Seeking the Lord's help and your very prayerful attention for a little while this evening, turn with me to the words we sought to look at this morning in the Epistle of Paul, the Apostle to the Philippians, chapter 1, verse 12. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, chapter 1, verse 12.

But I would, ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.

Paul was mightily used of God. He was a persecutor of the church. And we read in the ninth chapter, I believe it is, that he went about, he'd been He'd been consenting to the death of dear Saul, who was stoned to death for his faith. And then in chapter nine, that Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

But it was there that as he journeyed that the Lord met him, that Jesus met him. As he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And so This dear man, this great troubler of the people of God, who was so proud of his pedigree, that the Lord met him. That Jesus met him and the result of it all was that he was three days without sight and neither did eat nor drink.

and so as he was converted it's often said isn't it regarding the Lord's ways in which he converts his people that he brings his people under the condemnation of the law and he deals with them in many ways and in his good time and way as he favours them with a contrite heart with godly sorrow and repentance and then blesses them as he leads them to Christ and grants them faith in a precious Jesus.

that he does that in a variety of ways, and he's often spoken of, isn't he, at the one extreme. You have Saul, Saul who was so mightily converted as he was on his way seeking to persecute the Church of God. And then at the other extreme we have Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, a gentle work.

And it's remarkable, isn't it, that Paul was instrumental in her conversion. And so God moves in mysterious ways, doesn't He, as He brings His purposes to pass, as He will seek, and He does bring to pass the furtherance of the Gospel. And whatever it is that the Lord ordains, He ordains the means, and the time and the place for when a sinner, a sinner will hear his voice and will be blessed, will be blessed and the gospel, the gospel will have good success in that poor sinner's heart. And they will go on to testify of what the Lord has done.

And so there is that furtherance of the gospel.

Well now, dear Paul, he'd been brought into this place where he is in prison. But it appears that his work of furthering the gospel, his work of preaching, has all been dashed. and he writes this very loving letter to the church at Philippi. They've sent a gift to him by his friend and brother Epaphroditus and they're longing to know how he does and they're so concerned and he writes this very very uplifting letter to them and though he's chained probably to these guards he's on a 24-hour watch and there's that determination that he will not be freed and yet the Lord uses this for the furtherance of the gospel even in many of those in many of those guards

and so that our text is followed by so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places

and so dear friends as he writes this as he writes this letter he uses the term joy and rejoice so many times in the 18th verse of our chapter he says what then notwithstanding every way whether in pretense or, in truth, Christ is preached, and 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.

In the third chapter he begins finally, My brethren, rejoice in the Lord. And in the fourth chapter and the fourth verse, Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

Well, what of yours and my life? What are those things which the Lord is pleased to bring into our lives? You that are younger, you have your worries, don't you? You have your concerns, even as, say, as a child you have those concerns and and and the Lord knows it the Lord knows it and he'll see to it that in his own time and way it will be for your good even for the furtherance of the gospel

I've told you before but perhaps it's worth telling again of that lad that I was such great friends with at school. I'd never met him until my first day at school and we became what you call bosom pals. Peter was his name and we were pals, the best of friends for seven years. and when we went back to school after the summer holiday which would have been in the I suppose what you'd call year eight today and he'd made friends with this boy who had been really horrible to me and he'd become best friends with him and he wanted no more to do with me at all and this lad, this lad Ken made my life an absolute misery and I tried to very hard to pray about it and in such desperation that I would would fake an illness so I didn't have to go to school such was my fear of this lad and then one day it was announced by in the assembly that that this boy Ken his dad had been promoted in work and they were moving away a long long way away and he was leaving the school that day.

and friends and this is our God isn't it he hears and he answers prayer and those those arrow prayers that you put up sometimes when you're worried about things and the Lord hears them the Lord hears them and he will in his own time and way he'll send down those answers of peace And so with each of us, whether we're young, whether we're in the midst of life, or whether we're coming down to the end of life, he does hear prayer. He's a prayer-hearing, he's a prayer-answering God.

and he will see to it that we know of that blessed truth that Paul speaks of in the Romans where he says in verse 28 of that beautiful 8th chapter of Romans 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. And as God is pleased to answer our prayers, as he's pleased to deliver us, so our love, our love, it'll be from an early age if he's blessed you with a praying spirit, His love will draw you closer and closer to Him and so that He'll bless you with that confidence in prayer as the Holy Spirit enables you to carry on in these things as these things that He's using for the good of your soul and that you will understand that the things which have happened to you however young or however old we are that they have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel and so we know Paul could confidently say amidst all that the Lord had brought him into he could confidently say I know we know we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

And what evidence does he give for that? He gives the evidence of God not withholding His only begotten Son, does He? He says in verse 32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Give us all things. Oh, he's a bountiful God, isn't he? He's that friend that we have been singing of, that sticketh closer than a brother.

And so Paul can say in that 35th verse of Romans 8, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed, all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. But oh, it is such, it is such, yes, that the world despises. The enemy is an enemy, a true enemy. His wage is a death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. And friends, and that's just what the enemy wants to do. He wants to have us separated from the love of God as these things are brought into our lives at these various trials.

Oh, we often have to search our hearts, don't we, in how we react, in how we react to the things that are brought into our lives. trials of various sorts, losses, crosses, bereavements, health, unhappiness, unhappy situations, how do we react to them? But Paul, he speaks of it as being all joy, doesn't he? Paul that he doesn't know whether he is going to live or whether he's going to die. He's a comparatively young man, but he doesn't know. He's in this prison. It may be his death. He doesn't know whether the Lord will be pleased to release him. But he can say in the chapter, in verse 20, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body. All this is for the furtherance of the gospel. I can encourage you, the church at Philippi, the church from that day until this, and until Jesus comes again. Oh, that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain I notice that we're finishing our services today with that hymn in hymns for worship 166 Lord It belongs not to my care, whether I die or live, to love and serve thee. That's it. It's for the furtherance of the gospel that yours and my desire will be, that whilst we live, whilst we live, that we may serve the Lord. in whatever calling that is. We can be serving the Lord in our secular calling, as our peers, our colleagues, they look at us, they watch us. We can be serving the Lord in the house, looking after the family, and those will look on, won't they? And as they see the children, and they see their walk and their conduct, It's the furtherance of the gospel. It's a witness. It's a witness in this dark world of sin.

If life be long, I will be glad that I may long obey, if short, Yet why should I be sad to soar to endless day?

And so, dear friends, it is that as we are brought into these various trials, that we might be favoured with Enoch's lot, a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the lamb

now these things are ever so easy to speak about aren't they but it's something it's something Very real, isn't it? Very different to walk in it. But it's to have that living desire, isn't it? That in all of these things that I might be favoured as Paul goes on in his letter to the Philippians that it's his desire that I may know Him. In that third chapter and the tenth verse. Oh, that I may know Him. and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings,

friends, as our trials of those various sorts, whatever they are. that if they are sanctified, we shall be favoured with communion and fellowship with the sufferings of Christ and we shall know the power of his resurrection as we see, oh, as he favours a poor sinner to see their sins like that huge great mountain and favoured by faith to see the blood of Jesus Christ rising high, high above that great mountain of sin and bringing them down as a plane, as he's a redeemer.

So as we go on in the journey, do we not find that he redeems those impossible situations, those situations that are humanly impossible? that he makes a way, and we prove that with dear Mary, for God, for with God, nothing, nothing shall be impossible.

And so that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. And so he presses, he says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Well, the dear man, what he went through, didn't he, as he comes to the end of his letters to the church at Corinth. and and he relates to them he relates to them in that letter of the lord's dealings with him you know there were those in the church at corinth that they were boasting they were boasting and there were some that were looking to turn back and go back into Judaism and one thing and another. Their faith was lacking. Their faith was weak. They were beginning to backslide. But they would boast. They would boast of many things. And so dear Paul, he felt that he must come to that, he must come to that, and he must boast, not in himself, but in the Lord. That it wasn't expedient for him to glory in what the Lord had done for him, but he was expound to them for the furtherance of the gospel, all the way that the Lord had led him.

And he speaks in the eleventh chapter of the second letter to the Corinthians that in labours, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes, save one. Five times he was beaten. He was beaten. Oh, and it is said that many would die under that scourge. And it was always 40 stripes. And it would be certain, almost certain that they would die, the poor victim would die. And he's given 39. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. didn't seem to matter where he was where he was there was opposition he's weary he says in weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness and beside those things that are without that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

But then he comes to this, of how that he's kept it to himself, how the Lord had abundantly blessed him for fear that he would be seen to be boasting. It was between his soul and God. And he kept it to himself for 14 years. now is there something that you're keeping to yourself tonight? is there something that now the Lord is telling you that it's time that you came to declare it? this dear man Paul he was so so blessed he was so so blessed he'd been a persecutor of the Church of God of Christians But the Lord dealt with him on that Damascus road, and in his dealings, he was struck down for three days and three nights. And now he speaks of something, he's spoken of much, he's written this long letter, or letters to the church at Corinth, and as he comes to the end, it's time, it's time to reveal It's time to reveal that which the Lord had done and blessed him in his never-dying soul.

And it's for the furtherance of the Gospel that it's these things which happen to me, have been for the furtherance of the Gospel. And it's now, this day, and friend as iron sharpens iron, so as you come and tell of what the Lord has done for your soul, it will be for the furtherance of the gospel and for the fellowship of kindred friends.

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth, such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, That was how blessed he was, dear friends, in this that he says how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Of such an one will I glory. Yes, you glory in Christ, don't you? It's all glory to him, to me, a wretched sinner. As Paul was to say that he's the chiefest of sinners, he knew that which was in his heart, and but for the grace of God, it would have the preeminence. But by God's grace, he had been quickened into life. He'd been blessed with a clean heart.

Of such an one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. You know, some of you know what that is, don't you? The Lord has given you something that you carry, and you know that you'll be carrying, you're conscious of it, and you'll be conscious of it, you know, until your dying day. But it's in his mercy, isn't it? It's for the furtherance of the gospel, isn't it? He keeps you, doesn't he? He keeps you low that Christ may be exalted. Christ becomes more and more precious.

He says, for this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. I don't know whether I have read that, that was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Or is that a thing that you mourn over? How that so often that Christ is not exhorted. Little do you speak of Christ. That you sometimes found speaking of yourself and your own achievements and your own wishes and your wants and your ambitions and things. And Christ takes a very, very low place.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly Therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake.

That's it, isn't it? It's for Christ's sake. Oh, the good of our never-dying souls, and the good of His church, of His people, at the furtherance of the gospel. I can't see where I've got to. So he says most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake.

Well somewhere amongst all that lot there's your case isn't there? There's your case. Infirmity. reproach necessities those things that oh you could well do without but the Lord's seen to it that it's necessary for you to walk in in persecutions in distresses Plead it, friend, it's for Christ's sake, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong.

And so dear friends, the dear Paul, as he's brought to write this lovely letter to the church at Philippi, and he says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour. Yet what I shall choose I want not, for I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart.

Oh, when we're favoured, aren't we, with the love of Christ! Oh, when Christ, the love of Christ we understand has been fixed upon us from eternity! and that none can pluck us from his hands and heaven by his grace is our final destination to be forever with the Lord. But as Paul that he's here laboring in prison and whether he's released or not he knows that whether it's by letter in the prison or whether he's released that his desire is to die if that be the Lord's will.

But he's in a straight, isn't he? Because he believes he's had this word from the Lord that he shall preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. And so I'm in a straight betwixt two. I love the church. I love the church at Philippi and all of these other churches, all of these who I've come into contact with. And the Lord knows that His burden is such that it'll be that Him being dead yet speaketh 2,000 years later.

a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you, and having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith.

Well, Fraser, isn't that why we come up to the house of God, to the means of grace, at every opportunity that's possible? It is for the furtherance, isn't it? It is for this, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel. And that as we continue, as we continue and our souls are fed, so that it's all for our furtherance and joy of faith, that our faith is strengthened, isn't it? all those times that we come up to the house of God seeking a word from the Lord.

And the poor earthen vessel, those unclean lips, that the Lord uses them, doesn't He? The Lord uses them. That which comes from His lips is imparted into your never-dying soul, drops into your heart, doesn't it? And is applied by the Word of God, the Holy Spirits

Oh, that your rejoicing, here it is again, rejoicing at the previous verse, having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Or sometimes there are, isn't there? There are those things that sometimes the people of God are brought into and they're so deep, they're so deep, they're so stormy and yet the Lord has given you a promise and that promise it just seems to be buried, buried, buried, buried. It seems impossible that will ever come to pass. But Paul as he's chained, as he's chained to these prison guards that he's witnessing to them and some of them as we said this morning are being converted and he says In it all, he says that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. You hold on to that promise, friend.

Now just as we were coming out this evening my dear wife Crystal said to me now what's your chapter this evening and I said Acts chapter 16 and I almost went to pieces and I sought for something else to read and Crystal said but of course you can read that Well, I went into the vestry and sought the Lord. And I thought, well, Paul must have preached last week and spoken of these wonderful things that transpired in the 16th chapter, all of which I expected the sermon to be on this evening. Well, he's a good God, isn't he? but isn't it remarkable we've already mentioned Lydia and then there was that one wasn't there that she was possessed with a spirit of divination and there were her cruel masters her cruel masters

And we hear today, don't we, much about trafficking. And we should be praying for those who are forced to sell their bodies on one thing and another by these traffickers, by these pimps. And this woman, she was making so much money. She was making so much money that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Paul's preaching, that she's blessed with living faith. She's brought out of her sinful self, even from the chains of her captors. She professes Christ, and what does Paul get for it? Imprisonment. He's imprisoned. All for the furtherance of the gospel. He's imprisoned. But what happens? It's for the furtherance of the gospel.

The jailer, the jailer, the time has come for him to be called by grace. For him, for his eyes to be opened to his desperate state. And not only is he favoured, but the whole of his family. This is our God. This is how our God works, doesn't he? plants his footsteps in the sea, and he rides upon the storm. What do they call Sirs in the 30th verse of that 16th chapter? What? What must I do to be saved? Is that your longing desire tonight? Well, there's nothing, friend, that you can do. It's all of grace. But it'll lead you, dear friends, as you hear from the Word of God, even this night, that you're directed. Believe.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. Oh, what a testimony that was! What testimonies they were! Reminds of us a few years ago when we were favoured at a church meeting here one night to hear four testimonies. Dear Stephen Hyde, the pastor at Red Hill, well he preached here on Wednesday, didn't he? Been a pastor for many, many years, a church member for many years. He said, I've never witnessed anything like it. He's a good God. He's a good God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour. Well, remember our dear young friends, as they said, well, what does hinder? We don't need to wait. Don't need to wait until after Christmas. We can go now. COVID or no COVID restrictions. It was a necessity. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized, he and all his straight way. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them. And here we go again, rejoiced, rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Well, dear friends, to be favoured then as we come to a close, as Paul, when he when he wrote to the church at Galatia and in chapter 2 and he said in verse 20 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Well, seeking soul, you make that your plea tonight, that the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. that he suffered, bled, and died for me. He's my substitute. He's my redeemer. And that I'm amongst those whom God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Amen

So let's sing our final hymn together from hymns for worship number 166 166 Lord it belongs not to my care whether I die or live To love and serve thee is my share, and this thy grace must give.

Hymns for Worship, 166, June 97.

? For it belongs up to my care ?
? Whether I die or live ?
? To love and serve thee is my share ?
? And this, my grace, thou shalt be mine ?

If life be long, I will be glad, that I may long obey. If short yet wise, should I be said, to soar to endless day. Through the darkened rooms that he went through before, And he that to God's kingdom comes must enter by his door. For if thy word on earth be sweet, What will thy glory ever be?

? Well end my sad complaints ?
? And weary sinful days ?
? And join with us triumphant saints ?
? Who sing Jehovah's praises to Thee ?

Though that life is small, the eye of faith is dim. But tis enough that Christ knows all, and I shall be with Him.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with us all, now and for evermore. Amen.