 Paul if you're there you know could you you know begin with the word of prayer Not sure if you're there or not But Paul I can just see you on the screen So if you're there, you know, could you just say a word of prayer and we can get started No, okay fine, then I'll just pray God we just thank you so much for today's class We pray you a lot that it would be meaningful helpful To everyone who attends and we pray oh Lord that you would help us to Apply all that we are learning in our actual practical lives or Lord. So we pray that Even as you minister to us this day We would take away lessons that will change and transform our lives be with us or Lord and guide us Thank you Lord in Jesus name. Amen All right, then we'll get started So last class actually we will these we focused on Overcoming the flesh we looked at very practical points Things that we can practice in overcoming the flesh and we Covered three points. The third one was walking in the spirit And crucifying the flesh. So under that Point we looked at various things That we can do we looked at some scriptures which talk about these things and we kind of began to touch upon the know the topic of prayer and We could not deal with this whole point of prayer in detail So that's basically what we're going to be doing now. So we look at the Importance of prayer in Overcoming the flesh and then from there we will move on to another couple of points, you know that we can probably Talk about when we are dealing with this whole idea of overcoming the flesh And After that we can move into the next main, you know Chapter in your notes which be overcoming the world. Okay, so we'll take a little time to look into this Into the remaining points regarding overcoming the flesh and then we'll move into our next chapter now Not particularly sure whether, you know The two persons on my screen Paul and Rosalind whether they're there or not But then if you are there if you are present, you know, if you could really help me in reading out the scriptures That would be like a big help. All right. So Last Session even as we were ending we kind of looked at Matthew 26 41 Where it says watch and pray So that you will not fall into temptation the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and so over here Jesus is speaking to the disciples and he says, you know in your spirit you may be longing and willing to obey me and you know And and to honor God But the flesh is weak and over here. He's not really talking about sinful flesh You know the term flesh as we know is used in four different senses By Paul when he's using this term in in the New Testament So over here When he or when the word flesh is being used, it's not really Talking about flesh as in as in sin Sinful desires the way it is generally mentioned by Paul But over here Jesus is just talking about humanness the the weakness of humans The limitations that human beings have to be able to bear To be able to fight certain things So here Jesus is saying we need to watch and pray because in our inner man You know, which is now you are renewed by God and you're knighted with him We are very very willing to serve him But when it comes to our humanness, we are weak. There are things that we are unable to do you know, so in our flesh because of our limitations and so he says because the flesh is weak we must watch and pray and Jesus actually sets the example even as he's speaking these words He also sets the example by you know himself getting down on his knees and praying Because he knows that He's very soon going to you know have to go and be crucified on the cross and he knows that his flesh is weak in the sense that Humanly what he is going to be asked to do by the Lord is going to be too difficult for him to bear on his own and so If he were to try and do it in his own human strength He would fail he would in fact back out in the last minute and say no no This is not something I'm willing to do. It's not something I'm able to bear So if he were to strengthen himself in the Lord by praying then he would be actually able to You know face what was coming or what would be coming very soon and he would have the Inner strength to be able to go through with it So we need to remember that Jesus chose to become our Representative in every way so he did not hold on to any super strengths and super powers He continued to be fully divine But he never used his divinity in any way while he was on this earth as our human Representative so that he could be a perfect Representative and so that he would be able to make a sacrifice on the cross on our behalf He chose to stay completely human. So when he had to go through this again to the Through this terrible trial of having to face the cross He did not use his divine power to be able to go through that he chose to stay Human and in his humanness he chose to completely submit to the Lord and Overcome and because he did this in his humanness now We who place ourselves under his covering and who plays our trust in him He enables us he gives us the same power which he used you know to to to use to to overcome the The the temptation that he faced you know in the Garden of Gethsemane So in the Garden of Gethsemane, he strengthens himself through prayer and when he sees you know the disciples sleeping That is when he says in Matthew 26 verse 40 and 41 you know is where he says these things if we could just have one person read out Matthew 26 versus 40 and 41, please Matthew 26 40 and 41 But he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour? He asked Peter watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak He says couldn't you keep men keep watch with me for one hour, so he is keeping watch He's keeping watch in the sense He's Watching out for what is coming and he's preparing himself for it And he wants them to join him in watching out for what is approaching and prepare themselves So the thing that we see over here the interesting thing that we see in this passage is that there are two sets of people who are overcome with sorrow and troubled, you know and Because when we look at Matthew chapter 26, this is how Jesus is described in verse 37 Matthew 26 37 It says he began to be sorrowful and troubled and then he says to his disciples in verse 38 My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death And so here we have Jesus being very sorrowful very troubled Because he knows the immensity of the temptation That's going to come you know because when the soldiers approach and then he He can use his divine power to escape from the situation But he must not do that and in his flesh it is just in his humanness He's limited and so he knows that he's going to be needing the enabling power of God And so he you know watches and prays and that is why he says in verse 38 You know my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death Stay here and keep watch with me is what he says now the other set of sorrow people For sorrowful people over here are the disciples themselves because when we look in Luke chapter 22 We see something very interesting mentioned about them So you know if we could have someone read out for us Luke 22 verse 45 to 46 Luke 22 45 to 46 Luke 22 45 to 46 when he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples He found them asleep exhausted from sorrow Why are you sleeping he asked them get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation So here we see that disciples are also Exhausted from sorrow. That's the term that is used you see because in the past few weeks Jesus has started telling them about his death and they don't understand They they wonder maybe he's maybe he's maybe he's using symbolic language Maybe he's metaphorically trying to say something but the way he's saying it it almost sounds like as if Something very very bad is going to happen and they don't quite understand You see they have given up everything in their lives to follow him because their hope is that this is the messiah And he's going to overthrow the Romans and establishes his kingdom and they are going to play an important part in this kingdom So for that for this hope which they have placed in Jesus They gave up everything and now here is Jesus talking about things which don't sound anything like the messiah whom they imagined in their mind So they were wondering what is going on. So over the weeks who knows how many sleepless nights They've been spending wondering what is going on Why is Jesus saying the things that he is and so here, you know, in fact and just before this passage We see that, you know, they they say, you know, we've got we've got a few swords. So it's all right You know, if there's an attack, you know, we'll be able to fight back. So the in fact I think they say, you know, we have two swords among us and then Jesus says no, no No, this is not the time for violence. And so they don't understand what's happening Why doesn't Jesus want to defend himself? Wow, why is he saying the things that he is and they are exhausted from sorrow? So you see even as we've been talking covering this chapter on overcoming the flesh We are talking about overcoming the sinful desires of the flesh We are talking about the sinful urges of the mind and our unrenewed mind and how to overcome all of that But there's also another factor involved just the humanness of who we are the human flesh The limitedness of who we are, you know, we were meant to always Live this life in connection with the Almighty God because he would enable us he would cause us to go beyond our limitations and Be who he wants us to be so we were never so we are addressing the sinful desires of the flesh But we are also looking at just the flesh itself Just the humanness of us the limitations of who we are and so in this situation Where these people are exhausted from sorrow now This is really a time when they should have been watching and praying to prepare for them themselves for what is ahead But they fail to do that Jesus on the other hand who is also Exhausted from sorrow. He doesn't lie down and sleep the way they are sleeping. He Prepares himself in prayer. So a very very vital Important lesson that comes across for us over here is that When we are fighting against the sinful desires of the flesh when we are, you know overcoming the unrenewed mind which is telling us to live To compromise, you know, so even as we are facing all of these things There will be times when even in our natural flesh, we are just tired, you know We are just exhausted because of all the demands of life things which have not been going well Unanswered prayers which have left us feeling so, you know low Wondering what is going on and when when we are in this state It's not only sinful desires that we are fighting against. We are also fighting against just The limitations of who we are as people and at this time when we are vulnerable Satan attacks So we need to watch and pray. We need to prepare ourselves for what is ahead But we do not know what what is ahead. We do not know what is in the future So we choose to make it a regular practice to pray The way Jesus was doing over here the way he did every day early in the morning long before anyone else got up Why was he always constantly in prayer because he understood that his flesh is Limited he's just human He has chosen to be human like us and so he needs the Lord's enabling and that is why we have this lovely verse, you know Which talks about how, you know, the Holy Spirit himself Strengthens us and that would be Romans 8 26. So, you know, if someone could please read out for us Romans 8 26 Romans 8 26 in the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness We do not know what we ought to pray for but the spirit himself intercedes for us through word Through wordless groans Yeah So we it says we do not know what we ought to pray for you see when Things are getting tough in our life and we don't even know exactly What to pray regarding the situation Those are times especially when we should be on our guard because that is when we are Vulnerable and Satan can take advantage and so we choose in those times not just to curl up You know in a corner and and and go to sleep the way the disciples did but rather Even though we are so tired in the flesh we choose to you know spend time in prayer Because we are preparing ourselves and the Holy Spirit who can see the future Who knows how we are going to be attacked? What's going to happen? He will You know pray through us Even as we are spending time on our knees using whatever words we know or if we you know have the gift of tongues We choose to pray in tongues Even as we are doing that the Holy Spirit prays through us and he Strengthens us so actually if these disciples had taken you know Jesus advice because Jesus repeatedly said this to them again and again He was praying on his knees and he was urging them to do the very same thing if they had done that They would not have betrayed him and left him and run away. They would have stayed with him you know in during that time of trial but unlike Jesus they chose to you know curl up And lie down in a corner and just sleep because they were exhausted But Jesus who was even more exhausted than them? He did not do that He prepared himself in prayer and so we see how important and essential it is for us to watch and pray Especially when we are feeling down in our humanness, you know in our in our flesh because When the temptation comes it tends to be very strong Let's take the example, you know, let us say of anger I mean just think about what in all is involved, you know in a person who struggles with anger issues um Because they have this area of weakness, you know for them anger is an area of weakness Where they're easily given to their temper Imagine when something happens and the anger is triggered Literally in their flesh, they can they can feel the anger surging, right? I mean, uh, you know, there's so many changes that happen Uh, even as you start getting angry, they say, you know the the the the the blood, you know the the blood it it um Which is which usually, you know, it's around your intestines and you know Aiding the entire digestion process and all that it rushes upward It rushes to your muscles because, you know, it anticipates that maybe you're now going to get into a physical fight It it rushes to your brain to make it extra alert and sharp So that you will be able to, you know have immediate responses towards what's going to happen So you will these things literally happen in your physical body Now, how do you resist Those urges to fight to hit out, you know, how do you resist that in your own human strength? It's not something that you can do in that in that in that in that moment If you have prepared yourself in prayer If you know, you have prayed in the spirit and prepared your inner man Even, you know, even as you pray the lord, you know, um Strengthens you in your mind in your thinking If you have been doing that then in that moment when your body is going against you when your body is, you know, getting ready to sin You will be able to stay under the control and leading of the holy spirit Simply because you have tuned your mind. You have tuned your feelings You have tuned your inner man to him and then he is able to take over So it's the same not just anger. It can be any other, you know, sinful physical urges it could be You know addictions it can be, you know, this This greed it can be so many things connected to the flesh So if we have spent time regularly in prayer And if we have tuned our thinking our feelings our inner man, you know And and we have brought it in line with the holy spirit Then when that time of temptation comes the holy spirit is able to take control because we have already You know aligned ourselves with him So prayer becomes very very important It's not just something that we are going to be doing as a duty We do it because we need his help In our own flesh, we will not be able to overcome Jesus himself understood that and he prayed So when he did that and he set an example for us We cannot choose to be like the disciples who used the excuse of feeling sorrowful and said oh, we are exhausted with sorrow So let's sleep No The time of exhaustion and sorrow is not the time for sleep That's the time when you actually get down on your knees and pray Okay, so this is one very very important point that we need to keep in mind when we are thinking of overcoming the flesh The other aspect of the third point Crucifying the flesh. That's something that we've talked about earlier I mean, you know, we have we there are one of the main Passages that we looked at was matthew chapter five versus 29 to 30 Where it says if your right eye causes you to stumble goug it out and throw it away And then in verse 30 it says it is better for you to lose one part of your body Than for your whole body to go into hell. And of course, we looked at how this is, you know symbolic language because you know Bouching out your eye It's not going to make you stop thinking sinful things in your mind I know because after all, why why do your eyes watch something sinful? That's because your mind Unrenewed mind is urging you to watch something sinful So we we understood that this is metaphoric. So whatever is causing those You know the sinful urges to stay strong in your mind. That is what needs to be cut off That needs to be gouged out. Just just taking out your eye is not going to change So we we talked about how uh, you know, if there are if there's wrong friendships Wrong company that is making you get into sin, then that is what should be cut off You need to cut off your contact with those people If it is if it is, you know, this um Movie channels which are causing you to sin then that is what you would have to stop your subscription off, you know cut it off And so it would mean that you now do not have entertainment But so what it's better to not have entertainment than for your for your entire body to end up in hell So you you cut off the things which are leading your mind to go into temptation so So that would be crucifying the flesh Rather than saying oh, it's okay. You know, I get tired at the end of the day. So I need entertainment So yes, I know it's true that sometimes it leads me into temptation But it's okay, you know And so if we have that kind of an attitude and we are pampering the flesh No, that would uh, you know when you pamper the flesh when you feed it Then obviously it gets stronger and stronger on the other hand If you cut off the things which are pampering the flesh and you say no I will rather spend time in God's presence and feed my inner man You know my spirit then it's your spirit which gets stronger So whatever we choose to feed that is what becomes stronger Which is why point four in your notes. It says put on Jesus and make no provision for the flesh That's the wording that's used over there actually in the in the passage You know, which is given for that particular point So point number four put on Jesus and make no provision for the flesh and that point is based on roman's 13 Versus 13 and 14 If we could have no, I think rosalyn is the one who's doing the reading. Thank you so much. You know god bless you So if you could or if someone else, you know anyone else It's good when when multiple people, you know read out because it kind of keeps them alert, you know So because you don't switch on your cameras and you know, you're just sitting over there in your homes It's very easy to tune out to stop listening to stop paying attention So if you're reading the verses it kind of keeps you alert It kind of helps you to stay, you know connected with the class So if we could have someone read out for us roman's 13 13 and 14 Yeah Let us be here decently as in the daytime not in Corousing and term drunkenness Not in sexual immorality and debauchery not in dissension and jealousy Rather clothe yourselves With the lord jesus christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh Yeah, you know, so this is niv and it says over here put on the, you know Jesus and it says do not Think about how to gratify the desires of your flesh NKJV It says make no provision for the flesh So you see when you consciously choose to keep putting on jesus Putting on what pleases him putting on Being like him. So even as you start doing that there's no Space left for the flesh. You're not making any provision for the flesh You're not giving it any space to develop and become stronger So by putting on one thing you're cutting off the other thing. It's not getting any chance, you know to to to do anything evil So in that sense, uh, so we choose to feed Our inner man We choose to feed our spirit, you know by spending time in god's presence By spending time with people who love godly things so that uh, you know, they they only Encourage us in in things which are fun things which are good Uh, you know things which will benefit us and our families and our friends So we we surround ourselves with things which will make us grow in our inner man You know, so by uh, so when I say, um things which make us grow in in the inner man I'm not over here talking about just simply reading our bible and praying. You know, it's just interactions You know, we go out we interact with people who Have similar values as us and we enjoy the company, you know, we we go out and we do activities together Um, it's just that you're in the company of people who share the same Uh, biblical values that you do and so even as you're doing all of these things you are strengthening yourself in your inner man So we don't spend the entire day only praying and only reading the bible because most of our day is in fact involved in You know, either our you know our work in our in our workplace and the rest of the time in our interactions with different people So regarding our workplace, that's our responsibility. So we do that for the rest of the time goes in In with people so we get to decide what kind of people do I want to be with? Because the fire which is in them will also spark the fire in you the passion which they have for god will will rub off on to you So it really makes a big difference when we go out into the world actively involve ourselves, you know in in ha in hobbies and uh having an In having a good social life and and doing all the things, you know, which bring joy and laughter and fun But you're doing it with people who have the right values So it nowhere in the bible does it say that we need to cut off cut cut ourselves off from life No, you aren't meant to go out and enjoy all aspects of life But you're doing it with people who have the same values as you do and so you're not Allowing any provision to be made for the flesh and um So it says, you know in first john chapter 2 versus 15 to 16 first john 2 15 to 16 first john 2 15 to 16 Do not love the world or anything in the world If anyone loves the world Love for the father is not in them For everything in the world The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes And the pride of life comes not from the father, but from the world so we Are actively involved in all that god has created for us to have We are not denying ourselves anything But we choose not to love the worldly system You see which is why it becomes very very important What kind of people i'm choosing to interact with if they are people who love the world Then all the conversations will be will be about Worldly material things alone if i'm interacting only with people who are concerned about You know the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life I'll be thinking about status about making money about the things that I can purchase and then Then I would be making provision for the flesh You see i'm feeding that aspect of me. So that aspect of me starts getting more and more active I long for the things which my friends are talking about I too would like to you know Earn that kind of a salary and collect all those things which they are collecting and be able to show to society How great I am you know and all of that so Um When we choose to Stay In in godly company it makes a big difference We are interacting with people who love the father in the same way We love the father and when we are doing that because we love the father We will in fact follow godly things it says over here if anyone loves the world Love for the father is not in them And once we start you know having a love for the world That is when this lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and the pride of life comes in What exactly is the lust of the flesh lust of the flesh is basically I will do whatever I need to do to make my five senses very very happy You know your your sight your hearing And um What what are what are the what are the other five senses? Yeah, you know the the the the the feelings that we have all of that So the the the the lust of the flesh is just about making yourself feel good Oh, I'll watch whatever makes me happy. I will listen to whatever makes me happy You know, uh, I will I will go out and um, you know, um do activities that make me happy So the whole focus becomes making myself happy that basically is the lust of the flesh the main Goal of the of the lust of the flesh is Making myself happy not making the father happy. No The goal becomes me. How do I satisfy myself? How do I make myself happy? So, um Which is why we choose to be careful not to make any provision for the flesh by putting on Jesus by choosing choosing to be with people who are trying to become like Jesus and when we do that then, you know There is no chance for this for these fleshly material worldly desires to go on increasing so Lust of the flesh is mainly the focus becomes Making myself happy rather than making the Lord happy Lust of the eyes It is all the things which are attractive and beautiful in the world And God does not have anything against the attractive and beautiful things in the world But then lust for those things. Oh, that's a terrible thing because you see your main focus is now those things You're worshiping those things you want to acquire those things You're willing to maybe even start compromising, you know, even as that lust increases You are willing to compromise to get those things because those things have become your idols And that is very very sinful and then the pride of life It's all about, you know, impressing people showing off how how you have arrived in life and so you are even you reach if you if you're able to acquire that kind of a status You may reach a point where you start saying. Oh, I don't really need God I mean God is there. That's nice. You know, it's good to pray to him once in a while But I do I can and I'm a self-made person So all of this comes in and all of this is part of the flesh the sinful flesh So We choose to stay with people who have godly values We choose to put on God and be like him on a daily basis So that we will make no provision for the flesh and even as we are living in that way Our love for God increases because we are feeding our spirit man and Because we are not feeding the flesh the the the the pull of the flesh becomes You know less strong so in that way we guard ourselves and we protect ourselves and That is why we have Hebrews 10 25, you know, which is actually the The worst for your last point If someone could read out Hebrews 10 25, please Hebrews 10 25 Not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing But encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching Yeah back then in those days the writer of Hebrews. He said, you know, even as we see the day approaching It's talking about the second coming of the Lord the time when we all will be judged So even as you're seeing the day approaching You should it should make you more eager to associate with people who are, you know Godly minded because then you can encourage each other to stay strong to not give in to these urges of the flesh Not to give in to the lust of the flesh, you know, so He says do not give up meeting each other Because some people have gotten to the habit of doing that They're too busy interacting with the people of the world, you know pursuing career pursuing status pursuing power and So they are they have no time for interacting with godly people And so their mind constantly is being fed, you know on on material things And so because the flesh is becoming stronger and stronger and that's what they are feeding their spirit man is being underfed And so it is so important that that should not happen and how can we avoid that When we actively choose to have fellowship with other believers not just on sunday But even during the week maybe once a week when you know when you go for a cell group or you go for a bible study That is when you get to interact with other believers And then in case you have started backsliding you will notice, you know, you'll you'll immediately observe that It has happened for me so many times, you know the People of god are such a blessing I sit over there in the in the in that bible study or in that cell group, you know And I look at someone and and the way they are so enthusiastically talking about something You know that god did during that week and I think oh my this week I didn't spend time with the lord the way this person has I know immediately that thing is there in the heart, you know, and I think oh my I need to be like that person Look at them. Look how excitedly they're talking about you know, what what jesus said, you know to them that particular day and And what happened after that and I think you know, oh, I think I should go back home and spend more time So I have again and again and again It is being with people of god that has pointed out to me my own lack and it has made me Desire to you know get back on track And so it is absolutely vital With whom we are spending time Is most of our time spent with um, you know unbelievers Of course, like I said, you know in the workplace, there is no other choice We we go over there We fulfill our responsibility and we do it honorably in a way that will you know bring glory to god Yes, but the rest of the time The people that we wish to interact with that's in our hands We get to choose and the kind of people that we are interacting with It'll either build up the fire in us It'll build up the passion for god in us or it will you know Make us focus on just the world and and the worldly values and what the world is Is is you know, uh placing on the pedestal as the most important things in life So, uh, it becomes very very important these things if we have the right approach You know these matters if we keep them in mind it can help us in overcoming the flesh So we've kind of looked in detail, uh, you know over last week and uh today On how to overcome the flesh and we will get into the next point Uh, the next chapter in fact in your notes, which is overcoming the world How do we overcome the uh world and uh when we talk about the world We are mainly talking about three things uh The worldly attractions the things which seem so attractive and you know, um, uh Important in our human eyes. So, uh, that would be the worldly influences and worldly attractions. Um, and It is true that the flesh sometimes goes after that but over here We're not just thinking about the sinful desires of the flesh here. We are talking about um Priorities as in, you know, uh, the world is saying that this is important and this is attractive And this is basically what will really make your life Okay on the other hand the bible is is pointing in in another direction and saying no no follow these things Actually, these things are more attractive and these things will make your life for eternity Okay, so, uh, there are two systems the world system and god's system and uh, so When we are overcoming the world We are basically fighting against the world system and everything it stands for and we are saying no Rather than being sucked into this world system. I'm going to go down the narrow path You know, which very few people want to go down because it looks unnot unattractive to their human eyes So they choose not to go down this narrow path But this narrow path is going to lead to um This new Jerusalem one day where our life will be Just amazingly abundant and full So these people who are right now, you know, so attracted by the things of the world They don't realize it's so temporary And it's not going to last We on the other hand who choose the narrow path which does which seems so narrow and not very attractive If we faithfully keep walking down that we one day end up in this eternal place Where you know, the rest of the world will just be longing that they could even spend five minutes over there And we in fact will get to spend eternity over there. So, um Rather than You know being sucked into this world system, which right now appears so influential and attractive We choose the narrow way. So overcoming the world mainly involves Overcoming this world system overcoming the attractions of the world The second thing when we say overcoming the world, we're talking about the cares and responsibilities and pressures You know and the time crunch that we have that we face Living in this world, you know, because we have responsibilities here and we only have 24 hours And there are so many things to be done and there are people depending on us our families need us All of that. So then, you know in that process sometimes Spiritual things get pushed into the corner. We say no, there's no time for that when I become 70 years old And I have retired at that time I think about those things right now I have no time for all of that and so we are pushing away something of eternal value Which can make our future, you know So the second thing about overcoming the world Is about the the pressures and cares and responsibilities that we have which can you know Take over our entire life and block out the things which god is trying to do And the third thing that we generally think about when we talk about overcoming the world The other difficulties the hardships the trials Maybe even the persecutions that we face because we are believers all of that okay, so so In this chapter which deals with overcoming the world These are the three main things that we would you know look at How to overcome the world system and what it declares is the important thing in life And second how to overcome the The this whole you know mad Rush that we have on a daily basis to get the jobs done to take care of responsibilities to pay the bills to to you know Meet all the demands that the family is making and and all of that This whole pressure that we are under this time crunch that we are under You know how to overcome that and make sure that spiritual things are not just Pushed into the corner and the third thing is How do we overcome these trials and difficulties and hardships? I know of being here in this world Okay, so so those are the three main things that we would very briefly Touch upon so the first one is worldly Influences influences and attractions. How do we deal with this particular challenge? How do we overcome it? Maybe we can start off with a little introduction to this If we could have you know someone read out for us Philemon chapter one versus 23 and 24 Philemon 23 and 24 versus 23 and 24 if Epaphorus my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus sends you greetings and so do mark Maristarchus Demis and Luke my fellow workers The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ Yeah, be with you. Yeah, sorry. Yes. So here in this In these two verses We have many big names mentioned. These are all big big people. You know, I mean if they were in the current world You know, they are the ones, you know whose names you will put in the posters They are the big people in ministry You have epaphorus over here. He's the one actually who established the church at Colosseum So he's the one who actually planted that church. So he probably was an apostle You have mark who is mentioned over here mark is the person, you know, who wrote the gospel And he's the one who was actively involved in ministry with paul and with barnabas Then you have aristarchus about whom nothing is mentioned So we don't really know anything about him. Luke is mentioned over here. Luke. We know is the one who wrote two books of the new testament So these are all big people and among these big people is another big name demis It's so sad, right? that all these people they went on to to To reap the eternal reward for which they had fought and they you know, one day we are going to be With them will rub shoulders with them in the new Jerusalem But this man demis so sad He's not going to be there in that crowd Because he chose I know to go back into the world and it's very very sad because he too must have made so many sacrifices for the gospel You know he to travel with these people from place to place and he ministered with them He knew the he knew the word of god He's a man who must have prayed spent time in prayer. So he knew the lord personally He must have experienced the touch of the holy spirit And after all this it's so sad This man he goes back into the world. I mean, it's it's it's terrible, you know that When we look at people like this, we should you know Be warned that we can actually fall into the same danger It's not talking about some man who just you know Never really knew the lord or when the number was never really active in ministry or never even knew the word of god No, we're talking about a man who fought shoulder to shoulder with other spiritual giants But this man He goes back into the world And we will not even see him in heaven It's such a really sad thing And so we see that over here in second timothy 4 9 to 10 where it talks about him second timothy chapter 4 Versus 9 and 10 if someone could read out please Do your best to come to me quickly for dimus Because he loved this world has deserted me and gone to tazilonica christen's has gone to galatia and titus to dalmatia Yeah, so this is the last phase of paul's earthly life Uh, now things are getting really bad because the earlier time when he was arrested and placed in Rome Uh, you know things kind of worked out and then he was released from prison And all of that but this time things are not looking good for him this time. In fact, uh, um It looks like the death sentence is going to come through So now people are feeling feeling very delicate about associating with him Because you now you go and sit with him and talk to him and spend time with him The roman authorities are going to start looking at you as well So now actually most people don't even want to be anywhere near paul So one by one they're all kind of moved off, you know to other places and nobody's actually staying with him And so at this time, you know, he actually requests timothy and he says no, please come to me because nobody's standing here with me And I need somebody to help me Uh, you know because these are like literally his last days and so he requests timothy to come And this is what he says about dimus. It's very sad He says dimus because he loved this world has deserted me and gone to thessalonica So here is a man who was pulled away by the attractions of the world Now this should be a warning to us here is a man who had fought for the gospel I mean, you know today doing ministry is not that difficult We have christian organizations with good structures and we operate through those organizations You know, we have funds on our side We have modern travel, you know to to go about from place to place in those days when they were doing ministry That was like literally the first phase of ministry when absolutely no No infrastructure was in place and these guys must have gone through a lot, you know to do the ministry And dimus was someone who made sacrifices knew the lord personally and you know Did all of those things along with the other Other ministers of god a man like that Allowed his he started feeding his flesh to such an extent Where the pull of the world became so strong that he could no longer resist it Must have been a gradual fall and he must have been continuously kept ignoring the warning of the holy spirit And one day the pull of the world was so strong that he just made his break and he said no no more I cannot I don't want to be with this Jesus anymore. I want to go back to the world It can happen, you know to people in full time ministry people who fought for god People who knew the gospel who knew the scriptures it can happen to anyone. So this This should be a warning to us that the you know, when we think of worldly attractions We think I'm definitely not one of those people. I mean, no, I'm not one who are one of those people who chases the world We may think that but you know, if we are careless the way dimus was What happened to him can happen to us. It's so dangerous. So which is why you know, we need to Keep this in mind. So when we come back from the break, we will look at how we can avoid, you know Getting pulled into the world the way dimus was pulled into the world Okay, so we will look at those things when we come back from our break So if we can all log back in at 11 o'clock, please. Thank you