Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:
Good evening, everybody. I'm Pastor Glenn. And for some of you, if you came in the last few weeks, you may not have recognized me, you may not recognize me because I've been gone for three weeks, but good to be home. I've been on vacation with my family in Japan with my wife's family, and it's always a good time to be there. Obviously, you eat more than normal, but you walk more than normal. So kind of the end ends up being about the same. But, you know, the thing is, I don't know if you've ever, you know, when you go on vacation, if you're like me. So often I am working up right to the last minute that I go and I'm trying to get everything done at the same time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:42]:
And so, you know, you're trying to tie up loose ends, and in the midst of all that, then somehow you just jump on the plane and then you end up in a different place. And for me, like, even though it's my wife's family, it's a different city, a different language, a different style, a different pace, different food, all this kind of stuff. And then when you come back, it's kind of like, oh, man, it's like we're back home, right? And so there's these major changes, and I don't know if it's felt like that kind of a change for you. I know this summer is often a vacation season for many of us, and, you know, people taking that time with family, I think that's important to make memories and do all those things. But it was on a trip that Paul the Apostle, we see in the book of acts, in chapter 17, that he comes upon a city called Thessalonica, which is in modern day Greece. And I know that you guys have heard a little bit about this over the last few weeks that we've been looking at the book of First Thessalonians. And part of the reason is because although they were eager to begin their faith, they were great in the start. They had a great start that Paul couldn't stay with them very long.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:06]:
And the reason wasn't because Paul was afraid. It's because the believers in the city were afraid for Paul. There was an uproar as Paul began to preach the gospel. That. That people, not everybody. How many of you have found that not everybody likes it when you follow Jesus wholeheartedly, right? Not everybody likes it. The city didn't like it. The leadership didn't like it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:29]:
People didn't like it. And so Paul was saying, no, I'M staying. And the believers in the city were like, well, you don't know our city, our city. We get crazy over here every once in a while, right? So they had him move on. And Paul continued his journey. But out of sight wasn't out of mind, out of sight wasn't out of heart. And Paul continues to pray for them. He tries to get back together, tries to come back, but we see.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:58]:
And then even last week talked about how yet at the same time the enemy opposed him and frustrated him and blocked him. And although the enemy cannot ever steal your calling, he can definitely get in the place where he kind of slows things down. He can be a roadblock in the way. And so we see him saying this in chapter two, but it begins at the same time he's saying that yet I still have longed to be with you and to encourage you and to find out where you guys are at. And this is not in your notes, but if you want to do me a favor, you take out your Bible. We are turning to first Thessalonians, chapter three, and we're beginning our message this evening, knowing that, to be honest, life always has challenge, but that sometimes we stand in fateful times and we stand in seasons where that there is pressure, that there are problems, that there are challenges, there may be persecution, and that how we can stand firm under pressure. And so in verse one of chapter three, it says that although they were longing to come, although they were desiring to visit again to encourage and support them, that they were frustrated. So he goes on in verse one and says, so when we could stand it no longer, now when somebody says that I could stand it no longer, and you fill in the blank.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:27]:
You know, sometimes when I could stand it no longer. What, what, what does that make you think of? You're frustrated, you get a little angry, right? You're a little. And he says, I when I could stand it no longer, he says, we thought it best that we sent Timothy, who is our brother and our co worker in God's service in spreading the gospel. And we can sense in Paul's voice a concern, a frustration, because he wants to make sure that the people that he has loved, the people that he has encouraged, the people that he shared the gospel with, he wants to make sure that they're able to stand firm under the pressure. And so he sends Timothy. And when you send somebody, who do you send? Do you send kind of like the person that you don't need or you send your best? You know, Paul's sending his best. Paul's sending a brother who's been a co worker and spreading the gospel, and it's somebody he can trust to strengthen and encourage. And so we see as we go on, he says it in verse three so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:37]:
And so he knows there is a potential that when we live in a time that has difficulty, that people can get unsettled by it. You know, right before I left for my vacation, just a couple days before, something happened in the news, and it might seem like a long time ago, but it was when Israel bombed the nuclear enrichment sites in Iran. Right when Israel bombed Iran's nuclear sites. And it's like, oh my gosh, this is kind of like one of those moments that it seems like it's kind of like lighting the match where the fuse is. And it's hard to know what's going to be on the other end of that fuse, right? And then I took off and we had service. We had great Father's Day. We had a great celebration and all that. And the next day I left and man, I'm praying and it's like at the same time, then a few days later we, our country gets in the game and we bomb the nuclear sites.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:44]:
And I was, you know what my concern was? My concern was, how are my brothers and sisters at home? How are, how is our church family at home processing and seeing all of these things? I'm praying for it myself. And I'm sure that you were praying about these kinds of things. Knowing that for some, it can engender fear. For knowing for some, it can maybe be a discouragement. For some, it maybe draws us close. But in the same way, I think Paul wants us to be reminded, expect difficulty. Expect difficulty in life. Be prepared.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:19]:
Because Jesus never promised that the day that you say yes to him, that everything will be easy, everything will be unchallenged, everything will go the way that you want. Instead, he says, be prepared. Because in this life, Jesus said that there's trouble, but take heart, I've overcome the world. And so we ought to be looking to God for it, but we ought to be able to understand that, that sometimes you can't help the challenges that come. But the great choice that we make is how we handle it, right? How we handle it. And there are a few things that I've recognized over time about that when trouble comes, that what helps me to get through them. Sometimes I need to be reminded that in our growth and in our journey with Jesus that sometimes when there's trouble and pains in life. It's not always just opposition.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:13]:
It's not always just persecution. It's not always that the world is going. Sometimes there's things called growing pains. I hope you guys remember growing pains that literally, or if you've had kids and they go through their teenage years and sometimes when they get that growth spurt, they literally. Some kids, they just literally get aches in their joints and aches in their body. And it's as their body and their bones and muscles are growing that there's a. There's sometimes a little bit of a goofiness, sometimes there's a little bit of pain, sometimes there's a little bit of feeling a little off balance. And it's.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:52]:
In those moments, it's not the sign that something. It's wrong. It's the sign that you're growing. But growth often produces discomfort in some way. It produces some new challenge and learning new ways and new ways of handling the stresses and strains of life, new ways in the way that we respond to the circumstances in life. Learning to lean into Jesus and not just doing life or relationships like the world did, like the. Like we've done in the past, right? It's not just indulging your flesh right now, you know, being the vacation season. I know that people have probably.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:32]:
Some people have come home, like myself, from a vacation. Some people are probably getting ready to take a trip somewhere or staycation or, you know, a final hurrah before the kids go back to school. And, you know, when you go and you plan something like that, there's often. It involves time, it involves money, right? And it's trying to get everybody on the same page sometimes. But what happens when you plan something like that that, you know, you're really looking forward to and then something doesn't go your way? You know, maybe you want to go and the park is closed, or maybe you go and it's like you expected good weather and it's raining. Or maybe that, you know, like, you guys ever go. It's like, maybe you guys are too spiritual. You guys are too, like.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:14]:
But maybe you go in and somebody has an attitude. You guys ever get that kind of a thing? And. Or somebody's ungrateful if I'm just like, oh, why are we doing this thing? Right? And. And maybe you get upset, right? And you guys never get upset, right? But, like, you know, we. We visited some places that we haven't been in a long time when we were in Hokkaido, and one of the places we went was this place called noboribetsu and it's the. The place is also called Hell Valley. And part of that is because there's just a lot of geologic things and steam and. And there's no geysers, but there's hot springs and stuff like that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:55]:
But, you know, like, when we were there, we're just taking pictures and it's like sometimes, you know, when people. There's some. A little bit. It's like, why we gotta go to this place and why we gotta do this thing? You know, like in the family, I got mad, and so they took a picture when I got mad. And this is what it looked like when I got mad, right? So it's like, that's how I felt, right? But. And it's like when you get like this, then you wanna take it on like everybody else. And then. So then what happens? Sometimes then it goes to the next person and then they get upset, right? And you know, the thing is that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:28]:
And then it's like, oh, my gosh, we can ruin the whole thing now, to be honest, I didn't get mad. My wife didn't get mad. But you know how those things can happen, that we can get into this place. But we ought to have growing pains to say, you know, we don't handle the problems in our life the way that we used to, right? That we don't lean into a distraction, that instead we lean into God. Because we all face problems, we all face pressures, and at some time we'll all face persecution. And in fact, he says that when we were with you, we kept telling you that you would be persecuted. He says in verse four. And it turned out that way.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:07]:
As you well know now, I think most of us, that when you do something good, how many of us want to say, like, you just want to be. You don't expect everybody to bow down to you, but it's nice to be acknowledged, right? You guys ever let somebody in. In traffic and then what's. What's the standard protocol? Yeah, right. Little wave, right? Some people. Shaka. Right? Some people do this or whatever. Like, I.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:29]:
I noticed that one time we were driving and the. The least. The least amount of energy that somebody. Somebody who did this one time you're driving and it's just like, oh, okay, just a pinky and okay, that's fine. It's like. But he. He gave some acknowled. I was on this trip this last time, and we're in kind of a crowded area coming off the subways and going into this store, and I saw this couple Kind of rushing and I just held the door open for them so, you know, that they didn't have to open the door.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:02]:
And instead of kind of like the little smile or acknowledgement or head nod or bow, they walked by like I wasn't even there, right? They kind of walk by like that was my job. And all of a sudden I was like, I had a good mood when I opened the door. And when they did that, it was like a little bit like, oh, fine, next time, brother, I'm not going to open the door for you. Right? And I don't know anybody ever been like that. Sometimes I just get like, you know, I was in a generous mood and then I'm not so generous in that mood. And the reason is because sometimes we expect that when we do well, that at least there's an acknowledgement, right? At least there's some kind of recognition. But you know, sometimes what happens that when you do something right, actually you can get in trouble for it at times. That's what persecution is, right? That's what persecution is.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:51]:
Sometimes the world, the enemy, that there's pushback even among it. And it's not the sign that you're doing something wrong. Sometimes it's the sign that you're doing everything right. Right? Sometimes it's the sign that you're. That you're following Christ. They did it to Jesus. Guess what he said? They don't do it to us because God never promised it would be easy. And so he reminds them, you know, but.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:18]:
But the thing is the good news, he says that I'm with you all the time. I'll never leaving you. I'm not going to forsake you. Although trouble is not a pleasant part of the Christian life, it's. It's not a detour. It's just part of the journey. Everybody in everybody's life, there's going to be trouble. In everybody's life, there's going to be hard days.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:40]:
In everybody's life, there's going to be dark days, right? So when Jesus said, though, although in this world you will have trouble, he says, take heart because one, I've overcome the world. But he says, also because I'm still with you. I don't know if that's good news for you. It's good news for me. Do me a favor, turn to your neighbor and says, aren't you glad God's always with you? Right? God's always with us. And so sometimes I recognize, yeah, it's growing pains. And sometimes I recognize that, to be honest, I Need reminders and handles so that I can stay rooted and fixed on Jesus. Because if not, sometimes I'm looking at the response of another person.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:24]:
Sometimes I'm looking at the fact that I don't feel like I deserve this response. Sometimes I'm looking at like, why is it going this way? I need to be faithful to God. I need to trust him and stand in Him. But to be honest, sometimes I need more than just my commitment. And I don't know about you, but one of those things that I've seen and I found and what the Word tells us, what God's word tells us is that, how do you do that? Linger in the Word of God and his presence. Linger in the Word of God, of God and His presence. I say it like that because Psalm 119 says this. Can we say it together in verse 92? Let's read.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:05]:
Ready? Begin. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. You see, sometimes if we're not careful and we hit this hard time and we don't find ourselves rooted in God, we don't find ourselves rooted in His Word. We're not holding, holding on to his promises, we're not hearing his voice. Then all of a sudden all you're doing is standing in your own strength, standing in your own commitment. But we need more than my commitment. We need God strengthening me in my commitment. And he says this, that if you're not in the Word of God all of a sudden, that you might be emotionally committed, but you're not spiritually being empowered.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:52]:
So Jesus said that everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a man who's standing and built his house on a rock. It's because the Word of God gives us perspective. The Word of God strengthens my soul and my spirit. And I learn how to lean on the truth and not just my feelings. Paul was concerned that, hey, you know, they went through a hard season. And Thessalonica, yes, a very cosmopolitan city. People from all over the world in this place. But there was a strong kind of a faction that persecuted the church.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:32]:
And so he's concerned. It's like, man, if these guys are just holding on to the freshness of the faith, what happens? What happens when that feeling starts to fade, right? What happens when, you know, you've had a few bad down days in a row? And so he's saying to them, you know what? You got to linger in the Word of God, in his presence. You know, when you're on Vacation maybe like me, that even if you're busy, I'm always making time for the word of God. I am, I'm reading the word. It doesn't matter, I'm on vacation or, you know, I'm in this place. But one of the things that was different for us this trip was some of you guys heard me say that in the past we would go and we'd stay at my mother in law's house. And it was a really big house, much bigger than my house, you know. And it was the first time that we stayed as a family that we went from this three story full basement house with a giant yard to a two bedroom apartment.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:38]:
And there's six of us in the thing and there's hardly any furniture. So to be honest, even though I'm doing my devotions every day, there's no place to kind of like be alone, you know what I mean? Even when we take a bath, to be honest, there's a public bath in the bath on the second floor of this apartment. So like my son and I, we would go and take a bath. And you know what, when you take a bath, you're not by yourself, just like other brothers in that place, taking advantage of you, right? So everybody's transparent, Everybody naked before, no, nevermind. But you know, that's kind of one of those things. But you, you're not alone very much. And sometimes, you know what I found is that even though I'm in the Word and I'm praying sometimes because I didn't get an alone time that I was normally used to, it was like it was harder to hear the voice of God, right? Because I was, I brought myself before the presence. But it was hard to linger in that presence because you're just surrounded.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:36]:
I remember Mother Teresa saying that she would sit in the corner like in the convent and in the missions that would be there sometimes in those places in India that she would literally, she would just put the blanket over her head so that she could linger in the presence of God to get isolation. I wasn't quite ready to do that in my, in my mother in law's place. But the thing is that what you do is lean into God, linger in his Word and his presence. And sometimes you just, sometimes you do need to find that alone time. For some of us you can get that on that drive to work. For some of us it's that sitting, that sitting in your car maybe for a few minutes before you head back in the house or when you're sitting on the bus, you Know to take that time and just process that time with God. Process your life with God. Be able to listen to him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:38]:
I found a greater ease in doing that once we got back home. But, you know, the thing is, we don't develop roots when everything's easy. When everything's easy, there's a lot of green leaves, and we look good and fresh. But it's those difficult times that cause us to grow deeper. And that's when you need to find your roots in God, His Word and his presence. And at the same time, Paul was recognizing that you need to lean on the family of faith, right? Because when you go through a hard time and when hard times really come, sometimes some of us, we have this tendency to pull away from everybody. To pull away from everybody, right? But the reality is, it's counterintuitive because the thing that we need to do the most is not pull away from people, it's draw near to people. The Apostle Paul knew that that was a tendency.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:41]:
Apostle Paul knew that even if I couldn't be there myself. What did he do? When you cannot do what you want, do what you can, right? All of us, there's times that you cannot do what you want. The time doesn't allow it. Your job doesn't allow it. School doesn't allow it, right? Finances don't allow it. What do you do when you can't do what you want? You do what you can, right? You do what you can. So what does Paul do? He said, I cannot be. In fact, the enemy prevented me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:12]:
I tried. I tried. And so instead, what does he do? He says he sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage the believers, right? And it's a reminder for us to not isolate that when you go through a time like this, don't try to suck it up and just do it yourself. Don't push people away. Let people walk with you, right? Because the church is not made to be a gathering of spectators. It's meant to be a family of followers of Jesus. It's meant to be a family of overcomers or survivors, right? Because the question becomes, if you're isolated, who's speaking into your life? Is it your fears? Is it the enemy? Is it the world? Is it tv? Is it Netflix? Is it whatever? What are we letting speak into our lives when the pressure's on? Can I ask you that? Who speaks into your life when the pressure's on? Right? Who speaks into your life that we need to let others, followers of Jesus speak into their lives? You know, the other thing I found is that at Times when there is the fire that's happening around us that you need to. You and I, we need to let the fire refine us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:41]:
You can't always put the fire out because sometimes that fire is meant to refine us and not just something to be avoided. You know, when the prophet Isaiah speaks, he says that you'll walk through the fire and not be burned. He didn't say you'll run away from the fire. He doesn't say that I put out all the fires that are around you. He says, you will walk through the fire at times, but you won't be burned, you won't be consumed, you won't be overwhelmed. Because we understand that when fire comes, when the heat comes and the pressures of life happen, that it can, it says, produce something in us. Let's read what it says in James 1, 3, 4. Let's read what it says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:30]:
Ready? Let's read. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. When the fire, when the temperature goes up in life, be reminded God's trying to produce in us perseverance. Then let it refine you. Let it shape you. Let it mold you. Good news is that although there's painful things in life that God never wastes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:08]:
The pain, God never wastes a hurt is often in those moments that we shape our character, that our faith is deepened, our compassion grows because we know what it's like to have been in those situations. Like gold in the fire, it is refined. And things that were in the mix of it becomes more. More purified and the impurities can be swept away. It's called dross. When a metal is refined and the impurities come to the surface. Because your faith matters. It matters to you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:56]:
And the reality is it matters to others. Our faith matters. In fact, he says it like this. In verse six of. Of chapter three, he says, but Timothy has. Has just now come to us from you and has brought good news. Let's say the word good news. What's good news about your faith and love? He's telling me now that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us just as we long to see you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:27]:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution, we were encouraged about you because of your faith. You know, when you have a faith that follows Jesus, it doesn't just encourage you, it encourages other people. Right. In fact, when Paul sent Timothy to them, it says that, you know what Paul was continuing his missionary journey we had mentioned. Right. And so he faced stonings, and not the fun kind, but he faced troubles along the way. And so he went through these things time and time again. It's not like just at Philippi, I mean, just at Thessalonica or just at Philippi.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:15]:
He encountered this repeatedly. But he says that when I heard how you guys are walking with God, how you guys are standing strong, how that you remember us and how we. We tended to you like a. It says a mother cares for her nursing, cares for her children, says that it warmed our hearts, it encouraged us. You know, Timothy's report brought joy and comfort to Paul and to his friends who were traveling with him. And, you know, sometimes when you minister to somebody and you minister to somebody, that you need to be refreshed, right. That you can pour into other people. How many of you guys, you would consider yourself an encourager? Raise your hand.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:02]:
Okay, maybe half. Half of us. And some of us, I think all of us. How many of us need encouragement from time to time. Okay. Well, I guess some of us don't even need encouragement. No, I'm just kidding. But like, you know, the thing is we.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:17]:
I think we all need encouragement. We. But, you know, when you're an encourager, when you're pouring in every once in a while sometimes, you know what people don't always notice? That encouragers need to be encouraged from time to time. Right. And that people who pour into others need to be poured into. But when you. When you walk with God, when you walk with God, when you honor God, when you're a person who leans into him, that you know what ends up happening, you get encouraged just by hearing about or others get encouraged just seeing the fact that you've walked through a difficult season, that you're still hanging tight, that you're still holding on to Jesus, that you're still following him, is it because everything is easy? No. But somehow you'll get refreshed by it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:10]:
And. And Proverbs tells us like this. It says it like this in Proverbs 11:25. It says, A generous person will prosper. And whoever refreshes others, what will be refreshed, right? You yourself will be refreshed. And so even if you're a person, that you're an encourager and you're finding yourself, man, it's a difficult road. Keep on investing in others. You know what God says, one day you'll be refreshed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:43]:
And sometimes you're refreshed because you'll see the fruit of your ministry. Sometimes you'll be refreshed because that you'll see the kindness that you gave multiplied out and you recognize like this would never have happened had I held back. This would never have happened unless I had reached out. That would never have happened if I hadn't taken that phone call and if I hadn't opened that door, if I hadn't stood with this person. And it, you know what it does? It fills you because the faith is not just personal, it's meant to be communal. Paul said it like this at one point, that I long to get together with you, that you may be encouraged by my faith and. And that I may be encouraged by yours. You see, the walking with Jesus is personal, but it's not supposed to be private.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:40]:
That makes sense. We're supposed to encourage one another. Do me a favor and turn to your neighbor and just says, I want to encourage you today. Right, right. And, and, and during the, sometime in the day, some during, sometime in our, in, in our gathering, maybe we're going to have a meal after this. We're going to have a time to worship a little bit more, but we're going to have a meal, we're going to have a time of fellowship. And you know, I want to encourage you that if you can, if at all possible, spend a few minutes, take some time and get to know somebody, pray for someone, encourage someone that, you know what, just listen to someone's story. Right? And it's in those moments that it's not just personal, it's communal.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:25]:
Because the endurance and faith that when you hold tight and you reach out, you know what, sometimes you're going to give somebody just the energy they needed to get to the place where God's bringing them sometimes to just get through the season, that's been overwhelming. And so, you know, when we were traveling in Japan, when we were staying there, it's, it's usually, you know, I love to fellowship with some of my friends and some of the churches that they lead and. But, you know, some things were a little bit more difficult in the planning. And so we weren't able to go the first couple weeks that I was there to church. And so on the last week, just before I left, we did get to go to church and it was great. You know, then they had celebrated their son's wedding and, you know, they had traveled and was just nice everybody to be together. And it was just. We were able to be there in a real big weekend for them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:26]:
But when we're in Japan, I don't know if you guys know this about me, but I don't really speak Japanese. Right. And so when you're worshiping that, if they're not singing an English song that has been translated into Japanese, Right. I have no idea what they're singing in general. Right. Even if you can speak, sometimes it's different to read something or to hear something spoken, but when you hear music, it's harder to catch. And so this is my secret that whenever I go and worship is I bring my phone and I turn on Google Translate and I hold it up to the screen. So even if I cannot understand the words that they're singing, I know what the song is saying.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:10]:
Right. But, you know, that day, for whatever the reason, Google Translate was stupid. No, I mean, I'm not sure what was happening, but it wasn't working. It wasn't connecting. And so I couldn't understand what was going on. And, you know, I was frustrated in the beginning, and. And it. Some people, you know, if they're looking at me, they might think, why is that man trying to take a picture of the.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:31]:
The lyrics of the song? Or. But I'm just. I'm just trying to get a feel what this thing is. And, you know, when I got. Because that was my normal thing that I do if I don't know the song, and. Because sometimes I'm in that place and even though I cannot sing, I read the words and I'm so moved, and I just worship in my own language or sometimes in my prayer language, and I just bring myself before God. And so I just was reminded. It's.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:00]:
It's not about. It's not about the words. It's about God, you know, And I. I just put my phone away and I just said, you know, I'm gonna. I'm gonna just sing not loud, to throw everybody else off. I'm just gonna sing my own words and whatever I think this song is about, and I'm gonna just worship God by myself. And. And as we're doing this, and I.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:22]:
And I see people and I feel people worshiping man. I just felt the spirit of God, you know, and it's like one of those times, it's like, maybe I haven't been like that in a little while where, you know, just like, tears coming down your eyes. And it's not because you're sad, right? And it's not because you're overwhelmed, but you just sense the presence of God. And it's like, oh, whatever it is that you've been carrying, you just Feel like, oh, my gosh, I can just. I can leave it. All right? And we sense his presence. And I looked at my son, and my son looked at me like, dad, you okay? You know? But it's that moment because I long to be with the people of God. I have my own walk, I have my own family.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:06]:
I can be encouraged with. But you know what, to be honest, it's community as much as personal, this faith that we have. And so the last thing on this kind of point is just embrace that there's more for you. Embrace that there's more for you. Because no matter how much that you've walked with Jesus, no matter how much you've come to know him, would you know that God has more for you still? That you're not at the end of your game? You know, you don't have to just be the remember when? Kind of guy, hey, remember when we were doing this thing and we were serving God and we did this mission? Or remember? Those things are great to remember, but would they not simply. Would you know that the best days are not just behind you, they're in front of you as well. The apostle Paul says this. Now may our God and Father.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:55]:
He begins to pray. Paul prays, and he says, now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. So he's praying, obviously, that I'll see you face to face again and say, may the Lord make your love increase. Let's say the word increase, right? What does that mean? Increase? To grow, right? To expand, to go beyond where you are in the moment. And he says an overflow. Let's say that word overflow. And we've talked about that. What is overflow? Overflow means more than you can contain yourself, right? Would it flow in you and through you? Would it flow into your life and fill you? But at the same time, would it go around you as well? And for everyone else, just as ours does for you? May he strengthen your hearts so that you'll be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holiness ones.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:06]:
And there's a picture about Paul by his prayer saying that when he's saying, I want to come to Thessalonica, he's saying, would God clear the path? He's trusting God to clear the path. It's sort of. Maybe in football it would be like the line creating the opening for you to run when you see daylight, right? If it's like a business kind of a Setting maybe we think in terms of the. When you're. When you're hitting a. You're hitting a wall and you can't get to a decision maker to be able to kind of move forward on a project. But it's like you. You call your friend and your friends has the in.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:51]:
And your friend makes the way for you. He makes the connection. That's what Paul's praying. He's saying, you know, I so long, so deeply long to come to you and, and I'm trusting that God's going to be the one that's going to get past the gatekeeper and open the door. And he's talking about this aspect then, that when you're filled and in the summer at times that when we get busy and when we've been traveling or maybe when, you know, maybe other people are. And you're still just been grinding away, right? That God wants to fill you, not just to sustain you, but to increase, to overflow you. Can I ask you today, are you increasing? Good, my brother, Are you overflowing? And if you aren't, maybe linger in the presence of God. Linger in his word.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:51]:
Allow others to speak into you as maybe you speak into others lives. Romans 5, 5 reminds us that God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The only thing is that we never want to do is when God's pouring, never do this. I'm good, right? Never put your hand over the cup. Never put your hand over your heart. Say, God, I'm good. Because sometimes we know when God increases and he overflows is that we get changed and we get transformed a little bit more to look a little bit more like Jesus. And I don't know about you, but I know I'm not who I used to be.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:38]:
I know that. I hope you know that as well. You're not who you used to be. But we're not who we're gonna be yet. For that to happen, he needs to keep pouring in. Need to increase. Would it overflow? He goes on and he says this. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:07]:
When our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones, Paul prays for strength of heart. It's not about keeping rules. It's not about ticking the boxes. Have you done this every day? It's about being excited for when he comes. You know, I get to the privilege to help couples and you know, a fair amount of people throughout the years to tie their lives Together in marriage. And, you know, one of the things that we do when people get married, we do premarital, and we do all these things, and we walk with people through things, and you get to see them deal with challenges and prepare for married life, and that's always a fun time. But you also get to see people really prepare for their wedding day. And, you know, one of those things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:07]:
Sometimes there's stresses and strains with that and planning and all that. But you know what? They also. Sometimes I'm looking at the couple and I go like, hey, you looking good? Are you losing weight? Because, like. And sometimes it's like, oh, yeah, I want to make sure I fit my wedding dress right? Or I've talked to people. Yeah, I've been working out at this time. I had one couple said that, yeah, we really wanted to look good for our wedding. So we're on Ozempic. Oh, okay.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:38]:
But, you know, the thing is, I thought, like, wow, they're really going for it on this thing. But why do they do that? It's not just because they want to look good for pictures, right? It's not that they do want to look good for pictures, but they anticipate that on that wedding day, that when they stand together and then on a honeymoon, right, when we're just with each other, I want to just. I want to be my best. Right? That's what they're thinking. And so what Paul's telling us is that my prayer is that when you see all the world and is all this craziness that's going on, be watchful. Press into God and let him work in you as well as through you. Because in that way, you're getting prepared. You're seeking his face, and you're longing for that moment that when you stand before Him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:46]:
And we know that in that moment when we stand before him, we'll be naked before Him. I don't know if that means literally or figuratively, but he'll see everything that's in my heart, everything that's in my mind, everything that I've done. And although I will never be sinless, I can sin less. I can be changed. I can be transformed. Because holiness is not about rules. It's about being dedicated to Christ. It's trying to cooperate with what he's doing to change and transform us to look a little bit more like him, day by day, to be in the image of Christ.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:38]:
So what do we do? We trust Him. We seek Him. Right. We strengthen ourselves. We reach out to others. Right. Don't let the world dictate how you walk with Jesus, Right? Don't let the world tells you how. Does the world tell you this is all you? Right? You know, sometimes it's.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:04]:
Yeah, it's supposed to be personal, but it's meant to be part of a community. Amen. Hey, let's bow our heads. We're going to close in a final word of prayer. This, Father, as we come before you, we know that even now, Lord, you know everything about us. And sometimes, Lord, when life gets busy and. And maybe it's we've been grinding it out even when others have had a rest, and sometimes when we're getting weary and sometimes we're not taking notice of our heart so much. But today, Lord, Would you search our hearts today, Father, because I thank you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:49]:
What you said that you want to do is that you want to increase, Lord. You want to overflow through people's hearts. Father, I thank youk. That's not just Paul's prayer. It's yous heart, Lord, that people would be filled to overflowing, not just simply for themselves. But, Lord, that because we live in a time and in a season when others need, you'd just as much as we do. But would you quiet your heart before him? And. And maybe there's a place where you're just saying, God, there's a part in my heart.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:28]:
I just need you to pour in. I need you to. I need to come alongside you. Or maybe that you would come alongside me, Lord, there's a place. I need a refreshing, I need a filling. And would you just be. Would you just tell him what you need? Would you just bring who you are before him? Maybe you're at this place and just say, lord, it's been a while, but I just bring myself before you. And I come with no pretense.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:03]:
I'm not coming with all my talent. I'm not coming because of my gifting. I'm coming because I'm a child of God. And Father, I thank you that when we come as your sons and when we come as your daughters, and we come by the blood, Lord, we don't come by our performance. We don't come by our resumes. Father, we come by the blood. We're thankful that we find a grace and a strength and a renewal. Father, we're thankful that you are faithful in the good times, and you'd're faithful in the hard times, Father.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:46]:
We're thankful that you prepare us and you shape us. And even in the difficult seasons, Lord, you're refining as well as providing. So, Father, we're praying that covering over each of our brothers, over each of our sisters, Father, over each of our families. God, we're leaning into you today with our heads bowed, eyes closed. If you've never said yes to Jesus, you know, maybe this is the opportunity for you that you notice all the things happening in the world. And sometimes we don't like to see all the things that's happening in the world because it's a scary thing. But to be honest, the Lord's promise is not that it's always going to get better, but he says, I'm going to overcome the world. And if you want to be able to stand in this moment, would you know that God says the only way you can is when the grace of God fills your heart, fills your life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:50]:
He loves you. He made you and he made you to be part of his family. But it's only you get to choose that. It's only you that said, God, I want to be part of your family. God, I want to be youe son. I want to be youe daughter. Because although he made us, we have to make that choice. If you've never done that before, I'd love to be able to pray with you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:14]:
It's a very simple prayer. We come humbly and we come sincerely. And the words, the words can change. But what we recognize is that we need you, Jesus, because we're not perfect, because we sin, because we mess up in life. But thank you, Jesus, that you died for me. Would you come live inside me today? I put my trust in you and Father, that this morning or this evening as we come, we're coming simply, we're coming home humbly before you. And if you're praying this prayer, would you just pray along something like it? Jesus, I confess I need you. Thank you for dying in my place.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:07]:
Come live inside me today. Forgive me of my sin. I put my trust in you. Thank you for calling me. I'm choosing you because you chose me first. Help me to become who you created me to be. In Jesus name, Amen. Hey, can we say congratulations to those folks? Hey, God bless you guys.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:38]:
Enjoy the rest of the evening. Thanks for joining us.