Revival with Pr Rob Walsh

Ajouté : 2026-05-19

[00:00:00][music] [music] >> Oh.

[00:00:18]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Oh.

[00:01:57]>> I am.

[00:02:00]I am.

[00:02:02]>> [music] >> I am.

[00:02:12]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I am.

[00:02:57]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I am.

[00:03:54]I am.

[00:04:12]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Hallelujah church, welcome back to our Monday night revival. Let's stand to our feet tonight. Come on, we're going to lift up the name of Jesus together.

[00:04:35]So good to be in the house of God on a Monday night. Hallelujah church, let's sing out [music] this song together with I believe. Come on.

[00:04:43]I believe there is one salvation, >> [music] >> one doorway that leads one mediation, one redemption, one confession.

[00:04:52]>> [music] >> I believe in the name of Jesus.

[00:04:58]Come on, let's sing it out. I believe in the crucifixion.

[00:05:01]I believe in the crucifixion.

[00:05:04]By his [music and singing] blood I have been set free. I believe in the resurrection. [music and singing] Hallelujah, his light is there.

[00:05:13]Come on church, let's sing it out tonight in all praise.

[00:05:16]And all praise to [music] God the Father and all praise to Christ the Son.

[00:05:23]All praise to the Holy Spirit and thou God has overcome.

[00:05:28]>> [music and singing] >> The king who was and is and ever more [singing] will be in Jesus mighty name [music] I believe.

[00:05:39]Let's sing it out tonight. I believe in the hopes of heaven.

[00:05:43]I believe [music] in the hopes of [singing] heaven. He's preparing a place. Far beyond. Far beyond [music] what hearts imagine, He's ever [singing] all. Come on, and I believe. I believe that a day is coming, [music] He's returning to claim His [singing] bride.

[00:06:01]Like the altar, keep it burning, [music] see the Lamb who [singing] rose a roaring lion.

[00:06:09]All praise.

[00:06:11]And all [music] praise to God the Father, and all praise to Christ the [music] Son.

[00:06:17]All praise to the Holy Spirit, and our God has overcome. [singing] The King who was [music] and is and evermore [singing] will be.

[00:06:28]In Jesus' mighty name, I believe.

[00:06:32]>> [music] >> Come on, church, you're going to lift up the name of Jesus. No, I will never, no, I will never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus [music] Christ.

[00:06:42]How could I ever walk away from the one who saved my [music and singing] life?

[00:06:48]No, I will never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:06:54]How could [music] I ever walk away [singing] from the one Come on, let's sing it out.

[00:06:59]No, I will never, come on. No, I will never be ashamed [music and singing] of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:07:06]How could I ever [music] walk away from the one who saved my life?

[00:07:11]>> [singing] >> And all praise.

[00:07:14]>> [music] >> And all praise to God the Father, and all praise to Christ the Son.

[00:07:20]All praise [music] to the Holy Spirit, and our God has overcome.

[00:07:26]The King [music] who was and [singing] is and evermore will be.

[00:07:32]In Jesus' mighty [music and singing] name, I believe. Let's sing the bridge again tonight, come on. No, I will never No, [music] I will never be >> [singing] >> of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:07:46]How could I ever walk away from the one who [music and singing] saved my life?

[00:07:52]No, I will never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:07:58]How could I ever walk away [music] from the one who saved No, I will never No, I will never be ashamed [music and singing] of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:08:10]How could I ever walk away from the one [music] who saved my life?

[00:08:18]All praise [music] to God the Father and all praise to Christ the Son.

[00:08:23]>> [music] >> All praise to the Holy Spirit and our God [music] has overcome.

[00:08:30]The king [singing] who was and is and evermore will be.

[00:08:36]In Jesus' mighty [music] name, [singing] I believe.

[00:08:40]In Jesus' mighty name.

[00:08:42]In [music] Jesus' mighty name, I believe. In Jesus' [music] mighty name.

[00:08:51]Come on, church. Let's give God all the praise tonight. Lift up the name of Jesus. Come on. Give him all the glory that he deserves. God, we thank you for your grace, God, your mercy. Church, let's continue to call upon the name of the Lord tonight. Let's continue to lift up the name above all names. Worthy Father, in your precious name, God, I speak life, God, [music] faith, God, in this first night of revival, God. God, I'm asking, Father, that you would go before us, God. Open the floodgates of heaven tonight, God. Let there be a word [music] in season, God, an atmosphere of faith tonight.

[00:09:27]God, we worship you, God. We give you all the glory, God.

[00:09:30]And all the praise for all that you are about to do, [music] God. Our blood washed souls, so we declare your precious name tonight.

[00:09:39]Hallelujah. Let's sing it out tonight, church.

[00:09:44]And hallelujah, you have won the victory.

[00:09:54]>> [singing] [music] >> And hallelujah, you have won it all for [singing] me.

[00:10:07]>> [music] >> Death could not hold you down.

[00:10:13]>> [music and singing] >> And you are the risen king, seated in majesty.

[00:10:23]Seated in majesty.

[00:10:29]And you are the risen [singing] king. Yes, let's take it from the top.

[00:10:34]And by [music] his stripes And by his [singing] stripes, we are healed.

[00:10:41]>> [music] >> By his [singing] nail-pierced hands, we're free.

[00:10:47]>> [music] >> Yes, church. And by his blood By his blood, and we're washed clean.

[00:10:55]>> [music] >> Now we [singing] have the victory.

[00:11:00][music] The power of sin is broken.

[00:11:04]The power of [singing] sin is broken.

[00:11:07]Jesus [music] overcame it all.

[00:11:10]>> [singing] >> Yes, church. Let's declare it tonight.

[00:11:14]And he has [music] won our freedom.

[00:11:17]He has won our freedom.

[00:11:20]Jesus has won [music and singing] it all.

[00:11:24]Yes, church. Lift your hands to the heavens tonight. Let's [music] sing it out together.

[00:11:30]And hallelujah, >> [singing] [music] >> you have won, you have won [singing] the victory.

[00:11:40]Sing hallelujah, [music] [singing] Lord. Hallelujah, [music] you have won >> [singing] >> it all for >> [music] >> me. And death could not hold hold you down.

[00:11:57]>> [music] [singing] >> And you are the reason.

[00:12:02]>> [music] >> The reason.

[00:12:05]Worshipping in majesty.

[00:12:07]>> [music] >> Seated in majesty.

[00:12:11]And you are the reason.

[00:12:14]You are the reason. [singing] Yes, yes, sing it from the top and by his stripes.

[00:12:20]>> [music] >> And by [singing] his stripes we are healed.

[00:12:27]>> [music and singing] >> By his nail pierced hands we're free.

[00:12:32]Sing by his blood we're washed [music and singing] clean.

[00:12:40]Now we have [music] the victory.

[00:12:45]The power of sin [music] is broken. The power of sin is broken.

[00:12:51]Jesus [music] overcame it all.

[00:12:57]And he has won. [music] He has [singing] won our freedom.

[00:13:04]Jesus has won [singing] it all.

[00:13:07]>> [music] >> Sing hallelujah, [music] Lord. Hallelujah, >> [singing] >> you have won, [music] you have won [singing] the victory.

[00:13:24]Sing hallelujah, [music] Lord.

[00:13:28]Lord. Hallelujah.

[00:13:32]And you have [music] won [singing] it all for me.

[00:13:37]And death could not [music] hold hold you down.

[00:13:42]>> [singing] >> And you are the reason you are the reason [music] we worship in majesty.

[00:13:51]Seated in majesty.

[00:13:55]>> [music] >> And you are the reason I'm the >> [music] >> Let's sing it now to now God is risen.

[00:14:04]And now God [music and singing] is risen.

[00:14:08]He is alive.

[00:14:12]He won [music and singing] the victory.

[00:14:15]He reigns on high.

[00:14:17]>> [singing] [music] >> And now God is risen.

[00:14:21]He is alive.

[00:14:23]>> [singing] >> He won the [music] victory.

[00:14:28]He reigns on Let's sing it again And now God And now God [music and singing] is risen.

[00:14:34]He is alive.

[00:14:38]He won the victory.

[00:14:39]>> [music] >> He reigns on [singing] Let's declare it And now God And now God is risen.

[00:14:47]He is alive.

[00:14:49]>> [singing] >> He won [music] the victory.

[00:14:54]He reigns on high.

[00:14:56]>> [music and singing] >> And hallelujah.

[00:15:01][singing and music] And you have won the [singing] victory.

[00:15:08]Sing hallelujah, >> [music] >> Lord.

[00:15:13]Hallelujah. [singing] And [music] you have won it [singing] all for me. And death could hold hold you down.

[00:15:26]>> [music] >> And you are the reason reason >> [music] [singing] >> king we seated in majesty seated [music] in majesty.

[00:15:40]And you are the reason [singing] reason [music] king. Hallelujah church let's give God all the praise tonight. Father God we thank [music] you.

[00:15:50]Jesus we pray God move tonight God touch lives Lord Jesus. Let there be a transformation that happens in their heart Lord God. We pray for miracles Lord God for the supernatural in this place. All glory all honor belongs to you Lord God. We thank you Jesus.

[00:16:15]Glory be to God.

[00:16:18]Tonight church we're in revival and I just want to let you know God's already been on the move.

[00:16:24]Last night yesterday God is already moving upon people's lives people getting saved. All glory to God for that. Listen the reason why I'm saying that tonight church is that God can move in your life.

[00:16:38]God can touch areas that you need God to help you in. And listen we we serve a God that's still alive. Can you say amen?

[00:16:47]And tonight God is going to move. And so let's believe God for a supernatural miracles that are going to happen. God's going to God has a word for us tonight.

[00:16:55][music] And I wanted you to pray tonight and that you begin to pray for our service and that [music] we can also lift up Jesse. Let's believe God for recovery there God bring him to healing that God will move upon his life there and upon his family. [music] And let's pray for these pastors that are on the screen. Let's believe God for them for But they labor and where they minister. And then as we do, I'm going to ask Jordan Domingo to come up and open us in a word of prayer. Let's believe God for the supernatural church.

[00:17:23]Father God, we pray tonight, Lord God.

[00:17:26]God, that you'll move in supernatural ways, Lord God. For miracles, Lord God.

[00:17:31]I ask you right now, Lord God, that you'll touch them, Lord God. That you'll minister, Lord God. I'm asking God that you'll move tonight, Lord God. Touch the people, Lord God. We're praying for Jesse, Lord God.

[00:17:47]Yes, heavenly Father, we ask you right now, Lord God. We come before you in your presence in this place tonight, Lord God. We lift up every need before you. I pray supernatural power upon this pulpit, Lord God. Let every word spoken fulfill, Lord Jesus, its purpose right now, Lord God. Let every word spoken fall into good soil, and I pray that you will breathe fire upon this place, Lord God. That you will birth, Lord God, what is dead, Lord God, and resurrect what is dead, Lord Jesus. I am praying right now for the supernatural to move upon this place. Let the anointing break the yoke, and we ask all this in Jesus' mighty name, and all God's people shouted.

[00:18:24]Why don't we give God praise tonight, church?

[00:18:27]>> [applause] >> Amen, church. Good to see you all here.

[00:18:34]Why don't you turn and greet one another in this place? Amen.

[00:18:44]Hallelujah. Amen. Welcome out to church tonight. We're in revival, as Pastor John has mentioned before we get into the preaching tonight. We got some announcements that we want to share. And so, we're in revival tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday. And so, there are still flyers out there. Invite family and friends. And no doubt God's going to minister this week.

[00:19:07]Prepare your heart. If you are then part of the church, come a little early, pray. And I know there's work and everything on like that as well, but uh if you come a little early, uh exercise your faith muscle, pray, speak to God, ask God to, you know, speak to you. This is a genius about revival that another man of God can come in, minister the word of God, and knows exactly where your address is, deliver the mail straight to your address, and uh that you can see and hear and know that God is a God that cares and loves you. And so, uh invite family and friends out to that Friday we have connect group. And uh for this Saturday, as mentioned uh yesterday, ministry couples, uh or actually ministry uh for those in ministry with Pastors Paul Stevens out there in Parramatta church.

[00:19:53]Uh if you're in ministry, no children, no nursery, so if you can get them minded, that would be great.

[00:19:59]Uh amen. Other than that, there are a few of visiting with us as a uh calendar at the back there uh at the welcome desk and get to know all that God is doing in through our congregation. Amen. Uh but that's it for the announcements. Let's just give God praise we take the offering tonight.

[00:20:18]Glory to God. Amen. We take offerings simply because we want to worship God.

[00:20:23]This is the whole aim is that we worship with him him not just with our mouth with our hearts, but with our substance and in a way of giving that is something that is a trait of God. We know the memory verse John 3:16. We understand that God first gave. He so loved the world that he first gave his only begotten son that we may live. And so, this is a trait that he wants in us. And so, this is better to We understand it's better to give than to receive. And I want to give you an opportunity to give in God's kingdom, give it to his house.

[00:20:55]If you're visiting from another church, your tithe goes into your church, not here. You pay your tithes into your local congregation, but tonight we give you opportunity to bring be a blessing to God's kingdom uh here tonight. And then if I wonder tonight if uh uh Megs can pray the offering tonight.

[00:21:13]Heavenly Father God, we thank you God for this opportunity you've given to your kingdom, Father. I thank you God that you first gave your son so freely.

[00:21:20]God, I pray that you would help us to give in the same manner, Father, with a cheerful heart. God, I pray that you would bless each gift and the giver. I pray that all these things in Jesus' mighty name. And all God's people shout Amen. Amen. God bless you who give tonight.

[00:21:32]>> [music] [music] >> Hi everyone. Welcome to the Potter's House Church [music] here in Fairfield.

[00:21:44]We're glad to have you with us today.

[00:21:45]We've got a full month ahead in May, so let's [music] take a look at what's coming ahead. We are in revival with Pastor Houston Wednesday. Each service is a fresh opportunity for you to hear from God [music] and be stirred in your faith. Come ready to respond and receive what God has for you.

[00:21:59]Friendly reminder, we have connect [music] groups on Friday the 22nd. If you're already part of a group, we're excited to see you there. If you haven't joined one yet, this is a great time for you to get involved and get connected.

[00:22:10][music] It's a place to build friendships and grow in your walk with God. On Saturday the 23rd, we have ministry rally with Pastor Bob Stevens in Parramatta. This is a time for our couples to invest in their relationships and strengthen one another. When couples are encouraged and supported, the whole church family grows stronger.

[00:22:26]>> [music] >> Let's continue to stay connected. You don't want to miss out on what's ahead.

[00:22:29]Have a great service, church, and God bless.

[00:22:33]The things we do for live stream.

[00:22:35]That's our e-harmony sort of Potter's House. He's single, by the way. Just letting you guys know out there. Amen.

[00:22:42]So, better you line up very quickly. Get to do what you need to do. Amen.

[00:22:47]Uh Amen. How many of you know we're part of a great fellowship?

[00:22:50]Amen. We can have fun in the kingdom of God. And so uh we uh do life together and uh over the years and no doubt in seeing in various other churches here.

[00:22:59]And if you're new to our fellowship, listen, you're part of a family. And you've come and uh over the years what you see is longevity and this is what we have tonight with Pastor Pastor Walsh.

[00:23:09]He is my pastor. He's been saved as I mentioned a long time.

[00:23:14]40 years, as long as I've been alive.

[00:23:16]Amen.

[00:23:17]But he's been a rock solid man. And let me know over time there's ups and downs in ministries, ups and downs in life and and what I've observed over the years and over the decades I would say now is that here is a man that's been solid, great husband, father. Admire him in every aspect of his life from marriage to family to fatherhood to ministry and no doubt tonight we understand him as our fearless leader in Sydney and we love him, we honor him tonight. And so when I encourage you, if you're visiting with us, open up your heart. God's got a word for you tonight. And so let's give God praise as Pastor comes tonight.

[00:23:59]>> [cheering] [applause] >> Praise God. I might get Pastor Tony to introduce me everywhere I go and saying such lovely things, such nice things.

[00:24:12]But a great blessing to be here. It really is a tremendous congregation to be honest with you.

[00:24:18]I do get to preach in lots of places and in not every place do I really feel a sense of conversion, discipleship, willingness to enter into praise and worship, do a work for God.

[00:24:32]Fairfield Wetherill Park is a great part of Sydney. And then we say the highlight of this area of the world is the Potter's House in Fairfield. And every single one of you make this church important and powerful. If you have a Bible tonight, the book of 1 Kings chapter 10.

[00:24:51]The book of 1 Kings chapter 10, we want to turn there in the word of God.

[00:24:56]I was reading an article that said that it is illegal to be happy in Iran.

[00:25:05]Six citizens were jailed for violating Iran's code of conduct after authorities saw a video of them dancing to Pharrell Williams' song Happy.

[00:25:17]Another couple was jailed for 10 years for promoting corruption and propaganda against the state. Their crime was that they were dancing in front of the Freedom Tower. How many here like to be happy? Put your hand up.

[00:25:34]There's a few people that are debating that. Let me ask you again, how many like to be happy? How many prefer to be happy than sad? All right.

[00:25:44]The text we're about to read, the Queen of Sheba.

[00:25:48]She hears about a guy called Solomon and she hears about his wisdom.

[00:25:53]And she's attracted to his wisdom and the stories about the kind of proverbs that come out of his mouth.

[00:26:01]But when she went there to see for herself, the Bible says something else stood out about him and his people. The Bible says that they were happy. I want to preach a sermon tonight called the quest for happiness.

[00:26:16]And if you raised your hand and you'd like to be happy tonight, God's going to give you some truths from his word that'll help you uh in life. First Kings 10:4-9, the Bible says, "And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the sitting of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her."

[00:26:46]Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.

[00:26:54]However, I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And indeed, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Verse 8, "Happy are your men and happy are these your servants who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom.

[00:27:16]Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you setting you on the throne of Israel because the Lord has loved Israel forever. Therefore, he made you king to do justice and righteousness." The quest for happiness, let's look first of all at the search.

[00:27:33]Part of the trigger for this particular message was an article that I read by a lady called Molly Young. And she wrote an article called "My Miserable Week in the happiest country on Earth."

[00:27:45]And she spoke about traveling to Finland because Finland had won the happiest place on Earth award 8 years in a row.

[00:27:55]So, she went there and spent a week in the happiest place in the world. And she came away with a couple of a revelations or a couple of understandings. The first of those was that being the happiest place on Earth does not make it a happy place for all the people there all the time.

[00:28:14]Number two, she said, "The people who chose to be happy in Finland would most likely also choose to be happy in the United States."

[00:28:25]And so, she's saying that good circumstances don't guarantee happiness. That's a good revelation for some of you on your quest. The second thing she says is if people choose to be happy where they are, they're probably going to choose to be happy no matter where they are. This is an understanding that she had.

[00:28:45]And like King Arthur's knights of old, we're all on a lifetime quest for the Holy Grail of happiness. Like I said in that text, the Queen of Sheba is on a quest and she heard about Solomon and his kingdom. But when she got there, she said, "I discovered something more than that that this was a happy place to live, a happy place to work, a happy place to worship, and a happy place to play." Verse 8, "Happy are your men and happy are these your servants."

[00:29:17]That's significant because when she got there, she says, "This is not necessarily a happy place, but I have found some happy people."

[00:29:28]Make a note of that in your Bible.

[00:29:30]I didn't go to a happy place. What I found was I found a bunch of happy people. There's a true story about a retired Christian couple.

[00:29:40]And they were alarmed by the threat of nuclear war and they researched the safest place on Earth to retire to. They studied and traveled, traveled and studied. Finally, they settled on the safest place on Earth and on Christmas Eve they sent their pastor a postcard from their new home. Don't you like that? Sent their pastor a postcard from their new home, an island paradise called the Falkland Islands.

[00:30:08]Within weeks their island paradise turned into a war zone as Argentina invaded the British colony. You can't find a happy place, you find a happy people.

[00:30:20]You can You can research, you can do your your Finland, uh the Falkland Islands, whatever it might be that's your taste in life. You can go there and still be miserable.

[00:30:32]I'm going to put a picture up.

[00:30:35]These are the world happiness scores.

[00:30:39]I've listed 1 to 11 and then there's a bit of an outlier there at 24, but the list goes down to more than 100.

[00:30:46]I'm going to ask you a question as you look at that.

[00:30:49]Do you feel happier than Americans?

[00:30:56]They're at 24.

[00:30:57]My God.

[00:30:59]Must be terrible to be an American.

[00:31:03]We're at 11.

[00:31:05]Let me ask you a second question about those scores.

[00:31:10]Do you think you would be happier if you lived in Israel?

[00:31:15]Do you think you'd be happy if you lived in Mexico?

[00:31:19]Or Finland?

[00:31:22]Or does it really matter where you live?

[00:31:27]Your location, your circumstances, your situation. You can take that down.

[00:31:33]Human nature looks for easier ways, better circumstances, shortcuts, and greener pastures. On that basis, the people in the United States should be the happiest place on Earth. Do you know on a global scale the US enjoys greater wealth per capita than many other countries, better opportunities for education, medical care, home ownership, food availability, and personal freedoms, and yet they rank behind you on the happiness scale, and on some scores of happiness, they rank below 100.

[00:32:09]Or you can go to a place in the world with all the opportunities of money and education and lifestyle and the like and still not feel happy.

[00:32:19]Because location is not what you're looking for. The Queen of Sheba didn't find a happy place, she found a happy people.

[00:32:29]What she's saying by observation that happiness is more a revelation of the mind than a location of the body.

[00:32:38]He said to you again, that happiness is more a revelation of the mind, a choice of the will if you like it, than it is the location of your body. Yeah, and true sustainable enduring happiness is very much a chosen perspective independent of circumstances.

[00:32:57]I mean, you might not like to hear that tonight, but your choice to be happy independent of your circumstances is the number one tool you have in your quest for happiness. Our text I say is about 5,000 people living in a small city dependent upon agriculture, surrounded by enemies, and yet when she goes there, this is a happy people.

[00:33:27]5,000 surrounded by enemies, have to dig and sow and plant to get some food, and yet she says the the significant factor in your life was that were happy.

[00:33:38]Read about a man on a flight to Los Angeles.

[00:33:41]And he asked the woman next to him where she was from, and she said Palm Springs.

[00:33:47]He asked the question, "What is Palm Springs like?"

[00:33:50]And she replied, "Palm Springs is an extremely beautiful place filled with unhappy people, and sadly I may be amongst the unhappiness the unhappiest."

[00:34:03]Your location is not the significant thing, but the choice of a perspective independent of your circumstance.

[00:34:10]There's a second thought.

[00:34:12]And that's the science behind this. I read a quote.

[00:34:15]It says, "Don't trust anybody who is happy. They're either insane or drunk."

[00:34:21]That's a cynic right there.

[00:34:24]Don't trust anybody who's happy. They're either insane or they're drunk.

[00:34:29]Happiness today is very big business.

[00:34:31]And today they study it, they survey people, they journal, they promote it, they measure it, and yet with all of that big business, people still are no happier.

[00:34:45]Recent national survey asked the question, "How happy did you feel yesterday?"

[00:34:52]"How anxious do you feel yesterday? How anxious did you feel yesterday? How satisfied are you with your life today?

[00:34:58]To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?"

[00:35:04]And I thought to myself as I was reading about the survey, not the survey results themselves, I said, "They're asking people to think about things that 20, 30, or 40 years ago would never have crossed people's minds."

[00:35:19]Because 20, or 30, or 40 years ago, people simply got on with their life and chose to be happy.

[00:35:27]But today when they ask, "How do you feel?"

[00:35:31]"Well, I don't know.

[00:35:32]I'm not sure I feel too good."

[00:35:34]"Well, do you feel better than yesterday?" "Well, yesterday I was doing all right. I'm not really sure but" And they're asking people to think about and analyze feelings that would never have crossed people's minds.

[00:35:47]Just a few short decades ago.

[00:35:51]The author that quoted the article said, "Why were you even asking educated people who live without war, inside a country with stable government, who enjoy unlimited freedoms and opportunities, fed more often than not on three meals a day, who sleep in a warm, dry bed, and who experienced the world's best medical treatment, are they happy?"

[00:36:16]That's a good question.

[00:36:18]"Why would you even ask people if they're happy?

[00:36:22]Of course they should be. They live in Australia.

[00:36:26]How is it that anybody living in Australia could not That's what they're asking. Why How could they not be happy?

[00:36:34]Living in Australia with all the benefits.

[00:36:37]And yet and yet people are unhappy.

[00:36:46]There's something radically wrong when countries like America represents 6% of the world's population and yet consume 90% of the world's tranquilizers.

[00:36:59]All the opportunities I spoke about before 6% of the world's population and yet 90% of the tranquilizers trying to find peace, trying to find enjoyment, trying to find fulfillment are consumed by the people that live in the place that should be the happiest.

[00:37:20]For Christians happiness or victory or dominion is based on a number of timeless revelations that I want to note with you from our text. Number one I'm going to give you five of these. The first of these is Solomon himself. Say Solomon.

[00:37:38]When the Queen of Sheba went, she found a guy called Solomon.

[00:37:42]And she saw Solomon who for all intents and purposes was a church kid.

[00:37:50]An OG.

[00:37:52]As a matter of fact, Solomon's a PK.

[00:37:56]He's a pastor's kid.

[00:37:59]And so what she found when she went there was this guy called Solomon.

[00:38:03]And so I want to bring a wake-up call to any church Any church kids in the building?

[00:38:11]A little wake-up call to church kids because church kids in their minds think, well, I I'm a church kid.

[00:38:22]Do we have any future?

[00:38:25]Do we have any hope?

[00:38:27]I'm a church kid.

[00:38:29]And yet Solomon, the leader of this little group that you found there, was himself a a church kid. At that time, the population would have been of the world was about 50 million, they say.

[00:38:44]There's about 5 million Jews who live under the Old Testament law. And yet when she finds Solomon, he's happy.

[00:38:54]And then church kids get in their mind that somehow living by Christian standards, like not having a television, or it's cruel.

[00:39:07]It's torture.

[00:39:09]These guys live by 613 Old Testament laws, and yet they're happy.

[00:39:15]This guy here is a church kid, and yet he's happy.

[00:39:19]And what I say there is if you're a church kid, you're raised in church, you're raised in this in the safest place in the best place in the entire world to be raised.

[00:39:29]You have no business being unhappy.

[00:39:35]The way the whole book of Psalms begins, Psalms 1 verses 1 and 2 in the New Living says these words, "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers, but they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night."

[00:39:54]Clearly, Solomon had believed that to be true. It's happier when you live for a God, and you do right, and you live clean, and you're in the house of God, and you choose not to follow the ways of those outside of the house of God. He says they're the happiest, they're the ones that are blessed.

[00:40:13]It's not the people outside the building that having all the fun. All the fun ought to be in here.

[00:40:18]Just like pastor said tonight in the announcements.

[00:40:22]Clearly Solomon hadn't fallen for the Christian lie that church kids are all uptight, inhibited, repressed individuals.

[00:40:30]He thinks that a good night out is just scripture memory and you know, Doritos.

[00:40:37]This church kid chose to be happy.

[00:40:39]Solomon tells us that you can be a church kid and you can choose to be happy.

[00:40:44]Number two, we find the sovereignty of God. Verse number nine, "Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you setting you on the throne of Israel." So, not only was Solomon a church kid, but he had recognized that God is sovereign and God is providential and God places me where it pleases him.

[00:41:07]God puts me God God himself sets me in place. God himself puts me in a location, in a postcode, in a local congregation. It's God himself that puts me there. He didn't embrace God's sovereign choice of location, of lifestyle, of calling, and who his parents were.

[00:41:33]He said, "You know what? That's God's sovereign choice and in God's sovereign choice I can choose to be happy."

[00:41:43]You know, one of the uh interesting things that you might Some people might say, "Well, Solomon's is easy for him to say he's the king."

[00:41:51]Surely he's as the king getting a few extra benefits, you know. Well, you forget that Solomon's dad was a convicted murderer.

[00:42:01]His mother was an adulteress.

[00:42:04]He didn't make excuses for imperfect parents.

[00:42:08]He didn't cast himself as a victim because his dad was a murderer or his mother was an adulteress. He simply says, "I'm here by the providence and the sovereignty of God, and I choose to be happy."

[00:42:22]I choose to recognize that being in the will of God is the safest place for my life to be lived. It's also the happiest.

[00:42:30]The third thing we find from our text in our quest for happiness is the Bible says the Queen of Sheba found servants.

[00:42:39]What she's saying is one thing for the Queen of Sheba to find a happy king, the high flyers, the high rollers, and the high achievers, but she also found some just some very ordinary church people, and they were also happy.

[00:42:54]She actually describes them as servants.

[00:42:57]A better term back in those days would probably be slaves.

[00:43:02]What she's saying in other words isn't just the people in the upper echelon of life that are living on six-figure salaries and driving cars and different things. She says, "I have found people down the lower down the lower levels of life.

[00:43:15]I've found some ordinary people, some ordinary citizens, some ordinary mom-and-dad citizens, mom-and-dad workers, and I've found them also to be happy."

[00:43:25]Verse 8, "Happy are your men and happy are your servants."

[00:43:30]When she speaks about men, she's speaking about happy men who are single and happy men who are married.

[00:43:38]We make a note of that.

[00:43:40]Happy when they're single and happy when they're married.

[00:43:44]Not unhappy that I'm single. I could never be happy till I get married. You got to then you got married men who want to be single again.

[00:43:51]>> [laughter] >> And God if I the single said, "If I get married, I'll be happy." And the married said, "If I was single again, I'd be happy."

[00:43:58]He's saying single men and married men, they're both happy. They've chosen to be happy.

[00:44:04]We could just as easily without doing any damage to the text, speak about single women who think there's no possible happiness in life until I get married.

[00:44:14]I don't use worry. When you get married, there's actually there's little extra challenges that begin to associate with being the married being a married couple.

[00:44:21]Don't say amen if you're married to keep that keep that to yourself.

[00:44:25]But single women, I could never be happy unless I'm married. There are some married women I could never be happy unless I'm single again.

[00:44:32]She found both these groups of people ordinary citizens and they were happy.

[00:44:43]Happy are your men and happy are these your servants.

[00:44:47]Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice and again I say rejoice."

[00:44:55]Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. I wonder if the Queen of Sheba visited you at your house, what she would find.

[00:45:07]I wonder if she'd come away and say, "Man, that's an incredible household."

[00:45:11]You wouldn't believe what I found. Happy with a They were so happy They were rejoicing in the Lord.

[00:45:18]I wonder if the Queen of Sheba visited you in your workplace as you were serving your boss, what she would find.

[00:45:27]People choosing to be happy.

[00:45:30]People choosing to be a good testimony.

[00:45:33]People choosing to reflect there the sovereignty of God in placing you there.

[00:45:38]What would she find if she followed you around?

[00:45:41]What about if you're at school?

[00:45:43]What would she find?

[00:45:45]Any school kids that want to put your hand up?

[00:45:49]If she found you in geography or maths or science.

[00:45:57]Some boys are only happy when they're doing PE and some girls are not happy when they're doing PE.

[00:46:03]What would she find when she's following you around the school yard claiming to be a Christian?

[00:46:09]What would she find following you around your prayer room on outreach?

[00:46:15]She found So, verse number four, she found submitted people. Verse number eight, in the New Living has it this way, "How happy your people must be. What a privilege." Say privilege.

[00:46:27]"What a privilege it uh uh it must be for your officials to stand here day after day." She's acknowledging some kind of tedium.

[00:46:39]She's acknowledging some kind of routine. This is something they've fallen But she says they recognize what an incredible privilege it is to be in God's house, to be in God's place, to be where God had placed them sovereignly. She says they must walk around with a sense of privilege.

[00:47:03]Do you know I I wonder if you're have a sense of privilege that you're saved tonight.

[00:47:09]That of all the people on the earth that somehow responded to the gospel, you responded.

[00:47:17]Your sins were forgiven. Jesus Christ has become your your older brother.

[00:47:23]Heaven is going to be your home when you die. You get to serve God, like I said, in a wonderful congregation.

[00:47:30]In a wonderful church, with wonderful pastors and a wonderful staff, in a wonderful fellowship, in a wonderful city, in a wonderful country.

[00:47:43]What a privilege!

[00:47:45]We should be walking around singing Pharrell Williams. That's what we should be doing.

[00:47:53]It should be the thing on your lips.

[00:47:55]What a She says, "I see people walking around with a sense of privilege."

[00:48:00]Salvation, sins forgiven, submitted under leadership, serving the house of God, in routine, yet happy.

[00:48:14]Part of your testimony is that you owe it to your family, whether saved or unsaved, to live your life with a sense of privilege.

[00:48:26]Not I have to go to church three times a week.

[00:48:30]Not I have to tithe.

[00:48:33]Not I have to be a But But uh it ought to be part of your Your family will look on and say, "Mom and Dad, they're They got some They got some zeal in their steps. They're They're They're happy in serving God."

[00:48:46]You owe it to your unsaved family that your testimony is, "I'm glad to be saved. I sense the privilege." You owe it to your unsaved work friends.

[00:48:57]For those in school, your unsaved work mate uh your unsaved schoolmates, you owe it Part of your testimony is, "I'm glad to be saved."

[00:49:07]Not a secret thing, under the carpet, hiding behind you know Don't want to tell anybody that I'm a Christian.

[00:49:14]I'm a born-again Christian, filled with the Holy and I'm privileged to be a saved Christian.

[00:49:21]Living for God in the Potter's House, on my way to heaven. Uh It's a privilege.

[00:49:26]What if the testimony couples amongst your neighbors are that you're the fighting couple or you're the privileged couple?

[00:49:34]The house the cops have to come to every second week because of the little agitation that may be going on there.

[00:49:40]Just a thought.

[00:49:43]A submitted people. Philippians 2:14 and 15, the Bible says these words, "Uh Do everything readily and cheerfully. No bickering, no second-guessing allowed, go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society, provide people with a glimpse of good living, and of the living God. And the last thing she found was seekers of wisdom.

[00:50:12]Like I said, she went in search of wisdom, and God showed her the secrets of happiness, or the wisdom of the quest for happiness. Verse number eight again, "How happy your people must be.

[00:50:26]What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day listening to your wisdom." Happy people recognize that life has challenges, and that God's word provides wisdom for everyday challenges that can give you the victory.

[00:50:46]That's wisdom.

[00:50:47]Wisdom is people recognizing that life's circumstances are not always what you would prescribe for yourself.

[00:50:55]If you're writing a book about your own life, you wouldn't always write those things in your book, but wise people recognize that life is a series of challenges, and yet God, in his wisdom, gives me clues, gives me helps, gives me guidance to overcome those challenges, and still make it work, and be happy.

[00:51:16]Matthew 13:11, he answered and said to him, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. God's given you the secrets to finding happiness in the midst of poor circumstances." I close one final thought, that's the secrets.

[00:51:33]I'm going to give you three, then we're going to close. Number of years ago, uh I was around when computers first came out, and uh you know, that's how far back I go.

[00:51:45]And um And uh we out it was always uh um uh Android Windows computers.

[00:51:55]And uh you had Windows and so I was kind of always had these Windows computers and just the money and time and so forth. They're always breaking down and the RAM had a problem and a virus and just dramas all all the time.

[00:52:09]And the guy in my church was always fixing my computer and it's never working and so you just got sick of it. I said I'm just I Yeah.

[00:52:16]And I'm hearing about Apple.

[00:52:20]But it was a kind of another level and just we just we went in that realm at the time.

[00:52:25]One day I was shopping in Castle Hill with my wife and uh they had an Apple store there.

[00:52:31]And so I walked into this Apple store just kind of unsuspecting just kind of walking in there just to see what's going on and and as I walked in the door as you perhaps know if you've got an Apple store uh uh their um uh their ashes I mean sorry their their staff uh come up and you know, can I help you?

[00:52:48]And I said, well, I I guess so. My wife's shopping and I'm just looking around. I'm a I'm I'm I'm a Windows guy and uh but I I hear about Apple and uh you know, we're just looking around and and he goes and he looks he stops me. He just looks me in the eye.

[00:53:02]Can I tell you, sir?

[00:53:04]He said, Apple changed my life.

[00:53:07]>> [laughter] >> Wow.

[00:53:14]He said, Apple changed my life.

[00:53:17]He said, I was born into a Windows family.

[00:53:23]Hang on, huh?

[00:53:25]I was born into a Windows family.

[00:53:27]I grew up all I knew was Windows, Windows, Windows.

[00:53:31]He said, but then one day somebody told me about Apple.

[00:53:34]>> [laughter] >> I didn't believe him at first.

[00:53:39]I was just so locked into Windows uh but one day he said I bought I saved up and I bought my first Apple product and I'm looking in the eye, mister, it changed my life.

[00:53:52]Then I said to myself, you know what? I was at school I was at high school and and I said he said I I want what they're asking what what I want to do after I after I graduate. He said all I could think about is imagine having a job where all you did all day was tell other people about Apple.

[00:54:09]So he said I begin to study and praise pray and study and he said lo and behold he's I'm the happiest man in the world.

[00:54:16]All I do all day is tell people like you you don't have to live under the bondage of Windows.

[00:54:25]You can have an Apple product.

[00:54:28]I said you wait let me go get my wife and see if we can convince Would to God every Christian was like that.

[00:54:37]And whether you're Windows or Apple or Android or whatever it is you Samsung or something you know if you God bless There's an altar call.

[00:54:47]But would to God every Christian just you know what I'm saying? This guy was impressive.

[00:54:53]Young man he's in his early 20s. I mean just a young guy and he just he just he would he's just flowed out of him.

[00:55:01]I didn't have to beg him for it.

[00:55:04]Just filled with the joy of his experience.

[00:55:09]And I thought to myself I wanted to get all the disciples up and meet this guy I wanted to get the pastor seminar in the store get this guy to speak to him about choosing to be happy.

[00:55:22]And let that happiness begin to flow out of your life. Verse six in the message says he said to the king it's true.

[00:55:30]Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn't have believed it if I had not seen it for myself. They didn't exaggerate. So, if you want to see for yourself what it feels like to be happy, uh a couple of things from our text. Number one, I'm going to close with these very quickly.

[00:55:50]You need to abandon the false notions and embrace the truth.

[00:55:55]If your quest for happiness is perfect circumstances, if somehow you see other people I only had what they had and I only do it, you know, and somehow happiness is somewhere out there, you'll never be happy.

[00:56:10]Never be happy.

[00:56:12]You've got to abandon the false and embrace the true scriptures. I read a book called Don't Trust Your Gut and it was about statistics and so forth.

[00:56:24]But, one of the things that mentioned in this book Don't Trust Your Gut is that people abandon their first marriages looking for happiness in the second marriage.

[00:56:33]And they say, "I'm not happy here.

[00:56:35]Surely if I marry somebody else, I'll be happy." But, he says that the divorce rates for first marriage was 40% for second marriage is 60% and for third marriage, people who don't learn the lesson, it's 75%.

[00:56:49]Well, they say, "I'm going to I've got to find happiness in another relationship, another person. Somehow they're going to make me happy." He says they have never learned the lesson. It's not found in another person.

[00:57:02]It's not found in a place.

[00:57:05]You know, the myth of the greener grass.

[00:57:08]The grass is always greener over the septic tank, they say.

[00:57:13]If somehow you there's some other place, there's not another place, there's not another situ- not another set of circumstance. Abandon the false hope that somewhere with someone in some place I'm going to be happy.

[00:57:29]Verse 9, "Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you." The true happiness, contentment, and peace it is not found out there, but up there and in here.

[00:57:44]If you heard nothing else, true happiness is not found out there somewhere with somebody, yeah. It's found up there in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and a decision of your heart.

[00:57:57]This is I'm going to find happiness in the circumstance chances where God has me, yeah. Abandon the false and embrace the true. Second thing is attitude is everything.

[00:58:09]You get to choose a perspective.

[00:58:13]Gratitude, privilege, contentment, victory.

[00:58:21]It was Abraham Lincoln that says, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

[00:58:27]Part of the testimony of the early church when they had just crucified Jesus Christ. They're going to crucify Steve uh they're going to martyr Stephen. They're going to persecute them and run them out of town. Yet, in Acts 2:46 and 47, the Bible says they followed a daily discipline of worship in the temple followed by meals at home.

[00:58:46]Every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were being saved.

[00:59:00]At this altar call tonight, you can make a choice that'll change your life.

[00:59:06]Not just to be saved, but to be saved and I'm choosing to have the victory.

[00:59:11]I'm choosing to be exuberant about my life of Christ. Attitude is everything and the third thing is appreciate the value of God's will and purpose for your life. Verse 9, she observed he made you king to do justice and righteousness.

[00:59:30]What she's saying what I found was a people united under Solomon doing good works in the earth.

[00:59:39]I found people united in purpose, the family, the court, the people, they standard you know they stood united in the purposes of God and she says because they will find themselves in a purpose beyond themselves, they were the people that were happy.

[00:59:55]You know, many people's have unhappiness is is a simple a symptom of boredom.

[00:59:59]They're simply bored.

[01:00:02]Instead of asking people how are you feeling, I'll ask you how are you doing?

[01:00:06]What are you doing with your life? Are you committed to the things of God? Are you submitted to God and the purpose of God? Are you invested in a local church?

[01:00:14]Or do you sit at home bored?

[01:00:19]Drinking Pepsi and eating Doritos and playing computer games.

[01:00:23]Wondering why you're not married.

[01:00:29]Not how you're feeling, but what are you doing for God?

[01:00:34]What you should be looking for is not happiness, but purpose.

[01:00:38]Willingness to connect with other people.

[01:00:41]Involved in a purpose like the local church here in Fairfield. Discipling men, planting churches, reaching the nations of the world, get yourself invested in that and that is where you're going to find happiness, greater usefulness, greater fulfillment invested in the things of God.

[01:01:02]One last story in 2002, a guy called Jack Whittaker.

[01:01:07]He won 350 315 million dollars in a Powerball jackpot that at the time was a world record.

[01:01:16]315 million dollars, he was hailed as the luckiest and the happiest man alive.

[01:01:24]Yet within a few years he was broke. His wife had left him.

[01:01:28]His granddaughter was dead of an overdose.

[01:01:31]And Whittaker frequently stated that he had wished he had never won the lottery.

[01:01:35]I pretty much lost everything I held dear to my life when I won the lottery. If you're looking for circumstances, somehow your fortune's going to turn around. You're chasing a false dream.

[01:01:50]You're chasing shadows.

[01:01:52]Make a choice tonight to be happy in the will of God. It'll change your life. Let's bow our heads as we're going to close in a word of prayer.

[01:02:01]Heads bowed, eyes are closed.

[01:02:05]So appreciate the opportunity to preach here in Fairfield. And like I said, I wasn't just kind of buttering you up, but it's a great It's a great church.

[01:02:12]It's a great place to be.

[01:02:15]I feel the victory I feel the victory when I come here.

[01:02:19]I can't imagine what it would be like just this being your local church. Man.

[01:02:24]Man.

[01:02:26]What an opportunity.

[01:02:29]Maybe you're here tonight and you're not a Christian.

[01:02:31]Now it's Monday night and you may have been brought out by somebody like the apple evangelist. You might have been brought out by somebody who was a Jesus Christ evangelist says you got to come and hear the word of God.

[01:02:42]There's an opportunity to be saved, born again, have your sins forgiven. Let Jesus Christ be the Lord and the savior of your life. Heaven when you die. I mean, it's a wonderful thing. And you're here tonight and you're not saved.

[01:02:54]You're not born again. You don't know Jesus as your Lord and savior.

[01:02:58]You're not right with God.

[01:03:00]And there's something inside of your heart right now as I'm speaking that says I'm a little agitated by these people knowing that they're saved and they're right with God and I know I'm not.

[01:03:12]Pastor Wolfe, Pastor Holloway, how do I get that? How How How do I have what these people seem to have?

[01:03:18]You have to repent of your sin, ask God's forgiveness, and like we sang several times in the song service tonight, the blood of Jesus Christ can set you free and make you whole.

[01:03:29]Anybody you see in this building that's got any kind of a smile on their face, it's because at some point they've been saved.

[01:03:36]God's touched their life, washed their sins away, gave them a brand new start in life. So, you're here not a Christian?

[01:03:43]You're not saved, maybe you're backslidden, away from God, and you need prayer. Would you raise your hands and say, "Pastor, pray for me."

[01:03:48]I need Jesus tonight.

[01:03:50]I'm not right with God, I'm not born again, I need Jesus. Would you raise your hand? Let me pray for you.

[01:03:55]Unsaved or backslidden, need prayer.

[01:03:57]Quickly put your hand up.

[01:03:59]I want to pray with you.

[01:04:01]Amen.

[01:04:02]If you brought somebody to church tonight while I'm speaking, you can turn to them and ask them to come and pray.

[01:04:07]And give them the offer to come and pray with them at the altar. And that'll be a blessing to their life.

[01:04:13]Uh Christians tonight, this is a um uh an interesting message. I preached it a month or two just a few months ago, and just felt the need as people are trying to They want to live over here, and they want to buy that, and they want to have this, and if I only had and you know, you you're so lucky, and all these kinds of things are going on in people's lives. And it really is what a false What a false quest.

[01:04:33]Because it just does not bring what you think it will bring.

[01:04:38]It's a false a false hope.

[01:04:41]And in reality, when this queen had heard about Solomon's wisdom, she said, "The half's not told. What an incredible group of people."

[01:04:50]But in amongst different circumstances and setbacks and and failings and humanity, in amongst all of that, and them at that point being just a very small part of the world population, and looked upon from the outside as as weird people as they followed these 613 Old Testament rules, she says, "But they've got this incredible sense of victory." That's a choice, can I tell you tonight?

[01:05:18]That's not based upon circumstances, not based upon numbers, it's not based upon location, it's not based upon relationships, it's based upon a choice.

[01:05:29]And once you make that choice, you can find victory in one sense, no matter where you are.

[01:05:36]No matter what you're doing.

[01:05:38]How is it we can send missionaries from this wonderful environment to overseas and yet go and visit them in some of the poorest nations and yet they're victors because they've made a choice.

[01:05:50]And once you make that choice, it doesn't matter in one sense what the devil throws at you, you can have that sense of victory.

[01:05:58]That's not saying you're not going to have some bad days or bad weeks and different things, but I'm saying you can make a choice for dominion. You can make make a choice for victory. You can make a choice for surrender. You can make a choice for contentment.

[01:06:12]You can make a choice to be happy tonight.

[01:06:15]I'm challenging you and you may not have done that before any point, [music] but when you come to this altar, if you're saved, you can make another choice that will change your life.

[01:06:26]That choice is God, I choose to be happy in life. Let's all stand across the building, these altars are open.

[01:06:35]You come forward, find a place to pray and seal these things with God tonight.

[01:06:41]Hallelujah.

[01:06:55]>> [music] >> Yes, Lord God.

[01:07:06]Hallelujah. [music and singing] you have won it all for me.

[01:07:14]>> [music] >> They could not hold you >> [music] >> down. You are the reason king. Cheated him.

[01:07:38]You are the >> [music] >> reason king.

[01:07:45]Why is there >> [music] >> We are here.

[01:07:52]Why is there peace and Why is there where washed me?

[01:08:05]Now we have >> [music] >> Now our chains is broken.

[01:08:17]>> [singing] >> Jesus [music] overcame it all.

[01:08:27]He has won [music] our freedom.

[01:08:31]Jesus has won it all.

[01:08:34]>> [music] >> And >> [singing] >> hallelujah, you have won >> [music] >> the victory.

[01:08:55]Hallelujah, >> [music and singing] >> you have [singing] won >> [music] >> it all for >> [music] [music] [music] >> Let's be in a worship God tonight.

[01:09:32]Father God, we thank you for your grace tonight. Lord God, give God a clap offering tonight.

[01:09:37]Father God, we thank you for your grace in this place.

[01:09:42]>> [applause] >> Hallelujah. Heads about eyes are closed and and when I typically when I preach, I don't know specifically what uh direction it is that I might want to pray with people after the service and that kind of thing.

[01:10:05]But I really want to speak to a couple of groups of people tonight and one of those is single men.

[01:10:12]And if you're over 18 and you are working a job and you've been saved for more than 6 months and all those kinds of things and there's an aspect of your relationship with God where the Bible says that he that finds a wife finds a good thing and I don't want to heads about I'm not speaking of anybody in particular.

[01:10:33]But there ought to be something in a young man that says that's part of uh God's will for my life is that I would find a wife.

[01:10:42]The Bible says you're going to be finding a good thing.

[01:10:45]Now I challenge young men who are in that bracket like I said over 18 and they're in a got a job and they've been saved more than 6 months and in one sense they would uh have this that'd be sort of viable to them.

[01:11:00]But you're not motivated in any kind of way to uh to to seek after them. Uh that is something of God's will for your life. He that finds a wife finds a good thing.

[01:11:11]And I'm challenging you tonight that you would make that part of your life.

[01:11:15]That there would be something in you that is is moving in that direction. Is whatever that means to you that you'd be This is something God wants you to do.

[01:11:26]At the same time, there's another group of men that you are single, you're over 18, saved more than 6 months, all those kinds of things.

[01:11:34]And yet you are so uh desperate to be married that you you're putting people off.

[01:11:40]And uh desperation is written all over you. You become a bit of a desperado.

[01:11:45]And uh that's off-putting.

[01:11:48]So desperate to get married in one sense you're so desperate to get married because I'm unhappy as a single man.

[01:11:55]And something about qualifying for marriage is that you are content in your relationship with God and with people.

[01:12:03]>> [music] >> And you're content in God's will and God's purposes for your life.

[01:12:07]And then you add in a wife that's going to enhance your ability to serve God to another level. You're not seeking a wife for personal reasons.

[01:12:18]And I'll challenge those who are desperados that you would find peace and contentment in God and the relationship with Jesus Christ, other people, and the purposes of God.

[01:12:29]And in a sense slow the pursuit down that you don't put people off by doing that.

[01:12:33]So heads about eyes are closed. If there's any men in the building, I'm going to ask you to bow your heads, close your eyes.

[01:12:39]You fall into one of those two brackets.

[01:12:42]You're a young man that really has no aspirations to get married, not really moving in that direction. God's challenging you.

[01:12:49]Or you're a young man and you recognize I'm a I'm I'm I'm desperate and I'm desperate and it's kind of bleeding out through my life. If that's you, would you raise your hand if that's me? I feel like I'm in one of those groups, put your hand up. Yes, God sees these hands.

[01:13:01]Honest men, thank God for that.

[01:13:03]Thank God for that.

[01:13:05]I also want to speak to single women and uh to some degree it's a similar it's a similar challenge, but I'm going to be leaning more towards the second one and that is that you feel like your life is going to be completely [music] unfulfilled almost to the point of pointlessness unless I find a husband, unless somebody finds me attractive and I get married and have children. That is such a lie from the pit of hell.

[01:13:32]And when young girls are so driven that there is no happiness or contentment or peace in life without being married and they give themselves little time frames and if this and that. I'm going to go and find myself a husband somewhere out there, you know.

[01:13:48]Because they're not fulfilled in their current circumstances and situations as a young single lady.

[01:13:55]I'm challenging you tonight.

[01:13:57]This is not to give up on the quest, not give up on the desire, not to give up on the prayer that God would one day have me married and have children and so forth, but you would find a contentment and a peace and a happiness, a victory.

[01:14:11]It's really quite attractive about a young girl that who has a relationship with God and some victory in that.

[01:14:18]And happy no matter what the circumstances. Uh that's quite a quite an attractive quality because not everybody has that.

[01:14:25]And you can actually stand out by being content where it is that God has you in the situation you find yourself. So, heads about, eyes are closed.

[01:14:35]No one looking around. Ladies, that's that's you in one of those categories, you put your hand up. I'm going to pray for you. Amen. God sees these hands.

[01:14:41]Yes.

[01:14:42]Others, yes, yes, yes. [music] We're going to pray.

[01:14:46]As a congregation, I want you to pray. I want you to say, "Jesus, Father, I thank you for the state in which I find myself.

[01:14:57]I recognize the sovereignty and the providence of God.

[01:15:03]And in my circumstances, I choose tonight to be content.

[01:15:11]I choose victory.

[01:15:13]I choose dominion.

[01:15:15]And I choose happiness.

[01:15:18]And God, let that reflect my relationship with you.

[01:15:22]And let my testimony amongst my brethren, amongst my unsaved family, my unsaved neighbors, my unsaved friends, that I've got something they can never have.

[01:15:37]A genuine peace, a genuine joy, a genuine sense of overcoming, all due to my relationship with God.

[01:15:47]And let my fresh optimism about life and the future be attractive to to single Christian men, single Christian women.

[01:16:01]And let my testimony be attractive to unsaved people and draw them into the kingdom of God.

[01:16:08]I choose tonight happiness. In Jesus' name I pray.

[01:16:14]Amen. You begin to pray tonight. Father, I pray right now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. [music] You begin to pray tonight. Father, touch and I pray by the Holy Ghost.

[01:16:23]Lord God, those that really are in bondage, Lord God, I break the curse from off their life by the blood of Jesus Christ. I declare [music] victory.

[01:16:33]I declare dominion, Lord God, over every heart and every life and every mind.

[01:16:38]Devil, you're exposed tonight. You're a liar. We expose your lie today. We reject the lie. We embrace the truth.

[01:16:46][music] That our joy and victory is in Jesus Christ and the will of God.

[01:16:52]Father, touch every member of this congregation tonight, we pray. Let there be a fresh sense of overcoming.

[01:17:00]And I pray it right now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Give God one last clap offering tonight.

[01:17:06]>> [applause] >> Hallelujah.

[01:17:09]>> [music] >> Glory be to God. Glory be to God.

[01:17:15]Amen. Well, I don't know what I'm preaching tomorrow night and so I'll be having a sleepless night and a sleepless day and so I'm looking for something to preach tomorrow night.

[01:17:24]And I believe that God will have a word for us that will help us in our quest. I did see it was it was advertised as leaders DNA. And so I'm not sure whether I should preach on something about discipleship or character development or some other thing. But you be praying with me.

[01:17:43]And when I believe God that God will give me a word in season for our congregation.

[01:17:47]>> [music] >> Appreciate you being out tonight. And have a great day tomorrow. Be attractive to unsaved people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[01:17:57]And anybody that tomorrow night that can come and tell me that you know what I put on I I I that tomorrow somebody asked me, "What are you on?

[01:18:07]What have you been taking?

[01:18:09]You got a new dealer or something because they recognize a change in your in your outlook on life. Anybody that gets that tomorrow morning, you come and tell tomorrow you come and tell me tomorrow night and that will be a victory for the kingdom of God. Let's give her a clap offering as our pastor comes tonight.

[01:18:26]>> [applause and music] >> Amen. Amen. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Amen.

[01:18:35]Glory to God. We can have joy in the kingdom and and I want to encourage you go out with the victory and believe God for another day tomorrow.

[01:18:44]Amen. Let's all stand in this building.

[01:18:45][music] We're going to close off in a word of prayer.

[01:18:48]Amen. Scanning the building for a single man ready to take the world for Jesus. Zach, would you lift up your voice?

[01:19:18]Amen. God bless you and good night.

[01:19:20]Tea and coffee is at the back. Feel free.

[01:19:23]If you feel love