatever it is uh you know the only one that i can truly stand strong on is my Lord God and because of that i will not be moved i will not be moved what wonderful words of the psalmist and so i want to remind you guys and i think these are important things like of course we rest upon the Lord you know life is always throwing curveballs at us situations at us that we may not know the full answers of or confusion and but the one that knows is the Holy Ghost like like Paul says i don't know what's going to happen in Jerusalem but the Holy Ghost knows the Lord knows the Lord knows ahead of time you know what what situations might unfold and because of him because of the Lord God i will not be moved because he's my rock he's our rock he continues i'll just finish last two verses in God is my salvation and my glory the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God i love that i love i love these words i love the words always the words of refuge because you think of a refugee someone that's escaping maybe a communist country or something like that right a warm-torn country and we say someone that's escaping to a better land would say that's a refugee they're getting themselves out of a horrible situation trying to seek a place of peace and safety well you know what you know our Lord God our rock you know is also a place that we can run for safety you know like there's nothing wrong like there's nothing wrong with you if you feel like sometimes a refugee you know uncertain lost and confused and you know you need a place to run for safety you've got to run to God right here's the one that accepts uh i was gonna say illegal immigrants but i guess you have to be legal because you've got to be a son of God you know you've got to be born again uh to be able to run to him but you know any any any you know his doors are always open you don't need to go and present a passport to God you don't need to have a visa you know we talk about a few families here having to go through the process of getting visas for their families you know to come and make their abode here in Australia but our Lord God is not that way you know as soon as you've been saved you're a child of God you can go to God immediately for a place of refuge and strength and defense we need to be defended in our faith and our Lord God is the one that will defend your faith okay here's the one that we are to run to verse number eight and this is like it's so obvious trust in him at all times like you of course pastor that's us yeah but do you trust in him all the time do i trust in him all the time you know when we get shaken and confused it's because we forgot to trust him when we get lost and confused it's we forgot to trust him where we've been so just trust anymore in all times if we trust in him at all times you will not be moved none of these things will move you if you trust in him at all times you people pour out your heart before him God is a refuge for us sealer I love our Lord God mighty God savior you know and when I mess up and I'm maybe not trusting him at all times like I should and maybe confused by the world and and doubting the future or doubting even the present not knowing what might befall you you know we always have a refuge a place of strength a place that we can go to immediately and not be moved and so like I said this morning brethren is just a reminder that we need to hear from time to time I'm sure I've preached this type of sermon in different ways over the years but we do need to be reminded of some basic simple trips from time to time and so point number one brethren is you need to secure yourself on the rock and only on the rock only on the Lord God not in me okay not in me I'm just another human being I have weaknesses and problems and sin like anybody else and so does whatever brother or sister in the Lord that you think they've just got their life all together and boy look at them go you're putting your trust in the wrong rock when you do that all right everyone has challenges everyone has problems everyone has difficulties and the only one that can carry all of those difficulties is of course our Lord God he can carry your difficulties and he'll help you to be secure in your faith can you come with me to another passage first Corinthians 15 first Corinthians 15 first Corinthians 15 let's get to point number two point number one was secure yourself on the rock let's get to point number two in first Corinthians 15 like what's the worst thing that can happen in life like for us the worst things probably that can happen in our life well if like if you ask the average unbeliever out there like what's the worst thing that can what's the biggest problem that you can face in life it's probably death like okay I mean we can suffer in this life okay we can have problems and and you know relationship issues or marital problems or we can have financial difficulties or you know you've been betrayed or you know illnesses in your body but you know when it comes to ultimately the unbelieving world you know the worst thing that can really befall them is death and in many ways sometimes I kind of feel the same way I'm like you know I don't want to die some you know premature death you know I don't want to become so foolish that you know not that I'm I hate alcohol anyway but like just in case like you know I'm tempted to drink alcohol one day to drown my sorrows and I drive home and you know fall into a car accident or something like that and lose my life I would hate for something like that for my life to end so prematurely when I know there's a lot more that Lord God wants me to do with my life that he has put before me but the reality is we're all going to pass away one day we're all going to die you know and like you know in some ways that could be the worst thing but of course as believers it's also the best thing because we can open our eyes and be with the Lord but I just want to remind you here in first Corinthians 15 verse number 55 it says oh death where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law now before I keep reading I want you to notice that grave can have victory right because when someone dies they're not going to walk out of their grave right when the soul and spirit leaves the body I'm just saying in general terms not about the resurrection right now but in general terms right when someone dies they're not going to crawl out of the grave hey guys I'm back okay there is victory in the grave there is victory in death and like I said that can be one of the worst things that can obviously befall and especially an unbeliever but I want you to be reminded what we're about to read in verse 57 because death and the grave doesn't have to be victorious over you it says in verse 57 but thanks be to God look at this which giveth giveth us the victory throughout Lord Jesus Christ God has given us the victory because this chapter is about the resurrection we know that we're going to rise from the dead look we've already if you're saved you've already risen from the dead your spirit was once dead the moment you believed on Christ you were born again you were given a revived spirit you've already been you've already passed from death unto life inwardly the new man has already resurrected from the dead but one day God promises our bodies are going to be resurrected from the dead death will not have victory over us but we already have the victory today God has given us the victory today therefore it says in verse 58 therefore my beloved brethren be ye steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord brethren point number two for you to not be moved unmovable steadfast like we saw here is to remind yourself that you are already victorious you've already won through Christ Jesus it's what did it say again in verse 57 but thanks be to God which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Christ already won for us he already defeated all the sins of the world all the iniquities all the consequences of sin all your infirmities were put on Christ all your burdens were put on Christ everything that we you know we can possibly suffer on this earth Christ already took that upon himself and he died in our place and not only did he die he rose again from the dead victorious from death victorious from the grave and because of Christ Jesus he gives us that power and brethren we already won if you're saved we're already victorious in Jesus Christ I want you to remember that you've already won like we're just going through the motions right now we're just going through time right we're playing out the free will of God but God knows at the end of it all we've already won in Christ Jesus how does that make us unmovable because we're not going to lose we're not going to lose in life the big picture of eternity we have a promise of being in home in heaven walk in streets of gold I mean how good is that streets of gold walking on that mansions in heaven we never see our father face to face a new heaven a new earth a place where there is no curse you know a body that cannot sin sin be in a joint air with Jesus Christ you know we think about the great tribulation to come in the end times we've already won we're already overcomers okay you know if we're going to live it out in our life's lifetime you've already not taken the mark of the beast it's not going to happen for you as a believer okay you're going to win souls you're going to lay up treasures in heaven and one day we're going to be with Christ in the clouds we're going to see him we're going to be forever with our Lord Jesus Christ brethren we've already won this wicked and confusing world that we're currently presently living in I want you to remember that because I want you to like think like um what do you call like a like a sports team that's won the the championship last season and reigning champions that's what I'm thinking of you're already rain reigning champions you've already won you've already won the game of life okay you're reigning champions and you know when a sports team wins the championship whoo everyone's whoo yeah we won and then they play it out the next season they're the reigning champions they're trying to maintain it like they're like they've got nothing more to prove they've already proven themselves you know the previous season and they really think of themselves as the best this current season and all the other teams they're trying to take down the reigning champions okay because they've already proven themselves to be the champions that they are brethren you are ready already reigning champions you haven't lost you're victorious in Christ Jesus okay in Christ Jesus you know sometimes I watch my my kids that I don't know if they're gonna play football this soccer this coming season or not but quite often you can have a team especially when they're younger and the team you know you know most of the players just aren't that great but there's like one just super good player and that super good player can just win the games like that that's Jesus we're not we know we're not always the best players in this game of life we know we mess up and we don't always succeed and we don't always make the best choices in life but the one that's on our team Jesus Christ he wins it for us he scores the goals he scores the tries or whatever it is right you know he scores the knockdown punch for us you know we're like these amateur boxers right going to the fight and then we still have to take down Goliath because there's Jesus behind the scenes you know tag team just taking down the enemy before us and that ultimate enemy is death and we've already won we've already won and so I want you to remember that brethren there's there's nothing that should move you in your life in your faith you know you're reigning champions you are already victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord can you come with me to John chapter 14 come with me to John 14 please John 14 John 14 the next one I think is super important just based on conversations I've been having super important John 14 please John 14 please remember these words John 14 verse number 27 these are beautiful words I love these words these words of Jesus Christ John 14 27 Christ says peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid brethren point number three is seek the peace of Jesus look he's already given it to you peace I leave with you it's already there okay it's just that we forget to access the peace that Christ wants to give us my peace I give unto you not as the word giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid if your heart is troubled this morning you need peace you need peace you know Facebook doesn't give you peace social media doesn't give you peace looking up conspiracy videos doesn't give you peace watching all the disasters in the earth you know all the news channels that doesn't give you peace seeing the con you know the the the the left side of politics and the right side of politics in the United States coming up to the coming election that doesn't give you peace the only one that gives you peace is Christ you need the peace of Christ otherwise your heart will be troubled you'll be afraid you'll be confused you'll be tossed around you know you need peace you need peace seek the peace of Jesus Christ come come with me to one of my favorite passages in the bible please Philippians 4 Philippians 4 seek the peace of Jesus have you been at peace this week I hope you have been I have I'm I have been at peace but a lot of people aren't at peace a lot of people are not at peace and I want you to remember the world does not give you enough there's nothing else that will give you peace but Christ and you need access to his peace it's not as the world giveth it's it's a different type of peace that comes from God you know the kind of peace that the world thinks of they think of two warring factions let's sign a peace treaty and let's not fight again you know that's how they think of peace the world thinks of peace as no troubles the peace of Jesus is very different the peace of Jesus is there can be troubles all over the place and you're still at peace you can be in the middle of world war three you know and you hear the news that there's a nuclear bomb on its way to destroy the sunshine coast and you'll be like I'm at peace not as a world giveth there's a different type of peace that comes from Jesus Christ and you need it I need it we all need this piece of Jesus and in Philippians 4 verse 6 I know these are common passages brethren but we need to think about it we need to remember we need to meditate on these verses Philippians 4 verse number six be careful for nothing careful full of care or full of worries that is saying don't stop worrying don't let anything worry you say how it says here but so this is what you need to do but in everything by prayer and supplication if you don't know what supplication is it just means to um it means like supplication you supply you say lord I need supply I have needs can you supply my needs okay prayer and supplication with thanksgiving remind yourself of the good things that God has done in your life give him thanks with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding passeth that word is an old English word for the word surpass it surpasses all understanding this peace that God can give you will cause others to go I don't understand why this person's at peace it's it's beyond understanding this peace that comes from God like I said you can be like oh man there's a nuclear bomb about to destroy the Sunshine Coast and everyone's panicking and everyone's jumping in their cars and trying to get away and jumping into the bomb shelters and it's Sunday at 10 30 a.m and we're still at church just praising the Lord and people will look at you and go you guys are crazy it doesn't make any sense it's because we have the peace of God we're not going to panic okay we're not going to worry whatever troubles fall upon you you know whatever it is that concerns you whatever troubles your mind whatever keeps you awake at night Reverend you need the peace of God and I thank God that I sleep like a baby I don't know maybe I'm too peaceful sometimes I've been stressed lately just because there's been a lot to do but it's mainly because I've been lacking sleep like not that I'm struggling to sleep it's just that I've not had the hours to sleep if that makes sense because I've been busy going back and forth and doing lots of things but there's a great peace that comes from God and I want you to have it like I don't want to offend anybody but some of you guys don't have it you know this piece that comes from God and I'm not trying to say I always have it but I have it more often than not like honestly I have it more often than not because I remember to go to God I remember to go to him here's my rock here's my defense here's my refuge okay uh right uh whatever websites you like to go to to get the latest information about whatever it is that's not going to give you peace it's not the peace of God it's only God's word really and and the Lord God his presence and your time with him your fellowship with him your prayers to him that will give you that peace that you need it's supposed to surpass all understanding it's supposed to cause people to say to you why aren't you reacting why aren't you overly emotional why are you not latching out why are you not panicking you must have a few strange screw losers in your head and that's a piece of God it's not the peace that the world gives the peace of God you need to have it it's the best thing in the world it's the best let me read verse number seven again and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep or that we're like secure okay keep it your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus these are the two elements that really cause us to make decisions and and uh think things through uh think things through in different ways and is is our emotions our hearts and our our logical part our brains you know Bible uses those things and sometimes our emotions can get really unsettled and even our minds we don't know what to think logically things don't seem to make sense and the only thing that's going to stabilize that is the peace of God you know the logical part the emotional part the only thing that stabilizes keeps and secures so you're not movable is the peace of God you need it brethren and it's no surprise it's no surprise that the next verse follows the next verse follows and I don't know how much how many times I preach on this people still don't do it and again I'm not trying to offend anybody here but finally brethren whatsoever things are true okay not gossip whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely lovely you know the things that you put your head in during the week can you truly say to me pastor it's always been lovely these are lovely things that I'm reading about these are lovely things that I'm watching the latest concern of 7g about to destroy our lives control us and make us into cyborgs or something that's lovely pastor I love hearing about this stuff no it removes the peace of God from you what sort of things are of good report if there be any virtue are these things virtuous if there be any praise is it praiseworthy think on these things think on these things you know what has your mind been on the last week has it been virtuous has it been lovely has it been praiseworthy things things that give you peace or they things that give you trouble and uncertainties and confusion brethren I know what it's I know what it's like to want to chase every controversy and hear everything that you know the other day we're playing in the in the backyard of the kids and we heard a car accident boom you know first thing I want to do let's go look I can either have a great time playing with my kids or I can go work look check out the car accidents because that's what we are we're programmed to want to chase the problems the accidents the turmoil you know we just can't wait to feast our eyes upon these things and before you know it you'll lose the peace you can have the peace of playing with the kids or you can have the troubles of looking at a car accident and the police and the ambulances they're you know helping you know people that are suffering and is that really what but you know you know you're like me right when there's a car accident on the side of the road you slow down oh what happened oh what so things are lovely oh that's lovely that's virtuous man yeah that's praiseworthy let's stop and let's have a look at that we're all like that we all pro this is why it's in the bible because we're we need to be reminded that we do the opposite we do the opposite we don't seek the peace of Jesus this is why we turn on the news and we want to find out about the earthquakes or about the natural disasters or about the corruption in politics or you know the the next things that are going to strip away your liberties and your rights you know uh in governance and we just want to see the turmoil and the problems and brethren when you do that you're going to be very you're going to be very moved you're going to be unsettled revenue need the peace of god you need the refuge you need to hide yourself in him he's the one that allows us not to be moved none of these things move me says paul brethren i want to be stable secure you know you need the peace of Jesus the three things so far secure yourself on the rock remember number two you are already victorious you've already won don't worry number three seek the peace of Jesus number four come with me to second corinthians second corinthians chapter four please second corinthians chapter four second corinthians chapter four second corinthians chapter four verse number eight second corinthians chapter four verse number eight paul says we are troubled on every side yet not distressed huh paul you got troubles everywhere everyone hates you paul because i'm not stressed about it yet i'm not distressed because i'm not stressed about it yet i'm not distressed i'll tell you why he's got the peace of Jesus he's unmovable he knows he's already victorious you see this is the christian life not that every problem goes away but that you're not distressed when you're troubled on every side he goes we are perplexed but not in despair perplexed like confused what he goes but i'm not going to worry about i'm not in despair i'm not about to just give up on everything i'm not in despair persecuted verse number nine persecuted now i'm going to say something controversial probably but i don't believe i've ever faced persecution then pastor you must not be walking godly then i'm talking about the persecution i read about in the bible being dragged out in the city and stoned being thrown into prison being beaten for my faith have you suffered that kind of persecution i said something rude to me at the door be persecuted someone laughed at me mocked me because i went to church on sunday one of my work colleagues persecution i'm just saying like man we could be suffering much worse than you know come on but he says persecuted but not forsaken you know if you are thrown into prison if you are beaten for your faith maybe some of you have i don't know i'm just saying i haven't maybe i'm not a troublemaker people like me for some reason but even then we're not forsaken you say brought you know church members have forsaken me brothers and sisters have forsaken me you know my friends have forsaken me but but who are they lord god's not forsaken you you know that jesus will never leave you not forsake you you know that truth i know it's it's sad when people betray you and people hurt you and uh you know you invest time and energy and service to individuals and they turn their back on you i know the pain that that you can you can suffer but how much pain did we give jesus and he doesn't forsake you he doesn't leave you he died for you he loves you he says verse number nine cast down but not destroyed he's ready to get back up again right when you get down he's ready to get back up he's not destroyed and you know you might be cast down for whatever reasons this morning you might be cast down next you might be like pastor i'm doing the best i've ever had as a christian but then tomorrow you might be cast down things can change like that overnight but not destroyed you know god gives the ability to get back up again and continue serving him you know you can be running the race and you have a little stumble just stumble forwards not backwards stumble forwards ah all right look god can god can you just quickly fix my knee so i can keep running hard stumble okay run go to your refuge all right go for your pit stop recharge your batteries and then run the right get back on the race as soon as possible you're not destroyed you know you're already victorious look at verse number 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the lord jesus that the life also of jesus might be made manifest in our body he says in our bodies we can die like christ did but also in our body we can be made christ can be made manifest like in his resurrection in his power in his victory we can have that same victorious life drop down to verse number 14 for the sake of time knowing that here which raised up the lord jesus shall raise up sorry shall raise up us also by jesus and shall be present us with you now look at this verse number 15 for all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of god look at verse number 16 for which cause we faint not we don't faint we don't give up but look but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day that's what i want you to take away from this verse 16 specifically but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day brethren in order for you to stay strong and unmovable you need to live in the new man the new man the outward man perishes this body is able to do less today than it could yesterday it's getting ready for the point of death right it's deteriorating it breaks down all right as you get older your body starts to break down i don't know what your peak is what's the does anyone know what the peak age is roughly generally speaking i think it's somewhere like between 25 and 28 if you've gone past that peak you're headed this way so don't live in that outward man the outward man's not going to succeed for you but the inward man is renewed day by new it's brand new every day all right it's like fresh every day you got to live in the new man the old man perishes we know when we live in the old man that's when we're tempted to sin we know that's when we become carnal and selfish and you know when we're in the old man that's when we become insecure and we become faithless we lose our trust in the lord we start seeking other rocks that are not the rock of our lord jesus christ we start looking at peace in the world rather than the peace that christ can give us that's when we start living in the outward man and it fails you this flesh will fail you your good looks are going to diminish your muscles will be weakened this body it's useful for the time being praise god i think it's good to ask god can you please help me maintain this body because it's the one that i've got but really brethren we need to walk in the in the spirit in you man how do you do that pastor you know i've been asked how do you do it how's it like what's the transition i just say god help me walk in the new man i don't know what i don't like i don't know i don't have this button like switch old man new man i don't know how that works that old man's always kind of frustrating me and i've got to tell him go away let me be in the new man you know the old man gets discouraged when i hear you know bad news or whatever it is cast down and the new man's like hold on a minute think of the good things that can come out of this whatever the situation is the new man says to me look the lord knows and the lord is teaching and the lord is guiding and the lord wants you to learn a powerful lesson that's what the new man keeps telling me and the and the old man's like ah man why do i have to go for this lesson why do i have to go for these challenges and this confusion and these problems new man's like hey it's a great time to learn and the new man starts telling me look these are the things that you can learn from this situation i don't know i just say lord help me to be in the new man help me to be in the spirit i've told you so many times you're sick of me saying it when i get up to preach lord put me in the new man lord help me to be in the spirit don't let this carnal flesh get in the way you know don't let this mouth say galatians four when i should have said galatians three i don't know if you picked that up in the documentary because this this body fails but the new man's refreshed renewed every single day i don't know have you ever like woken up in the morning just like man i had a good sleep i can't wait to face the day looking forward to the start of the day probably not that often but you've i'm sure you had moments like that the new man's always doing that that's the new man always constantly yeah the new day you know we woke up again god's not taking us home what can we accomplish for the lord today that's the new man you need to live in the new man let's continue in that same chapter verse number 17 for our light affliction which is but for a moment our light affliction which is but for a moment you say pastor i'm suffering from chronic disease in my body it's going to be till the day i die and i'm sad it makes me gives me sadness to sad it makes me gives me sadness to know that people suffer from chronic issues and i don't want to make light of your situation but the bible makes light of it for our light affliction which is but for a moment please remember that this life that we live is just a moment it's just a moment we have eternity coming up you know that remember that like let's say you live 100 years you know and you get a letter from the king well done you've reached 100 years or something i think that's what i do i'm not sure it's still a moment compared to eternity it's it's a vapor here one moment gone the next the struggles the pains the worries the frustrations your chronic sicknesses are just a moment a light affliction in light of our real life eternity i don't even know how to measure eternity in light of the 100 years that we might potentially live on this earth what is a hundred years you can't even put it down on a percentage like i was point zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero one percent is this moment that we live this life and that's not even i don't even have enough zeros to go and it just keeps going that's what eternity just this brief moment compared to eternity just continues you never get to the end of those zeros before you get to the one this life is just a moment brethren it says here let me read it again verse 17 for our light affliction which is but for a moment worker for us are far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal we can see of me right now is my body this is temporal what you can't see is the new man which is eternal what is this teaching us guys to focus on eternity this life is but a moment why are we going to get distressed and perplexed and worried and frustrated and confused and whatever bogged down in this life that is just gone in a moment like that focus on eternity god has given us this moment to do a great work for him you know what we're doing this moment's going to be multiplied in heaven eternal rewards you go out there and you win a soul to the lord you go out there and you don't win a soul you knock doors and you have no success you serve the lord you do it for an hour you do it for two hours think about the multiplication of treasures god will give you for serving him faithfully in whatever service you do for him i asked my son to bring me a cup of water before i preach you know what jesus is going to give him some eternal rewards in heaven for doing so we have this chance in life we have this moment to run the race to maximize the reward that is laid before us i don't want to be a loser of rewards i want to get the maximum i want to be able to get everything that christ has in store for me and run that race without the distractions of the temporal life reverend reverend point number five is focus on eternity it's so much more important you know you and i are going to spend time forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever so let's just try to get along now let's be friends now let's love each other now i don't want to get to eternity and be like man i treated you so badly on the earth i don't know i don't know how eternity is going to work right and it just plagues my mind for eternity man it's my brother-in-law that i've in that little moment the light afflictions i got frustrated we had conflicts what for man when you focus on eternity this this temporary life just seems so insignificant i'm not saying it's not important of course it's not important i'm not saying it's not important of course it's important um let me read verse number 17 one more time for our light affliction which is but for a moment it is a moment worker for us are far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory you want to have a greater glory when you get to heaven use the time wisely this moment that god has given you like this moment is important but in light of eternity it's insignificant so why don't you just give it to god and serve him and not be moved the reverend title of the sermon was none of these things move me but none of these things move me were the words of paul is that you this morning can you say pastor nothing's moving me praise god if that's you praise god because that that those are signs of christian maturity but even a mature christian can sometimes be cast down you know even a mature christian can sometimes be confused and so it's important that we remind ourselves of these truths in conclusion let me just summarize those five points number one secure yourself on the rock the only rock jesus christ our lord god number two remind yourself that you are already victorious you're reigning champions you've won the game of life number three seek the peace of jesus which surpasseth all understanding number four live in the new man the old man's corrupt live in the new man renewed every day and number five focus on eternity okay focus on eternity let's pray