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Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music 159 Blessed be the name page 159 Blessed be the name Sing it out loud on the verse All praise to him who reigns above In majesty supreme Who gave his son for man to die That he my men redeem Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord His name above all names shall stand Exalted more and more At God the Father's own right hand Where angel hosts adorn Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name blessed be the name Of the Lord Redeemer Savior friend of man Once ruined by the fall Thou hast devised salvation's plan For thou hast died for all Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord On the last his name shall be The counselor the mighty prince Of peace of all Earth's kingdoms conqueror Whose reign shall never cease Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name blessed be the name Blessed be the name of the Lord We've seen this evening brother Sean. Colin, can you open us with a word of prayer? Amen page 63 What a day that will be page 63 What a day that will be page 63 What a day that will be page 63 Sing it all out loud on the first There is coming a day When no heartache shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears to dim the eye All is peace forevermore Happy golden shore What a day glorious day that will be What a day that will be When my Jesus I shall see When I look upon his face The one who saved me by his grace When he takes me by the hand To the promised land What a day glorious day that will be There will be no sorrow there No more burdens to bear No more sickness, no pain No more parting over there And forever I will be The one who died for me What a day glorious day that will be What a day that will be When my Jesus I shall see And I look upon his face The one who saved me by his grace When he leads me through the promised land What a day glorious day that will be Amen, that will be a glorious day, won't it? And we get to see Jesus. Alright, welcome to Shore Foundation Baptist Church. Let's take our bulletins and look at some announcements. If you need a bulletin, would you lift up your hand and one of the ushers will bring you a bulletin. Alright, on our front cover we have our verse of the week. It says, Her children will rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also and he praiseth her. Proverbs chapter 31 verse 28. And of course that's a great scripture there for mothers and the Proverbs 31 woman. And we have our service times listed on the inside left page. Our Sunday morning service is 10.30 a.m. Our Sunday evening service is 3.30 p.m. We're in chapter 48 this week. And Thursday night Bible studies at 6.30 p.m. Tonight we're in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 one more time. And then next week will be the last one of that book. So if you have a special book that you would like me to do, I'll definitely take it into consideration. I'm not promising anything, but if you maybe make your case to me, then I might do that book. But I don't know, I haven't really made a good book yet, so if you have any good ideas, I'm up for it. So there's lots of books in the Bible, so lots of ones that I haven't done. So anyway, our soul winning, we had soul winning today. Was there any salvation to Brother Robert? Did we not have soul winning? Was it cancelled? Oh, he did, okay. Alright. Last, what was that? Oh, he did, yeah. He saved all the good ones for himself? Okay, see how he is. Alright, but I appreciate those that went, and obviously the Lord is going to reward you for your labor. Our salvation, or if you look down our praise report, you can see the salvations, baptisms, and attendance totals. And then we had our Mother's Day Sunday last week. And if you didn't get a Mother's Day gift, we still have some of you who weren't here for whatever reason. Just see me after the service, and I'll make sure you get one. And you missed out on the food though, sorry. I think all the pizza got devoured, so it was pretty good stuff, so it went fast. Anyway, our home school field trip is going to be the 17th, which is I believe next Tuesday, this Tuesday, right? And that will be at the zoo, so everybody is meeting up there at 9.30, so please be on time if you want to get your parking paid for. And the tickets, tomorrow is your last day to let Miss Rachel know that you're going to go. I know that some people can't, but if you're still on the fence, tomorrow is the last time. She's got to purchase the tickets tomorrow. So, the 27th is let's see, the 27th is the Soledad Marathon in Bellingham, Washington. It's led by Brother Robert. If you're going, please let him know. It was pretty receptive the last time we were up there, and they only went for like a little bit, and they got several people saved, so it's probably going to be a pretty fruitful spot. And then May 28th, which is that Saturday, is going to be the preaching and fellowship at the border. So, our brethren from the church up north is going to be hanging out, and we're going to do some preaching and fellowshipping and, of course, eating because we're Baptist. And so, there's parking up there, but you have to pay to park, but the church will provide the pay for the parking also. So, just come see me, and I'll give you either give you the card and let you do it or just, I think the Discovery Pass or whatever it is, the park pass is like 10 bucks or something. So, if you want to do that, that's pretty cheap too. Let's see what else we got going on. The camp is going to be that next week, June 1st through 4th, and Pastor Jared Pazarski will be preaching for us at the camp Friday night and Saturday morning. So, his family is going to come up on Thursday. And so, that's going to be a great time. And June 10th is going to be the new IFB conference night in New Jersey. It will be the Northeast new IFB conference night. And at 6 p.m. we'll have food and fellowship. Service begins at 7. I'll be preaching Pastor Jimenez, and we'll have baptisms and then a soul winning marathon the next day. The men's shooting, Father's Day is coming up also. July 14th through 17th is the Red Hot Preaching Conference. Don't forget to get your tickets for your plane if you're flying or if you're driving. Make sure your vehicle is ready to go. We've had some breakdowns in the past, haven't we? I think brother Bill's truck broke down. Who else had a breakdown on the way to the Red Hot Preaching Conference? Anybody? Alright, maybe it was just him. On the way back, okay. Either there or, yeah, just make sure you have a car that's ready to go over the mountains and stuff like that. Because it's May and it's like cold still for some reason. It's kind of weird. Anyway, it was like 40 degrees and raining today. Which is not a normal weather pattern for here. But anyway, we're a family integrated church. That means the children and infants are welcome during the church services. Please make sure you utilize those rooms as per necessary. Your needs and all the other stuff is pretty much hard for the course for everybody here. If you're a first time visitor, we're thankful that you're here. We appreciate you being here. In the foyer there's some gift bags. Please grab one of those gift bags on your way out as a token for our appreciation of you being here as a first time guest. And we really appreciate it. If there's anything we can do for you, just let us know. We'll see you after the service and we'll try to do our best to help you in any way necessary. If you've never been saved or you've never been baptized, that would be something that you could come talk to me about after the service also. And let's see, birthdays. We already sang to Jack. Today the 12th? Let's sing it to him anyway. Again, it's his actual birthday today. So let's sing one more time. We'll sing to him every week for the rest of the year. No, I'm just kidding. We'll sing one more time to Jack. Today he's actually eight, right? Eight years old. Man, I was eight for a whole year once. Anyway, let's sing Happy Birthday, all right? Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, God bless you. Happy birthday to you. All right, you got to get your pastor birthday spankings up here. Come on up. Just kidding. I'll let Dad do that. Anyway, big brother game. I think that's all I got for announcements. All right, let's sing another song while we receive the offering. All right, let's turn to page 448. Page 448. Brethren, we have met to worship page 448. Brethren, we have met to worship. We'll sing out on the first. Everyone comes down. Brethren pray and holy manna will be showered all around. Brethren, see poor sinners round you slumbering on the brink of woe. Death is coming hell is moving. Can you bear to let them go? See our fathers and our mothers and our children sinking down. Brethren, pray and holy manna will be showered all around. Sisters, will you join and help us? Moses sister aided him. Will you help the trembling mourners who are struggling hard with sin? Tell them all about the Savior. Tell them that He will be found. Sisters, pray and holy manna will be showered all around. Let us love our God supremely. Let us love each other too. Let us love and pray for sinners till our God makes all things new. Then He'll call us home to heaven. At His table we'll sit down. Christ will gird Himself and serve us with sweet manna all around. Great singing this evening. Brother Sean Harrington, can you bless the offering for us? Lord, thank you so much for your spirit tonight. Thank you, Professor Thompson. We're really proud of you. We can fill him with the Spirit, Lord. Fill him up with the preachers on what he's putting on his heart tonight. I pray for the offering. I pray for both the gift and the giver. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Amen. And a privilege to come to the throne of grace by your son, Jesus Christ. And Lord, we just ask that you would hear our request tonight, Lord, and some of these are things that have been being prayed about and some of them are new, Lord, but I pray that you would answer these and give definitive answers according to your will, Lord. And we just want to thank you for our church, Lord, and the fact that we just have a church here in Vancouver, Washington. I pray that you would protect our church and bless it, Lord, and watch out for our members as your great shepherd that you are. I pray that you would just watch over our church, help it to grow spiritually, Lord. Help us to win many souls for many years to come. Lord, we ask that you would be with Brother Chris as he's away on deployment, and we ask for our special prayer for our church in Spokane that you would help us to find a church building, Lord, there for our members, and we ask, Lord, also for the ladies that are with child in our church that you would watch over and bless them, Miss Alana, Miss Chantel, Miss Amy, and Miss Nia. And also, Lord, we pray that they would have safe and healthy deliveries and also, Lord, that you would help them with any issues that they may be having, or Nia also, Lord, that you would help her with her morning sicknesses she's been having and her nausea. Lord, we also pray for Mary, Alex's wife, and Lord, we ask that you give guidance and, Lord, just make it very clear what your will is in that situation, Lord, and we thank you for the fact that she has woken up and that she has been responding to Alex, and we just ask that you would give Alex grace and Mary grace and pray that you would just help them make decisions that need to be made, and Lord, we just continue to pray for them in the heart situation that they're going through, and we also pray for Miss Annie's grandmother and grandfather, pray that they would be feeling better from their trip to the hospital and grandpa being sick, and Lord, we ask that you would just give grace and that you would heal and help in that situation for Miss Alejandra, for her unspoken prayer for her sister, and for Miss Julene, we ask that you would help her to get an appointment for her medical needs as soon as possible, and also for the Luwai family that you would help Brother Chris and their family to get transferred to Washington before the list dissolves, Lord, we also have an unspoken prayer request for Brother Dylan concerning his family, and also for Miss Kylie as they plan the funeral arrangements for her dad who passed away recently, we pray that you would just help in that situation, Lord, it's not exactly an easy one, and we ask that you give comfort to her grandmother and also for the rest of the family that's missing him, Lord, and we also pray for Miss Sheila with her pain and things that she's going through physically, Lord, and Lord, I just want to thank you once again for the privilege to come to you, we ask that you bless and answer these prayers according to your will, in Jesus' name we pray, Amen. All right, would you please turn with me to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 12, 2 Corinthians chapter 12. As is our custom, we'll read the entire chapter starting in verse 1, so please read silently with me in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 starting in verse 1. It is not expedient for me, doubtless, to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 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, 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, 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, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 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. For when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying. You have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you. For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches? Except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you. Forgive me this wrong. Behold the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you. For I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps? Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? We speak before God in Christ, but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not, lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbiting, whisperings, swellings, tumults. And lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you, that I shall be well many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. Brother Timo, would you pray for us? Amen. We're in 2 Corinthians chapter number 12. This is the second sermon I'm preaching out of here. Last week I preached about basically how Paul had revelations and visions and, you know, the Apostle Paul was a very gifted man and the Lord gifted him with very many above abundance gifts that he, I mean, just basically he had the whole package. He was smart, you know, he had already been through training, through religious training before, and so he kind of had an idea, but I mean obviously all that was the Jews' religion which he ended up rejecting when he accepted Christ as his Savior. And the Apostle Paul outworked all the other apostles. He seemed to have more gifts. It talks about in 1 Corinthians how he spake with tongues more than they all. And tonight I want to preach about Paul's miracles because that's not something that really gets talked about a lot when we talk about Paul. We talk about how he reached all these people, but God also wrought special miracles through the Apostle Paul. And so through the end of this chapter here, it kind of alludes to that and actually at the very end of verse number 11 it says, And so that's what I'm talking about there, that verse and the Apostle Paul, like I said, he was a great man of talent and the Lord blessed him with more talent and more gifts, but we don't really think about Paul in the light of all of his miracles, but he did a lot. And I have about six or seven miracles that I want to go through that he actually did, and I'm sure there was more than that and I'm probably missing some, but that's just kind of how it goes. Sometimes you just can't list every single scripture about every single thing, even though I have a tendency to want to do that, and tonight I'm going to spare you of that. But yeah, the Apostle Paul, let's look at verse 11 again real quick, it says, So remember a couple chapters back where the Apostle Paul said, I'm going to have to act a fool here and kind of show you some of the things that I've done or tell you all the things that I've gone through, because Paul even though he was gifted the most of all the apostles, he was also had the most persecution among the apostles when it comes to physical abuse that he put up with. And so the Apostle Paul just kind of goes through in 1 Corinthians 11 I mean, 2 Corinthians 11 and talks about those things and he's saying that because people are kind of putting Paul in doubt as to his apostleship, they're putting Paul in doubt as to is he speaking for Christ? And it's just like, people will always try to doubt the man of God and try to put him down, and the Apostle Paul did many great things and he started this church here, and a lot of the people here, he got saved. And as a direct result, these people are saved because of him, and some of these people might have even saw some of the miracles that he did, or heard about the miracles he did. But it's funny that some of these bozos will come in and infiltrate churches, and then they'll try to put shade on the man of God, and that's basically Paul's kind of defending himself in these last few chapters, and he's not trying to make himself look at all the stuff I've done. He's saying that to say, these people are all saying how great they are, well, if you really want to compare some good works resumes, let's compare. And so he kind of talks about how he got all this revelation at the beginning of this chapter here, and that he came to visions and revelation. And so Jesus Christ taught Paul directly the gospel. Jesus Christ taught Paul directly the revelations that he got. And Jesus, when he was in his earthly ministry, he trained the twelve apostles. And then Judas, of course, was a traitor, he was never saved, and he ended up killing himself. And so they chose Matthias, who was supposed to be the replacement for him. And whether you believe Matthias was the actual replacement that God wanted, or whether it was Paul, well, let's just say this. They probably both were legitimate replacements, but, I mean, you don't really hear about Matthias for the rest of the Bible. And you hear about Paul through the rest of the Bible. So, I mean, maybe he was legitimate in that way, but maybe God, you know, the Bible said Paul was one born out of due, or Paul said that he was as one born out of due time. And so he was the last apostle that was chosen by the Lord himself. Anyway, so, in verse number eleven it says, I've become a fool in glory. Ye have compelled me. So he's basically saying, you're the one that, you got me here. You got me to where I'm having to actually be a fool in front of you and write these things to you in glorying of the things that I've done because you've compelled me to do this. You basically pushed me to the point where I have to say this. It says, for I ought to have been commended of you. See, they should be saying, oh, the apostle Paul, you know, he's done a lot of great works. But instead of doing that, it seems to me like they're not commending him. You know, and I just have always found that very weird that people just turn their back on people that got them saved, started their church, things like that, and then just kind of just discard all the great things that they've done and then listen to the doubters and the naysayers. It's just a very strange phenomenon. And Paul kind of touches on this a lot in this chapter and in the previous chapters that we've been looking at. But he says, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles. So like he's talking about Peter. He's talking about John. You know, I mean, aren't they like the chiefest apostles? You know, the Lord ordained 12. Then he ordained 70 others also. So you've got 12 plus 70. And it says he's not behind the very chiefest of apostles. So the inner circle, and really the inner circle of Jesus, the main two was John and Peter, right? And so they were the main ones. And Paul's saying, I'm not behind them. I'm right there with them. And it says, truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all my patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. And again, he's not bragging here. He's just saying what the truth is. This is the truth. You're in doubt of me. You're in doubt of my apostleship. You're not commending me. You're commending these other people that are saying that they're apostles or they're saying that there's something. But that's why the apostle Paul's kind of doing this. So I wouldn't take it as him bragging about himself. And Paul's very humble. He actually is very humble. And you'll see that here later on in the chapter. But I just wanted to go through the miracles that Paul did. So number one, the first miracle I want to look at is that he struck a man blind. He struck a man blind. Let's look at Acts chapter 13, verse number eight. So the first, I don't know if it's the first miracle that he did, but it's the first miracle that I came up with. So he struck a man blind named Elamis the sorcerer. I don't know if his last name was the sorcerer or not, but Elamis was obviously his first name. So Acts chapter 13, verse number eight, the Bible says, But Elamis the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation, withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. So they're trying to preach the gospel of this deputy here. And then it says, Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness. So, I mean, I don't know if this was visible, but it seems like it probably was, because the deputy says he saw it. So, and it says, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. So Paul just said, he basically cursed this man and said, you're going to not see the sun for a season. He didn't permanently blind him, though, which was kind of nice. I mean, do you think that Paul could have permanently blinded him? He could have. And he would be well deserving of it, because the Bible says that, you know, Paul is not missing any words. He's calling him some bad words here. He's saying he's full of subtlety, and he's the child of the devil. This guy's a reprobate. This guy's rejected of God. He's an enemy of all righteousness. What's he trying to do? He's trying to turn this deputy away from the faith. He's trying to stop this guy from getting saved. And so Paul does a miracle here through the Lord, of course, through the Holy Ghost. It says he was filled with the Holy Ghost, right? It says he's filled with the Holy Ghost. He set his eyes upon him, and so what he did was not wrong. What he did was right, and it was a miracle that was performed there, because this mist and this darkness came and blinded this guy. And so it says, then the deputy, when he saw what was done, so he saw it. Can someone please turn this heater off? I don't know who turned it back on, but if I find out, we're going to be talking after church. Turn that heater off. They're all trying to make me roast up here. I feel like a marshmallow. Anyway, we're going to have to have some rules about that heater. See the sermon on Sunday morning. Anyway, so then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. So the miracle that Paul did in this situation, number one, it stopped this guy from trying to turn this guy away from the faith, and then because of what he saw done, it made him more likely to believe. And it says he being astonished that he believed. So he got saved, right? So this miracle led directly to this deputy being saved. So that's the first miracle, striking a man blind. And number two, Paul heals a crippled man. Paul heals a crippled man. Turn to Acts 14, verse 8. Acts 14, verse 8. So Paul heals this crippled man in Acts 14. It says, And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked. So, and I'm sure that in this place everybody knew who this guy was. Everybody probably, you know, it says that he grew up there, you know, or at least he was born crippled, and so obviously he's an adult now. It says, The same heard Paul speak, who steadfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. So Paul healed a person that was crippled from their mother's womb and this man, he perceived, see Paul perceived that this man had the faith. Have you ever been out soul-winding and you can just perceive that someone has that ability to believe? It's like something, I don't know how to explain it, I mean, you soul owners know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it just happens when you start to give the gospel to somebody and then you can see like the light kind of you know, in their eyes or I don't know how to explain it, but something clicks and then you see this person's going to get saved. Like you just have no doubt about it. And you know, that's what Paul seemed to, you know, he steadfastly beholded and perceived that he had the faith to be healed. And so Paul was able to discern that and because of that discernment, this man was healed. That's a miracle. I mean, has anybody in here healed somebody that was crippled from their mother's womb? No. I don't think so. And you know these Bozo Pentecostals that are always just talking about how they're healing people and stuff, you know what, even if they did and they preached the wrong doctrine, I would still say do not believe them. Because in Deuteronomy 13 it says if someone that dreams a dream and it comes to pass and they say, hey let's go serve other gods, then the Bible says you're supposed to stone that person with stones. That's what Deuteronomy 13 says. So obviously there's going to be people that are allowed to do signs and wonders you know, it's going to look like, you know, because the Bible says in the end times that even the elect could be deceived that were possible. That's how many miracles and false miracles are going to be happening in the end times, but we'll know by what they say. That's why Jesus warns us about false prophets and says you shall know them by their fruits. It's not talking about their good works necessarily, it's talking about the fruits of what they produce when they preach. It's talking about the things that come out of their mouth. So we can only see what people believe by what comes out of their heart. The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. So these things come out of a false prophet's mouth and that's how we know that they're a false prophet. Because they're saying, well you know, you have to repent of all your sins before you can be saved. Or you have to repent of all your sins and be baptized. Or you can't be saved. I mean, the false prophet's going to say something that's a works-based relationship to get saved. Or not relationship, but a works-based salvation to be saved. They have to do works. They have to do some kind of hardcore repenting, lordship salvation. And you'll know them by their fruits because the people that they preach to aren't saved either. And so that's how you can tell what a false prophet is. And so, anyway, let's go to number three. Number three is casting out devils. Now the apostles were able to do that with the power that the Lord gave them. Remember the Lord sent them out two by two and they came back and said, hey, we're able to cast out devils. That is a miracle. Has anybody in this room cast out devils? Anybody? Anybody? No. Have you prayed the devils would leave somebody? I have. I mean, I haven't stood there and said, oh, thou son of the devil. I haven't done that. Or thrown holy water on them and watched them screech or anything like that. I haven't done any of that. Okay? I feel like we can either get them saved, like if they can get clarity of mind enough to be saved, we can get them saved. And we can pray that that devil would leave them, but we don't have the special miraculous powers that the apostles had. And that's the other thing that the Pentecostals will, they'll say, well, there's still apostles, we still have all these gifts. We do have gifts, but we don't have the gift to heal people with our hands walking up and just going haka, maka, haka, and you know, they are whole or whatever. That's all foolishness. That's all phony. That's all pre-set up. The apostles and the first generation could do that. Now I'm not saying no miracles will ever be done again. That would be ridiculous to think that. But right now, nobody's doing miracles. Because God wants us to believe by faith. He wants us to believe by His word. And that's why He said, Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe. Thomas had to see the nail prints in his hands and his feet and his wound in his side. I have a feeling that once he saw Jesus right there, he probably didn't stick his fingers in the wounds like he said he needed to do. He probably didn't thrust his hand into his side. Once he saw Jesus, he knew. This is legit. So, anyway, the third one is casting out devils. Look at Acts 16, verse 16. Acts 16, verse number 16. This is the third miracle. In Acts chapter 16, verse 16, it says, Paul possessed where the spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gained by Susane. The same followed Paul and us and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the Spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ, who come out of her, and he came out that same hour. So this situation, you know, you got this damsel. It's not saying, she's not necessarily a child of the devil. You know, she's just possessed with the devil. But she is into, you know, this dark divination. Divination is something that the Bible condemns and says not to do. It's like, you know, you're divining what signs mean and chicken bones and looking in the liver and all this other weird stuff, right? It's like the dark arts. It's stuff that Christians are not supposed to dabble with. You're not supposed to play with Ouija boards and all that kind of stuff. Astrology, you know, the signs and the stars and the planets have no effect on your life. So quit looking in the newspaper every day. You know, I mean, if you're born on a certain day, you're saying everybody that's born on a certain day, that thing's going to come true for all the people that are born on that same day. It's stupid, okay? If you believe that, I mean, you're deceived. Just flat out deceived. So, you know, we're not supposed to be involved in stuff like that, and that is a gateway to being possessed. So it's not something you want to play around with. It's not fun. You might think it's fun to be scared about stuff like that, but, you know, you don't want to mess around in the areas that you have, you know, first of all, as a Christian, you have no business doing this kind of stuff. This soothsaying, this fortune telling, and gazing into crystal balls, and all this other stuff, right? It's of the devil. It's the dark arts. It's something that the devil uses, and he's using this woman, and she's doing this, and she's possessed with a spirit. She's possessed with a devil. It says in verse 17, The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation. So you think, well, she wasn't really saying anything bad, but here's the thing. Everybody knows who she is. She's this possessed diviner of the dark arts, and she's just going around just like, these people are going to have salvation. So could you imagine if every time I preach here, people that were possessed were devils, were in here just saying weird stuff all the time? It would freak people out. It would turn people away from the faith. They'd be like, why are these people acting all crazy and supporting this guy? It'd be odd. So basically, in her own way, she's also trying to turn people away from the faith. It says, This she did many days. Paul's pretty, if he has this power, he's very long suffering toward her. He just kept putting up with it. And it says, And Paul being grieved, turned, and said to the Spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out that same hour. And just know this, though, the power of Jesus' name will do many miracles. He cast them out what? In His Jesus name, right? He said, in the name of Jesus Christ, come out. And at that same hour, that's what happened. So this is a miracle. This isn't something that Christians can just go around doing. When I first got saved, I have to admit this, I was reading a book about possession and all this stuff, and I was saved, but I hadn't gone to church yet. I wasn't baptized. I'd read some of the Bible, but I was always trying to read the end time stuff. So I was reading about, I was thinking, well, why don't churches ever do this? Why don't churches ever cast devils out? Why don't you see this? There's always some Catholic priest in a dress, you know, throwing holy water on people. I mean, it's just the garbage that's in the Hollywood movies, like the Catholic church has the only power to cast out devils or something. But what I came to realize is that the Bible doesn't talk to us about how to fight devils. It doesn't teach us much about fighting demons. It doesn't teach us to get involved so that we can know everything about what they do, so that we can, you know, defeat them some way. God wants us to avoid that stuff. He doesn't want us thinking on those things. He wants us thinking on things that are good, things that are edifying, things that are going to help you in your daily life. That world, we should have nothing to do with. The Bible says that we're not even supposed to rebuke the devil. You know, you've got these pastors that get up and they're like, me and the devil are going to go on a sparring match tonight, and you know, I'm going to knock him out. And they do all these theatrics. It's kind of like, you know, what was his name? Billy Sunday used to do that. You know, this Sunday I'm fighting the devil, you know, or whatever. And then he would just put on some boxing match that was fake in front of everybody. Really weird. But, you know, that's the last thing you should do is go around and talk about how you're fighting the devil. Because the devil is real. And, you know, I wouldn't really want him to be focusing on me personally all the time. You know, I don't want to be in that Job situation where it's like he's just fixated on you. I mean, he is the general basically of the armies that he corrupted in the first place. You know, a third of the angels left God and followed Satan. So, these are the devils that people are dealing with. You know, obviously, so, I mean, if you just go downtown Portland, I'm not recommending walking around down there. But if you just drive down there, you're going to see people possess with devils. Now, obviously, people have drug-induced things that they, you know, they freak out. They're high on drugs and things like that. Again, that is also a gateway to demonic activity. See, the devil wants to break you down. The devil wants you to be as weak as possible. And when you're right about to hit rock bottom, that's when he wants to possess people. When they're weak, you know, he's waiting for you to be weak spiritually, physically, mentally, so that he can have his way with you. I mean, don't you think it's really strange that, I mean, I don't know how much you guys go to Portland. But let me just say this. Every single day I see people that are obviously possessed or on drugs or something walking down the middle of the street on a busy road. What do the devils do in the Bible? Throw themselves in the fire. Try to drown themselves in rivers. They cut themselves. They're, you know, they can't be controlled. They're breaking chains because they have this devil in them. What do you see people in Portland doing? Just literally walking out in front of cars. Doesn't matter if the light's green or not. They're just like, and people just walk up to them. They're just like, it's like, you know, is that like some, I think that they're really trying to kill themselves. Literally somebody today walked, it was green light. I knew that he was going to do it too. Green light, guy starts walking in front of us. I'm just like, oh man. And the car next to us just goes because they don't see him. And then he almost hits him. And the guy's just like, just keeps walking. I mean, I probably saw that like five or six times today. Just people walking out in traffic. Why would you do that? It's just something that people do that don't care about their lives. They're so miserable and they're, you know, they're in bondage. They want to die. The devils want them to kill themselves. So they do all these drugs and you see, I mean, just the last few days, it's just been really weird. You know, just people just laying on the ground, freaking out. You know, we'll pull up to a neighborhood and I'll get out and you hear like, like, walking dead? What's going on here? Someone trying to eat my brains? Weird. But they just scream and froth at the mouth and I've had people attack me and throw stuff at me. It's just really weird. I've had demons reveal themselves to me. Just walking up to me. I've told this story before about that lady that was like, Sean was there, weren't you brother Sean? Remember when I was sitting in my car chilling in the air conditioning after someone, I'm just sitting there, just sitting in my car, like literally parked right in front of the church. And this lady just starts walking up. She's like, and she's just like, staying all, I didn't know what she was saying. Did you hear what she was saying? But like, I knew it was pure evil straight from hell. But like, I had no interaction with her. She's just walking down the middle of the street looking right at me dead in the eyeballs. I'm like, is she looking at somebody else? I'm the only one here. What's going on? It was really freaky. But what's even more freaky is that the next week I saw that, you know, she started saying some weird stuff to me and I just kind of like left, right? So, like a week later I see her in the store that's on the corner, perfectly normal in her right mind. Didn't even, she was dressed nice her hair and makeup were done. Just like normal, she was just like walking around you know, shopping in the store. Then like a little while later I don't know how much more time had passed, I go to work at three o'clock in the morning and I'm like, is that really her? It was her! She was trying to like crawl into one of our crew leaders trucks at three o'clock in the morning. In Portland. I was in Vancouver before. So this is run in number three with her and she's all just acting crazy again. And then the last time I saw her was in downtown Portland. So I saw her in all these different locations, it's like and the last time she came up to me saying some really weird stuff and she just locked in on me, I was like, oh man, no way this is happening right now. And she just comes up and starts saying all this weird like sorcery stuff to me and I was just like, I gotta go lady, you got some problems. But why do they always do the same thing? Because the devils want them to commit suicide, the devils want people to see them acting crazy, and a lot of them will be even like this woman, acting like she was for God. But they're really not. Because what do you think when someone's acting like that? What are you thinking when someone's walking down the middle of the street saying all kinds of gibberish and stuff? You're thinking they're nuts. And so them pointing to you and saying that you're something good or this person's following God or whatever it's like not really a good, you don't want that pointing at you. People are going to be like, okay, well why is that person like this person? It's weird. But I've had lots of weird stuff like that happen to me. I don't know, the demons just like to reveal themselves to me for some weird reason. But anyway, Paul's third miracle is he casts out devils. Now number four is he heals the sick. So he healed a crippled person, but now he's going to heal someone that's sick. And look what it says in Acts 19 verse 11. Acts 19 verse 11. A couple pages over in your Bible. It says, and God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. Special miracles. So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons. And the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. So you don't like how the TV evangelists say, put your hand on the screen and all that stuff. But they also have these scams where they say, buy these handkerchiefs or whatever. I've blessed them. If you buy this handkerchief, I'll send it to you in the mail, and then you're going to get all these blessings in your life or you're going to get healed from all this stuff. I think this is probably where they got that from, but basically Paul is healing the sick, and he's not even having to be there. They're taking, isn't that what it says? So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons. Like I don't know if people just like put those on them and then took them to their family members or whatever. It says the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out from them. So maybe they couldn't bring those people with them. And so they just were like, okay, well, you know, let's just wipe some sweat off Paul's brow or whatever, and I don't know, some handkerchief or whatever, or apron, and take it to them. And it worked, because these are special miracles by the hands of Paul. So Paul did a lot of miracles, didn't he? Number five, he raised someone from the dead. Look at Acts 20, verse 9. Number five, he raised a man from the dead. Look at Acts 20, verse 9. It says, And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep. And as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up. This to me seems like a realistic story. Sometimes I'll be long preaching, and I'll look out, and I'll be like, someone's sleeping. It's brother Eli. He's paying attention right now. Brother Tim. I'm sorry, brother Tim. But sometimes it happens. I've been in church services where I was really tired, and I'm just trying to hide my yawns. I'm tired too, man. It happens. But notice that Paul was long preaching. And it said he actually preached until midnight. So you guys get off easy every single Sunday, every Sunday morning, every Sunday night. I don't want to hear it. But he was preaching for a long time, and then Eutychus, this man, falls into a deep sleep, and he fell from the third loft, and was taken up dead. So it says, Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him, said, Trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him. And when he therefore was come up again, he had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till the break of day. So he departed, and they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. So Paul raises a man from the dead that he put to sleep in his preaching. But it just goes to show you that even the greatest preachers in the world, even the greatest men of God, will have people fall asleep on him. So it doesn't really offend me, okay? It doesn't offend me. So Paul the apostle put somebody to sleep, and they say his name was Eutychus, because Eutychus too, if he was preaching as long as the apostle Paul was. So yeah, he didn't get it, or it wasn't funny, one of the two. So maybe it was the delivery, I don't know. It's definitely an old joke, but it's always going to be brought up every time I preach this specific topic here. So anyway, so Paul rose a man from the dead that he put to sleep, and you know, you got to stay awake, stay in the preaching, fall asleep and die, you never know, right? It's a warning against the sleepers in the church here. And I don't have the power to bring you back from the dead, unfortunately. Anyway. Number six, he was bitten by a poisonous snake and felt no harm. Look at Acts 28, verse number three. Acts 28, verse number three. The Bible says that when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, the faggot in the English, right? And laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand. So Paul, you know, he's shipwrecked, he's making a fire, he throws this bundle of sticks in the fire, and this viper comes out and fastens on his hand. So, you know, you're going to die if that happens. In general. You know, if you don't have some kind of snake venom or whatever, you're going to die. And so it says in verse four, when the barbarians saw the venomous snake, or excuse me, the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he had escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but after they had looked a great while and saw no harm come to them, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. Well, I mean, you see stuff like that happen and, you know, it says these people are barbarians. So that basically just means that they're not of the normative culture in the surrounding areas. They don't speak Greek. They don't speak, you know, Latin or whatever. They're barbarians. They're kind of just off on this island by themselves. But, you know, he was bitten by this venomous snake and didn't die. But didn't Jesus say that these things would happen? Didn't Jesus tell the disciples and the apostles that they would have special miracles, that they'd be able to perform these special miracles? He did. So, but before I go past this story, I just, I mean, there's just so much, I want to preach a sermon out of this story one of these days. But, yeah, I'm not going to touch on it tonight, but it's interesting that it's a snake that bites him and then it gets thrown in the fire at the end. What's going to happen to the devil in the end? Well, he's going to get thrown in the fire too. So, and the devil might come and sting us, you know, but if you're saved, you're not going to feel that harm. You know, you might go through some problems here on earth, but, you know, you're still going to go to heaven and ultimately the doom of Satan is to go into the fiery furnace, right? And so, let's turn to Mark chapter 16 verse 15. And we'll see what Jesus said about these things, because Paul, a lot of the things that Paul did are things that Jesus said the disciples and the apostles were going to do. So, look at Mark 16, 15, it says, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. That's number one. That's what Jesus wants every single believer to do, is to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. It's not talking about the animals, it's talking about the bunny rabbits and the puppy dogs and stuff like that. It's just another word for people, right? It's something that he created. So, verse 16, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Like, well, Pastor Thompson, it says, you said that they don't have to be baptized. Well, it says, But he that believeth not shall be damned. So, if you don't believe, you're damned. It doesn't say if you're, if you don't believe and you're not baptized. It just says, It's just saying you should be baptized. You believe you're baptized, you're saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. So, that's what we believe at this church, that you have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bible says, Thou shalt be saved. That's all it takes. It's not works. We don't have to see your works. You know, that's a popular teaching these days. It kind of wiggles in the work of salvation, where they're saying, well, you know, but you should have some works. We should be able to see some fruit. Well, what fruit are you talking about? The fruit of the Holy Spirit? Because the last time I checked, it's the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not of you. Right? So, the fruits of the Spirit are something that, you know, are the fruits of the Spirit. They might manifest themselves through you, but it's not your fruit. That's the fruit of the Spirit. Anyway, it says, And these signs shall follow them that believe in my name. They shall cast out devils, Paul, check mark. They shall speak with new tongues, check mark. Paul was able to do that. They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. So, you know, there's Pentecostals in the deep south, in the mountains that take rattlesnakes, and they try to get them, you know, show people, look at how much faith I have, but there's also videos on YouTube of them getting bit by snakes and dying, so, I mean, or at least getting really sick and having to be carried out of the service. You know, we should not tempt the Lord, okay? So, I don't know if this happened where they would just pick up a snake that was poisonous or whatever. You know, it says take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly things, but Paul just had one latch onto his hand, and when it injected the venom into him, it didn't hurt him. So, it says, and they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover, another miracle that Paul did. So, Paul showed forth all the signs of an apostle. God wrought special miracles in Paul and through Paul, and so this is what he's trying to tell the church at Corinth. He's like, you know, you saw the deeds. You saw them. I mean, you know of the miracles. You know of these deeds that I've done, and so, you know, what's the problem here? He showed and proved that he was an apostle by the deeds that he did and the works that he did and the miracles that he did. Paul was the complete package. I mean, but was he a perfect man? No, he wasn't perfect in the sense of sinless. You know, he even said, oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? And he said that I am carnal, stoled under the law. Paul admitted that he was carnal in some parts of his life. I mean, he's going down, when he gets captured by the Jews, what's he doing? Going to a festival that he has no business going to. He's going to like a feast that's been done away in Christ, and Paul, you know, he loved his brethren, the Jews, but he had this special, you know, he did like a vow, and then was going to the temple to make a sacrifice or something. It's like, Paul's the one that wrote all this stuff telling us that we don't have to do that anymore, and then he's like getting caught back up in it or something. So, but nobody's perfect. You know, obviously he was raised that way. He was raised as a strict Jewish boy or whatever. He was a Pharisee, grew up at the feet of Gamaliel, and he, you know, obviously still had issues with this. I think he circumcised one of his followers, Timothy, I want to say. He circumcised Timothy, and then didn't circumcise Titus or vice versa. I can't remember which one it was. They both started with a T, but anyway. So Paul had his own pitfalls. I mean, he was straight up told by a prophet that you're going to go away in chains, you know, and he just ignored it, didn't he? And just still went anyway, even though the Holy Ghost told them to tell him not. So again, not perfect, but he was still a great man of God, and none of us is perfect in here either. We all have our own issues. We might dress nice and look nice and be nice when we're here, you know, but we're outside of here. You know, this is our safe space, right? This is our Christian safe space. And, you know, where we can, you know, be filled with the Spirit, fellowship together, go to church, sing songs, listen to preaching, all that stuff is good for us. Because out there is the garbage of the world, you know, and if you roll around in the trash of the world for too long, it's going to have an effect on you. If you play with fire, you're going to get burned. And we're all sinful. We need to go to church. We need to be fellowshipping not only with fellow believers, but we need to fellowship with the Lord. We need to have our fellowship with Him also reading the Bible, praying, those types of things, right? So let's look back in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 13. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 13. So Paul did all these miracles. Jesus said the apostles would do these things, but let me just emphasize this. None of us have these powers. That was all done in the first century. That's what I believe. That's what you can see in the world. It's proven. It's like, well, how do you know that Todd White can't make people's legs longer when they're crippled? Well, maybe he can. But you know what? He's a devil. You know why he's a devil? Well, number one, he looks like the predator, so he looks like the devil. But number two, I mean, he's just you know, if you're a preacher, the Bible says if you are a man that has long hair, it's a shame unto you. So if you're preaching the Word of God, it's specifically talking about preaching or prophesying as a man with long hair. It's an abomination. It's not, I mean, you're disgracing your head. And who's the head of the man? Jesus Christ. So what does that tell you about Jesus Christ? Do you think that Jesus had long hair, but He just doesn't want you to have long hair? No. What does that tell you if it's a shame for a man to have long hair, and Jesus is your head? If you have long hair, you're shaming your head. That means Jesus didn't have long hair. He just didn't have long hair. I know you've seen the pictures of him. Taken in, you know, 2,000 years ago. Someone sketched him. Now, look, those pictures are from Caesar Borgia, which was like a queer, Catholic dude or whatever. I don't even know if he was really Catholic, but I know he was a queer, for sure. And, you know, he used himself to portray what Jesus looked like. You know, the Lord doesn't want us making pictures of Jesus. And He definitely doesn't want us making pictures of Jesus with long hair. And He definitely doesn't want us making pictures of Jesus with long hair wearing a dress. Which is what every picture shows, doesn't it? You know, I mean, they just want Jesus to look like a queer, don't they? I mean, isn't that what they're doing? They make him look really skinny and frail, you know. But that's what they're trying to make him look like. Why don't they show him in a pantsuit with short hair? Because that's not the image they want to portray. They want to portray an effeminate, sissy boy you know, that's weak. With a picture. But nobody had pictures of Jesus. There's no description of Jesus in the Bible. Why? Because He doesn't want us to make pictures of Him. We're not supposed to make graven images. We're not supposed to, you know, make pictures of God. That's why He doesn't describe what He looks like. Actually, the Bible kind of says that He is not, you know, He doesn't have like these good looks that you would desire Him or whatever. Like the people would be like, He's handsome, let's make Him the King. He was just a normal looking dude, I think. Or man, excuse me, not dude. But anyway, let's look back at 2 Corinthians 12, verse 13, it says, For what is it wherein you were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong. I believe this is sarcasm right here. I don't think that He's really, you know, it's just like, He wasn't burdensome to them. He didn't charge them any money. He's obviously talking about, He robbed other churches to do them good. So, that's why He's saying this. For what is it wherein you were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? So, Paul was not a burden financially to this church, and he's like, Forgive me this wrong. You know, it's like, they're just, I believe it's sarcasm. It says, Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you. So, he's already come to them twice and visited them. It says, For I seek not yours, but you. This is where you see the care of the apostle Paul, and he's just like saying, Hey, look, I don't care about all that stuff. I don't care about money. I don't care about any of these things. I'm here for you. I'm coming to see you. And so, like, and I understand this situation because there's churches that we've started, and I don't get to see them every single Sunday. I don't get to see them every single Wednesday or Thursday. So, seek them and to, you know, be a blessing to them as the pastor of their church. It says, For the children not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. You know, he's talking about money, but, like, he's coming not for the reason of money. He's coming for a spiritual reason to help them, to be a blessing to them. So, he brings up this scripture where it's talking about children not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. So, what's it talking about? It's talking about an inheritance, you know. So, a parent, a dad should be giving an inheritance to his children. Look at Proverbs chapter, keep your finger here and then turn to Proverbs chapter 13 verse 22. Proverbs 13 verse number 22, the Bible says, A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children. So, a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of a sinner is laid up for the dust. Now, obviously, you know, it's talking about giving a literal inheritance to your family. The firstborn was supposed to get a double portion and then the other brothers or whatever would get what's left over divided. And daughters did not get an inheritance from their dads unless there was no sons born in the family. So, that's not a bad thing because daughters get married and they marry a husband and that husband takes care of them when they leave the home. So, the inheritance was supposed to go to the sons, so they kind of had something to get them started or whatever, you know, when the dad died. Sometimes they'd give it to them before they were even dead, like the good Samaritan. The good Samaritan said, hey, give me my inheritance early and then he went and wasted it and righted his living and then he came back. So, I believe that we should leave an inheritance if we can to our children and it says children's children, that's your grandchildren, isn't it? If you think about this from a spiritual aspect, you know, we should leave an inheritance of faith to our children and to our children's children. So, I believe that, you know, I mean, it's important how we walk our life, it's important how we live our life, it's important that we stay in the fight, it's important that we stick with God and we stick with church because really, if you fail in the Christian life, you're failing your children, you're failing your children's children, you're failing those around you, you're failing, I mean, because look, if you just leave church, you're a part of the body of Christ. So, when you come here, we assemble together, we are the church, it's not the building, it's us gathered together. So, somebody hears the nose, somebody hears the eye, somebody hears the other eye, you know, we're all part of this, if you look at it in the sense of a body part, we're all a body of Christ in this local assembly, and it's important for each and every person to be here. So, if someone just chopped off your arm, that would be a big loss, wouldn't it? And so, when an arm leaves the church, for whatever reason, they just, they can't hack it, and they just decide to go back to the world, to go back to Egypt, or to just go to a different, you know, I mean, if you go to a different church, that's a good church, that's good, that's fine. You know, nobody's forcing anybody to be here. So, if there's a church you'd rather go to than here, then go. But, be in church. Stay in church. Stay with the Lord. Stay with God's people. And you're gonna do, you know, whatever church you can go and do the most for God in, that's where you should be. Wherever you can go and be a blessing to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, that's where you should be. And where you can go and be a blessing to your own children, and blessing to your own grandchildren, that's where you should be. If you can be there and be a blessing, I mean, even if you're not going to the same church as them. You know, a lot of people, their children move away and go to different churches or whatever, but don't you still want to be, like, leaving them as spiritual inheritance? Something that they can look at and say, man, I'm so glad that my grandpa was saved so that my mom and dad got saved so that I got saved. That's an inheritance that's worth laying up for your children and your children's children. So, look at verse number 15 back in 2 Corinthians. So, Paul's, like, saying, I'm like your parents. I'm like your parent. Because when you get somebody saved, you know, they're like your child, so to speak. Paul talks about this in other verses in the Bible, but he talks about, you know, how, like Timothy, my son in the faith. So, I can have a son that's older than me going to this church, which would be weird. But spiritually, we're all different ages, aren't we? You know, some people are, like, brand new Christians and they're, if you're 35 years old and you're a brand new Christian, you're zero in the Lord, right? If you've been saved for two years, you know, and you're, you know, you're doing all the things that you should do to level up or whatever, you're going to be two years old in the Lord. But it's just really, it's an interesting concept. It's different. But you've got to start somewhere. You know, you've got to, you can't just be an adult all of a sudden. You know, we're not Adam and Eve. They were all of a sudden adults, but they were programmed that way, so, by God. But anyway, let's look at, let's finish off here. Verse 15 says, I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. I mean, this verse is kind of sad to me. It's like, the Apostle Paul is like, I'm gladly willing to spend myself, my time, my effort, my prayers, my preaching, my preparation, all these things for you. It says, though the more abundantly I love you, the more I do for you, the more I lay up for you, the less I be loved. So it's kind of like he's spiritually spoiling them in a way. I mean, he's not doing anything wrong, obviously. But, you know, some people they get a whole bunch of stuff from their parents or whatever, and so that's kind of what they like, you know, the more I love you, and kids are like that. Teenagers are like that. Young children can be like that. They're just like throwing the sweaters that they got. They're like, oh, yeah! And they're looking for the toy or whatever, right? You all know, you know you did it, too. But anyway, but like if you haven't, like say you only got one present per year. I mean, a kid would probably be pretty appreciative of that. But what's Paul, I mean, Paul's kind of comparing it as if like, hey, I'm doing all this stuff for you, and the more I do for you, it seems like the less you actually care about me. It's pretty sad. And it can feel like that sometimes. You know, you pour your heart and soul into people, and then that person stabs you in the back, or leaves, or talks badly about you later on. It's like, I mean, there's people that have been at this church that I put some real time and effort into, and other people as well, and it's just like, stab you in the back. That's hard, man. That's hard to deal with. And it's just a fact of the ministry. It's just a fact of the Christian life. You know, you put your, because there's a lot of people that have left this church, and some people have left good, and some people have left bad. And the people that have left bad, it's like, it seems like they're the people that people are doing the most for, and then everybody's dumping all their time, and energy, and love, and giving, and all this other stuff. It's like when you have a problem child. Everybody has a child that's probably a little more rambunctious than the other ones, a little harder to deal with than the other ones. And it's like, so the parents have to deal and focus with that child more than they have to do with the good ones, because they're always constantly having to correct them, and they're in trouble. And it's like, the other kids will start to regret that, and feel like they're not being, you know, getting as much attention, because you're always having to deal with that one. And they resent it. You know, think about the Samaritan. He comes back, and his brother's like, you never slayed the fetid calf for me, dad. You know, it's just like, you know, the one that was the worst, his dad loves him, and makes his big feast for him, and you know, it's just the way it is though. You can dump time, and effort, and love into people, and they can stab you in the back, but you know what, that doesn't mean you have to stop being that way. We shouldn't just like, feel that, oh, I'm never going to trust anybody again. I'm never going to love anybody like that again. I'm never going to put all my effort and time into other people again, because there are people that it feels like, well, they might feel like, well, pastors don't spend that much time with me. He spends time with this person or whatever, and it's like sometimes people need more time spent with them. You know, if you're doing all that's good and right, then I won't have to spend that kind of time with you is what I mean. Like the kind of time where I'm like having to constantly counsel, or help, or whatever, but you know, we're all different. We all have our issues, but it does sometimes feel like the people that you help the most and love the most, I don't really appreciate it. And the Apostle Paul is definitely feeling that. You know, he's being called into question on many different things, and you know, he's just like, I feel like the more I love you, the less I'm loved. It says in verse 16, but be it so, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I had sent unto you? So he's talking about like, you know, he's sending people to them to preach to them, right? And sometimes we'll have people that come in and preach. Sometimes I'll send people to our other churches and they'll preach, right? And you know, I'm not doing that so that they can make some kind of gain out of people. I don't have people come here so they can make some kind of gain from our church. I mean, we don't say, hey, let's pass the plates around, you know, we're going to have a love offering. We've done that before, but I quit doing that a long time ago. I don't, I just don't like doing that. You know, we should just be able to give out of what we already got coming in. But yeah, because I don't want to burden you with that. Because, you know, if you're already tithed, then why ask for more? Unless it's some kind of a special occasion that we needed or something. But I don't think I've ever asked for extra from anybody. I've never said, hey, you need to be given 20%. Hey, it's full paycheck Sunday next week. Bring all the tithes in the storehouse, you heathen. I've never done that. But that's what Paul's kind of saying here too, is like, I never was a burden to you. I didn't take any money from you. I sent Titus to you. He didn't take any money from you. It's kind of like Paul knows that this is a type of a church that you just can't do that with or something. All churches are different. Because Macedonia, they're like, here you go, Paul. Here's some money. Go do what you need to do. And this church seems like they have a money problem, don't they? They seem to have like an issue where money seems to be a big deal because Paul keeps talking about it, chapter after chapter after chapter. He said, did I give a, did I make a gain of you or by any of you of them whom I sent unto you, I desired Titus and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps? Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you. We speak before God in Christ, but we do all things dearly, beloved. For what? Your edifying. And edification is like being built up, you know, and that's basically what Paul's saying. He's like, I sent those preachers to edify you, to build you up, to help you in the faith. That's what pastors and evangelists and apostles were for, to build people's faith to help them in the faith. It's not to make some kind of elaborate money-making scheme where pastors are sent all over to different churches so they can just fleece the flock and things like that. Although that does happen. That does happen. And I have asked for people to do love offerings before, but I don't even think I've ever done it more than a couple times. And that was way back in our old building. I just, I don't know. I just don't like doing it. I'm not saying churches that do it are wrong. I'm just saying that I just don't like doing that. I'd rather just, you know, if I'm going to help a preacher out with a love offering, it's going to be just out of what we already have. Anyway, so that's what Paul's saying. I didn't say, hey, you've got to give Titus some money when he comes to visit, okay? You know, I need money if I'm going to come visit you guys. That's not what he's doing. So it says, verse 20, For I fear, lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you, such as you would not, lest there be gates, envings, wraths, strives, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults. Those are all bad things, aren't they? So he says, I fear, lest that when I come, I shall not find you such as I would. So he sends other people, and he has other people preaching because he wants them to be edified. He wants them to be built up. He's sending letters. He's coming and visiting them so he can help them and build them up and edify them. And why is he doing that? Because he wants to find them the way they should be, mature Christians. But again, remember this church had a lot of problems. It wasn't a very mature church, and so Paul's really had to deal with them a lot. When it comes to 1 Corinthians, I mean, it's just problem after problem. In 2 Corinthians, it's like a lot of problems with ministers and the ministry that Paul's dealing with. He's like, hey, I want to find you as I would. You know, doing well. And it says, and that I shall be found unto you such as you would not. He doesn't want there to be debates. He doesn't want there to be envings and wraths and strives, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and tumults. He doesn't want there to be controversies when he comes to visit. He wants to just have them be built up in the faith and do that which is right, which is what anybody, any minister wants out of their church or church they visit. Look at verse 21, it says, unless when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. So Paul, you know, he says, I want God to humble me before I come to you. Isn't that what it says? So I may bewail. You know, what's that mean? Well, it's just like, you know, like a, basically like a weeping because of what some of these people are doing. He's already dealt with the fornication issue, but obviously he's talking about people that have not repented of their uncleanness. They have not repented of their fornication. They have not repented of the lasciviousness which they committed. And Paul wants to be humbled so that he can be that way. You know, he doesn't want to come with a rod. He wants to, he wants to come, you know, in meekness. He doesn't want to come smacking people around, but you know, sometimes the man of God has to do both. It can't just always be puppy dogs, lollipops, and candy canes or whatever. It can't always be sweetness and light. As a matter of fact, we need to get kicked in the pants sometimes or dresses, whatever you want to call it, but we need to get a swift kick sometimes because there's areas in our life that we fail. What does the preaching of God's word do for you? Are you numb to it? Do you just listen to it and then don't do it? Because the Bible says we're supposed to be doers of the word also. We're not supposed to just hear the word and not do it. We're supposed to hear the word and do it. And so are you ignoring that though? Are you hearing the word of God and then saying, you know what, I'll do it later. I'm not going to do it now. I'm going to do it later. So I mean, God's going to maximize using us to the best of our ability when we're the best we can be. Now obviously, again, we're all sinners. We all fail. We probably fail every day. Let's just be honest with ourselves. But you know, why was David a man after God's own heart? Because when David screwed up, he went to God hat in hand and said he was sorry. But see, the difference between someone that's not after his own heart is they're like, that's not a sin. I don't believe that's a sin. You know, the Bible says it, but you know what, I think your interpretation is wrong. That's what people do. I don't believe that. You don't believe the Bible? I thought you said you believed the Bible. Because if you believe the Bible, you know, it says what it says. So don't just sit there and act like, well, you know, that's just your interpretation of it. No, if you can read and we have an English Bible, if you speak English and you read English, you should be able to understand what it says. It's plain English. It's the zenith of our language English. You know, it might say, thou sayest. I mean, is that hard to understand? I mean, it's like these people that think that Greek is a special language or something. It's a special, magical language that only the scholars and the Calvinists can understand. But you know, when Pastor Anderson went and did that going back to the Greek documentary or whatever, he proved what I thought in theory was true, that people can understand the Greek, the Koine Greek, Koinate Greek in Greece. That he got people saved using a Bible, the Textus Receptus or whatever from the Greek New Testament, got people saved with it. You know why? Because they can still understand it. And so to me, I always thought well, it's probably like the King James to them. Maybe we don't talk like some of the ways the King James talks, but we can still understand it. It's like these people that say they can't understand the King James Bible, well you're probably not saved or you're not very smart. Sorry, I'm not trying to be mean, but it's just true. Either you're not saved, because if you can't understand the Bible, then you're not saved. Or you just need to get more smart. More smarter. I'm joking, okay. But you know, reading will make you smart. Reading this book will make you smart. Reading this book will make you wise. And when you listen, when you read it and do it, that's what God's happy with. And you're not going to just get rid of every sin out of your life in one day. You're not. It's a sanctification process that takes time. And maybe you're easy at getting rid of certain sins. Like maybe it's blasphemy that you blasphemed a lot when you were unsaved. You took the name of the Lord in vain. And then now when you hear it, it's like someone clawing on a chalkboard when someone uses the Lord's name in vain. And that's just not a problem for you. But maybe your problem is something else. But the ones that are hard are the deep rooted ones. The ones that are hard are the easily besetting sins. The ones that you already had a real hard time with before, you're probably going to still have a hard time with them now. But you know what? When we shut off our mind to God's Word, when we shut off our mind to the preaching of God's Word, and you're just going through the motions, that's when you're ready to be done. That's when you're ready to quit. I don't want you to quit. I want you to stay with it. But I'm sure there's people in this room that won't be here ten years from now. There was people five years ago that are not here anymore. There's people that were here from the beginning that are not here anymore. And not all those people were bad people. They just fell out. But, you know, and then when someone doesn't want to do something, one excuse is just as good as the next. So they will just make up any excuse as to why they left. And usually they blame the pastor. Or somebody in the church that offended them. Well I just couldn't go to that church anymore because so and so offended me. It's like, are you going to church for so and so? Or are you going to church for God? You don't have to be friends with everybody. Just say hi. Be nice. But you don't have to be friends with everybody. So anyway, I exhort you to stay in the faith and to stay in church. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord so much for this great chapter in the Bible, Lord. We thank you so much for the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. And Lord as we wrap up next week, let's pray that everybody here in this room will be here to listen to that message, Lord. And Lord, I pray that you would guide me to the next book that you want me to study in front of our congregation and with our congregation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And our last song will be page 236 in your green hymnals. Page 236, No Not One. No Not One page 236. Let's all sing it out on the first. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one. No not one. No friend like Him is so high and holy. No not one. No not one. And yet no friend is so meek and lowly. No not one. No not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one. No not one. There's not an hour that He's not near us. No not one. No not one. No night so dark but His love can cheer us. No not one. No not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one. No not one. Did ever saint find this friend forsake Him? No not one. No not one. Or sin or find that He would not take Him. No not one. No not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one. No not one. Was there a gift like the Savior given? No not one. No not one. Will He refuse us a home in heaven? No not one. No not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one. No not one.