Bend or Be Bent

Take your Bibles if you would please and turn to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 3 and verses 14 to 21. The same scriptures that were read to you today in this joint service in both English, Spanish, and Portuguese. And so I welcome you all today to our first annual joint service with all of the congregations here on the campus. This is God's campus. Amen. It is so good to see you. I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time, and perhaps at our next annual service, Pastor Roberto will preach. And then at the third annual service, perhaps Pastor Willie will preach, so you can say that you are at the first annual joint service. And so welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 14 starts off with a particular phrase, "I bow my knees." I want to capitalize on that today and bring to you a message entitled "The Bodily Attitude of Bowing." Your life projects a particular persona and an attitude. The light that shines through you is very evident to others if you are of Christ. And that is a particular posture. And Paul here identifies the fact that he bows. Look with me if you would please in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14, and we'll read all the way to verse 21. The Bible says, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up with all the fullness of God, and now to Him who was able to do far more abundantly and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." This message today has a particular thrust, a push, and that is bend and bow or be bent.

Bow or be bent. And I'll prove it to you. And so we are, as this message unfolds, going to look at that particular thrust. But there are perhaps four exegetical thoughts that I'd like to share with you up front to perhaps tease you to continue to study this passage. And number one, we are to bow and pray for those we oversee. And so whether you are a pastor who's on a mission to plant churches like Paul, a missionary, an elder who is overseeing congregations and firing them up, he's praying for them. And so whomever you are in charge of via God, whether you're a mother, a grandmother, a father, you're to pray for those people whom you are overseeing. And then secondly, during personal tribulations, we are to pray, get it, for others. And so Paul here, going through a tribulation and reliving his tribulation times, pushes to pray for the Ephesian church in this wonderful way as we just read. And so by observation, you too should pray for others while you're going through a trial.

And then thirdly, not to bow and pray is to do God's work in your own strength. Hear me there. If you do not bow your posture and pray to God and you just continue on in your own strength, it is almost as if you are telling God, "I don't need you." And there's a correction in Revelation for those who do not need God. And then fourthly, think about this: those who have not been bent by God, those who have not been forced to bow, to come to the realization that God sent His only Son to pay for all — not some, all — of the debt and the punishments that you and I deserve. If you haven't been forced to realize that, if that idea has not been put in you by God, if you have not been forced to bow, if you have not been bent low toward God, if those who have not been bent by God do not bow before God, they will one day bow, because like we were just saying, every knee shall bow. We're going to explore that a little bit today.

So I ask you, has your life been interrupted like the Apostle Paul's life was interrupted on a Damascus road? Have you been touched by God, interrupted, and has your life course changed? Has God bent you in a different direction? Has your direction in life been changed? Have you, in other words, been saved? Has God reached down and changed you? Has He given you a new heart? Our natural and normal pursuits in life are always aimed at seeking what gratifies the self. We're born into this world natural sinners. It's the inclination to cry when we don't get what we want. And if we don't grow out of the crybaby stage, then you'll be a 60-year-old baby still crying for the things that you want to get. Unless God from heaven reaches down and changes your heart and gives you a new heart, has your will, the direction of your life, been bent or changed in a different direction? Have you been bent in such a way that you've been turned to Christ, and now you seek Christ whereas before you did not seek Christ, nor did you obey His word? If you have been bent in a different direction, if your life course has been changed, then you're a Christian. But if you have not been changed, if your life course is still in the same course as it was when you were a baby, crying for the things that you want in self-service and self-seeking.

Here in the passage, by observation, Paul is writing to those in Ephesus, and Ephesus is filled with secular entertainment, sinful indulgence, intellectual pride, and pursuit of wealth. These things are very obvious if you study the context of Ephesus, because there's an Ephesian theater, there's a world-renowned temple of Diana or Artemis, there's a world-class library of Celsus, and then obviously the commercial trade route that goes straight through Ephesus that connected continents. And so it was a place where wealth could be acquired. It kind of sounds like self-serving central Florida, doesn't it? Everything underneath the sun is here in central Florida for us to seek in the flesh, to keep you distracted from God and away from Him. You can choose to do everything or anything you want other than come to church. Here in central Florida, just by quickly pinning these things down, I thought, well, what can we do instead of seeking God? We could go for an airboat ride, we could go swimming with the manatees, you can go to Disney and Kissimmee, you can go kayaking in the springs, you can see shows at SeaWorld, you can ride go-karts at Fun Spot, you can ride roller coasters at Universal, you can go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you can go to Discovery Cove, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Springs, the beaches, Kennedy Space Center, rodeos, football at the Citrus Bowl, soccer, monster truck shows, International Drive, Crayola Experience, Legoland, Andretti, Machine Gun Experience, Old Town, Daytona — just to name a few.

But if that is the course of your life, if you live for those secular pursuits, if that's what you're all about, if you haven't been bent away from secular society to Christ, then you're not saved. If the ambition of your heart is not for Christ, if you do not enjoy Bible study more than going to a football game, I would dare say, check your soul. This is important. If the motives of your heart and the ambition of your heart have not been changed to where you enjoy going to church, and you enjoy worship, and you enjoy prayer and fellowship, giving and serving and loving and learning and singing and teaching and preaching, if you don't enjoy that better, then there's a big possibility you have not had that life-changing experience of salvation. You have not been bent towards Christ, because none seek Him, the Bible says. None seek Christ. But if you do, then God put that in you. And now it is the best thing ever to go to church. Whenever God's people congregate, I want to be there, don't you?

Wherever there's a Bible study, wherever there's fellowship, wherever there's food — I just happened to be meandering with my assistant pastor Calvin one night after a ministry event here, and we kind of smelled something in the air, and there was a men's ministry going on on the other side of campus. It was the Brazilian men, and they were cooking steak at like 9:30. I'm like, "Oh, wow, you guys are super spiritual. I love steak at like 9."

And then another time after church, I meandered over to the Spanish congregation, and I saw all this food. I'm like, "Man, you know what's rude? Not to eat what you've been served."

All you've got to do is walk around and enjoy what God is doing here at this campus. There are amazing things. 2 Corinthians 5:9 says this: "We make it our aim to please Him." We're not pleasing ourselves. We're not running around central Florida — self-serving central Florida — and all of the things that we have that we can do instead of God. You know, when you specifically choose to serve Christ, it wasn't originally your desire because none seek Him, but God gave you that desire. And when you yield to that desire, it is the best life here on earth, and that's not a Joel Osteen message. Your best life is seeking Christ, and Christ gave you that desire, and it's absolutely amazing.

I'm guaranteeing you that the Apostle Paul in his carnal state would have never bowed down to the perceived revolter Jesus Christ. In fact, he would have crucified Him instead. But here in verse 14, look with me: "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father." Paul's knees buckled in prayer. You see, normally for Jewish men, it was more reverent to stand and pray and even sway in prayer. But on occasion, when they were overwhelmed with emotion, then they would bow their knees and pray, and from the standpoint of their knees being bent and their neck being bent, and in that humble and low, reverent position, they would continue in an overwhelmed state of prayer. In that privilege of praying in that state of humility, now Paul is starting to reflect upon the tribulations that he has gone through. You see in verse 14, it says, "For this reason I bow down." And a good Bible student is going to ask the question, "What reason?"

Well, look with me in verse 13. It's very clear: "Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory." And so the tribulations that Paul is going through and has gone through are what's on his mind as he is glorifying God. But you see, there's a little bit more to this. And we'll get into that just a little bit more, because there's an association between how the Ephesian church is feeling at the moment while he's writing this letter, as to why Paul brings this word "tribulation" up. And I'll share it with you. But for now, in this position of humility and lowliness, God then lifts Paul up, and he is able to confidently pray to the sovereign King for the Ephesian church. And so while you're going through tribulations, you should be praying for those whom you are over, like Paul was praying for this dear congregation.

And these points in this prayer are just amazing. One of the highest points of this prayer is when God allows him to enter into what is perhaps understood as an intimate relationship with Him in prayer, because he uses the word "Father." Father indicates a divine allowance of intimacy. God allowed you to come into His presence. God allowed you. He opened the door. He drew you and He brought you in into this intimate relationship. And he describes this as indescribable. When the Apostle Paul mentions this in verse 20, he says it's beyond what you could even imagine or think. And so it is a mind-blowing experience to be in the presence of God and to be overwhelmed with His presence as you are praying for others in the middle of your tribulation, in the middle of your trial. It's almost as if God turns up the heat in your life so that you will bow and pray. Don't we get a whole lot more praying done while we're hurting?

Well, verse 16 starts with the Greek word "hina," which is "that." Look with me: "That he would." And as this prayer unfolds, this Greek word is used three more times. My two favorite words in the Word of God are "so that." "So that" are my favorite words because they indicate action steps that gain results. You see clearly what the emphasis of the passage is leaning to, and it describes what everything is being said for. "So that." And as Paul prays and uses these words "so that" or "that" — "hina" — he is asking God that the Ephesian church would have inner spiritual strength.

Don't we need that? Not to buckle in times of pressure. We need to be steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, not only outwardly but also inwardly. And that comes from Christ. That comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. And he's praying Holy Spirit power. He's not only praying that; he's praying that they'd have Christ in their heart and that they would be rooted in God's love, and to be able to know the love of Christ, and to be filled with the fullness of God. This is a petition to God that the Holy Spirit would provide inner power for their being. And I'm telling you, you can stand against the giants in this life if you have been empowered by God. And it starts with prayer. It starts with prayer and reading the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit filling you up so that you are unmovable in your inner being. "Lord, keep my guts stable. Lord, keep my heart from pounding. Lord, keep my conscience clear. Lord, keep my mind clear. Lord, keep the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart aiming at You, no matter what's going on."

Hey, if you're doing anything for God, you know that Satan's going to oppose you, right? And so you need Holy Spirit power in the inside of your being, just like Paul is praying for the Ephesians, because of the temptation of Diana's temple for all the men to go fulfill their sexual lust. Paul is praying for the Ephesian church so that the men don't get involved in all of these other secular pursuits that are so readily available there in Ephesus. And we pastors and we fathers and mothers need to be praying for everyone who is within our fold and within our family, that we would have inner strength to stand against the evil day. It's getting worse all around us. So Paul prays for these wonderful people to be alive in Christ and not, like Ephesians 2:1 says, "Dead in your trespasses and your sins."

Now, in order to be brought up, first of all, you must be brought down. Is that not a biblical truth? And the Bible says that every knee will bow. Now in verse 14, "For this reason I bow my knees." Bow in the Greek is "kamptō," and it means bent. If you have an ESV, it actually uses the word "bent," literally. So it's the idea of bending oneself in honor of another. Literally, the posture of your life is being bent to honor another — that being God. Literally, who you are not only is bowing and bending in prayer, but the attitude of your being. Who you are is bent. Bent towards God. Somebody asks you a question, they already know what you're going to say — it's something biblical — because you're bent towards God.

If the attitude of your heart and the mind and everything is invested in Christ, then you have a predisposition. That is, your Owner owns you, and you're of Christ. And so Paul bows here. The motive that he has is bent to comply to God's will. To bow means to submit your heart's intentions to another. And so visually you can see the person who is bent towards God actually kneeling down and praying regularly. Visually you can see one who is bent towards God going to church, carrying their Bible, telling people about Jesus, personally discipling others, doing everything that the Bible says. You can actually see them singing. I have seen with my own eyes people who call themselves Christians, but they never bring their Bible to church and they never open their mouth during singing. Hey, I have a news flash for you: just because you come to church, it does not mean you're a Christian. It just means you come to church.

Your inner being is what Paul is talking about here. He bows, not just his knees, but his inner being bows before God. And because he does that, he is also able to pray for the Ephesian church the same things that he experiences. You think Paul would pray for the Ephesian church out of something that he knows nothing of? He knows what it is to be filled with God. He knows what it is to have his inner being strengthened against his foes, to be able to stand against his foes. He knows what it is to know the love of God. Paul knows these things, and he is able to pray these things because he has bowed his knees in prayer. Now, it is evident that the one who has bowed — by the words of their mouth, and the motives of their heart, and the fruit of their labor, and the direction of their life — is that they are Christians. They are humble, they're meek, they're gentle, they have a servitude attitude. Get this: they are patient when persecuted.

You don't lash out when someone lashes at you; you turn the other cheek. You don't fire back some aggressive words when someone is coming at you. In fact, you consider your life to be a cross-like lifestyle. And did not Jesus say, "Unless you take up your cross, you cannot follow Me"?

We are to be, living on display, those who are able to be crucified — crucified on display. Your sacrificial life on display is a testimony for those who are lost. And now, as I start to transition, I want to emphatically say that we all must bend or be bent. Interesting, huh? And so you can bend the knee voluntarily, or you can be forcibly bent. It's your choice. Now, turn to Isaiah chapter 45 verse 21. You may be saying, "Prove that, preacher." I'm glad you think that. I want you to see for yourself in Isaiah chapter 45 verse 21 all the way to 23.

The Bible says that every knee will bow. Isaiah 45:21. And feel free to say that in Spanish or in Portuguese. I don't know how.

Isaiah 45 and verse 21 says, "Declare and set forth your case. Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior. There is none except Me." Verse 22: "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and I will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." And now when the Bible says "every," it just simply means every. No hard exegetical word studying needed here. Every knee will bow.

In Romans chapter 14 verses 10 and 11 it says, "For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, for it is written, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee shall bow to Me and every tongue shall give praise to God.'" Turn to Philippians chapter 2 if you would like to see this with me, because the Bible says again in verse 10 that every knee will bow. Now, when you have a phrase that is repeated in the Bible, pay close attention, because there is emphasis being brought down to this concept. Every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. In Philippians chapter 2, I'm going to read from verses 5 all the way down, but I want you to see verse 10 for sure. Philippians 2:5 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." This is such a parallel to our life. I hope you hear me reading this as a description of who you are.

"You're humble and you're obedient even to the point of death, as a martyr, even death on a cross." And then verse 9: "For this reason also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus" — here it is — "every knee will bow." Interesting, isn't it? You see it in the Old Testament. You see it in the New Testament. Every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Uh-oh. We have a whole new subject coming up now, because the Bible says that every knee will bow, and it actually gives the location: in heaven and on earth and under the earth. This is so fascinating. In case you're wondering, okay, every knee — who does that include? Everybody? Well, yes. And it's even described here in these three different locations.

And in verse 11 it says, "And that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father." I'm going to read down to verse 15 for you: "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."

Now, every knee will bow, and those who voluntarily bow now have these attributes that we're talking about here — humility and obedience and abiding in the Word. By the way, Romans 11:4 says, "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." And so today you can bow to Christ, or perhaps you may not even know it, you have already bowed to Baal. Have you bowed to your selfish inclinations? Have you been changed? Have you been turned? Have you been given a new heart?

Listen to me. There are stubborn people within the walls of your everyday church congregations. There are those within the walls who come whenever the doors are open who are not saved. Listen, listen to me. The Bible says, "Every knee will bow."

Yes, that's talking about your actual knees, but more importantly now, it's talking about your inner being. You will bow. Bend or be bent. Those who are in heaven, those who are on earth, and those who are under the earth. Now, I'm concerned — listen — this verse clarifies that not all who just believe Jesus is God's Son go to heaven. The Bible says that the demons believe and tremble. Are the demons going to heaven? No, but they believe.

Seriously, I ask you: are you misguided? Are you fooled? Do you think that you are a Christian?

Now, people and demons — even Satan — will be forced one day, under the sovereign power of our King, our Ruler, to bend their stiff necks and worship Jesus. I'm going to ask you today to not be unbending.

Isaiah 48:4 calls out the Israelite stubbornness. It says, "For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron, and your heads are as hard as bronze."

So listen to me. God's Word, according to Hebrews 4:12, can penetrate your heart and soul. It can get all the way in there. But be not hard-hearted. Don't shield-block today's message. If you're stubborn, if you're hard-headed, the people around you know — God knows. Just yield. Be saved. Place your faith and trust in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross for your sin.

Why not bow now? Because you will eventually bow, because every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Those in heaven — the holy angels, the saints of old, all the redeemed who have ever lived — their knees bow, their posture is bowed, they're worshipping Jesus. Those on the earth, both the converted and the non-converted, they will bow. This is the second group. The third group: under the earth. Now that's interesting. The unconverted people, the demons, the fallen angels — all of this group who are awaiting their sentencing — they will bow. They will confess Christ as Lord. So I ask you this question: what will it take for you to bow your knees before it's too late?

Notice with me the why behind the what in Paul's bowing. Back to Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 14. Ephesians 3:14 says, "For this reason I bow my knees." And again I say to you, in verse 13 it says that it is because of the tribulations. Now Paul's tribulations that led to this current incarceration originated in Jerusalem. Follow me now, because this is connecting Paul in prison to the Ephesians to whom he is writing now. Paul's tribulations that led to his current situation originated in Jerusalem, and his charges were this: that Paul brought a Greek into the temple and supposedly defiled it. In Acts chapter 21 and verse 28 it says, "Men of Israel, come to our aid. This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the law in this place. And besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." So that is the original charge for which Paul was charged in Jerusalem, and then he ends up where he's at now. Now how do I know that this is the tribulation that Paul is referring to? Well, that's great, and I'm glad you asked.

In verse 29 it says, "For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian." Oh, what a really good clue. Does this spark your curiosity?

"Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him." Hmm, this is great. Well, not so much for the Ephesians, because they know that their own Trophimus and his association with Paul caused him to get a beating in verses 30 and 32.

In verse 32 it ends with beating Paul. And so the Ephesians know that simply because of who they are in Christ and their association with Paul caused him to get a beating. Would that not really cause you sorrow — if because of who you are in Christ it caused maybe a child or a close friend to go to jail? Wouldn't you think about that a lot? Wouldn't that still be heavy on your mind if your friend, because he was a friend of yours, was in jail and got beaten? So did Paul bring a Gentile into the Jewish temple? The Scriptures don't say. But even if he did, it would be congruent with Paul's beliefs, because the veil has been torn and both the Gentiles and the Jews are able to come into the presence of God now. He would believe that. He would actually bring a Gentile. But both groups are now saved in Christ, Ephesians 2:14 says. In fact, the Jewish temple now is not the holy temple — the building. It is those who are in Christ, which are His holy temple. Ephesians 2:20 and 21 say that. And so the temple now is the Christians. They are the church.

But this whole situation with the Ephesians mourning because of their part in his beating and eventual imprisonment causes him now to reflect upon his tribulations. And he says, now for this reason I bow my knees. Now let me ask you this question: do you view your tribulations like Paul views his tribulations?

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father." This is a high view of God's sovereignty. This is a high view of the fact that God is in control of the minute details of your life. And in fact, the Bible says in Psalm 119:71, "It was good for me that I was afflicted." Do you have that opinion of God? Do you inwardly have that confidence that the tribulations that you have are for a purpose, and God is working all things for His glory, and you're good? Paul does. And now he comforts the Ephesians with this fact here. I bow my knees in prayer because of those tribulations. I am overwhelmed with what God is doing in my life, to the point where I bend my knees and I bend my neck and I just give God praise. And I pray for you and I thank you. And so now the Ephesians are comforted by this.

And I just want to say that solid Christians understand that their trials are for them and not against them, and they're made better and not bitter through the hard things in life. And I can see — and Pastor Willie can see and Pastor Roberto can see — as true Christians are sanctified by the Word of God and they keep their hands to the plow and they continue in Christianity, that they go through hardships but they are made better because of that and not bitter. Seriously, over the scope of ministry, it is so evident that true Christians can go through serious trials, but it is just evidence of the extent to which God is working in their life. It is. And it's so beautiful when God's people give Him praise in the middle of the storm.

But if you're not saved, I ask you, what will it take for you to bow? Will it take your wife being in an accident? Will it take the car or the vehicle that you love so much getting repossessed in front of your friends? What kind of humiliation will it take to reduce you down to nothing so that you will bow? Will it be the "C" word — cancer? Will it be the "D" word — divorce? What will it take for you to bend your knees, those who are stubborn and unregenerate? You know, some play church and theology is just a hobby, and Christians are good to you, so you think that you have a good life and it's a lot of fun to be a Christian. Let me remind you that Jesus said that none are good. And if you think that you have a good life and that you are good — news flash.

None is good. Mark 10:18. There's none righteous. Romans 3:10. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 7:21. So perhaps this life is really good to you now, and that is because you think it's good, and so now you will not bow.

So my encouragement to you is that you can bow before Him in this life while you're on the earth, or you can bow while you're under the earth.

Sober words. So tribulations like these will continue to come.

Paul was made better because of the tribulations. Lost people are made better because of tribulations. Tribulations in this world are going to continue to come, and even come in an escalatory fashion. 2 Thessalonians proves this. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 7 says this: "To give you relief, you who are afflicted, and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." And so my encouragement today is for you to believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ — but not only believe, because the demons believe — but obey it. The great commission is to make disciples and to help them obey the Scriptures, to teach them all that Christ has commanded. And so we make disciples, and when Jesus gets a hold of you, He said in Matthew 4:19, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." You already are — you will be bent towards Christ. I promise you your life will change.

But in this world, you're going to see a mass apostasy come before Christ returns. You're going to see all kinds of lawlessness. Do you not see mass apostasy today? And those who claim to be Christians are no Christians at all. Do you not see entire continents taken over by Buddhism? And do you not see entire continents taken over by Hinduism? And do you not see our entire continent being taken over by secularism and secular humanism? Do you not see entire continents taken over by Catholicism? These things are very evident, and the Bible is very clear that we need to obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 1 it says, "Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him."

"That you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter, as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." This is very clear that before Christ comes again, there will be tribulations, there will be sufferings. In fact, 2 Timothy 2:3 emphatically says, "Suffer hardship with me." Philippians 1:29: "For you it has been granted to suffer."

But hey, those who have already bowed to Jesus Christ, who have already bent their knee, who have already consented to Christ — they view sufferings differently than lost people view sufferings. They view sufferings like Peter said in Acts 5:41: "They went on rejoicing that day that they had been considered worthy to suffer the shame for His name." And so every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, and it is sufferings that oftentimes will bring you to bend your knee to Jesus. Every knee will bow someday and every tongue will confess someday. Isaiah 45:23 says every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Listen to me: every demon — there are a lot of them.

Every lost person will bend the knee and confess. Every fallen angel, every enemy of God, Satan himself, will be forced to bow and confess that Jesus is Lord. Too bad it'll be in hell and not in heaven.

God doesn't want you to be forced to be bent, to understand that He is sovereign before it's too late. But after it's too late — He wants you now to consent to His will. And I encourage you to do that. And so for true Christians, trials make you better, not bitter, and encourage you to bow before God and allow Him to give you a new heart. Ezekiel 18:20 says this: "The soul that sins shall die."

Your sin, you know, is very evident. The Bible has made it clear through the Ten Commandments that you have not lived a perfect life. And so your soul is stained by sin, and you cannot clean that up. Nothing you can do can clean it up. But you can confess Jesus is Lord and repent and say, "God, forgive me. Please save me." If the posture of your heart and the attitude of your heart will be bent, then Hebrews 9:22 would be true for you: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." And so I say to you today, the only way that you can be saved is by God's unmerited grace through faith — in that God sent His perfect and holy Son as a worthy sacrifice to bleed and die for the sin of those who would repent and believe.

Were you there when Christ died on the cross? What if you were? Would you look at Christ on the cross and say, standing up in an irreverent position while a holy One is being crucified — would you say, "What a disgrace"? "His life, His being — what a disgrace."

Or if you were there, would you bend your knees while a holy One was being crucified?

And would you fall on your face and say, "Thank You, God, for being disgraced for me"?

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, and my encouragement today is: be not unbending. Yield to the Holy Spirit's draw of you to come to Jesus. Come to Christ and be saved.

Pray with me. Father, today this message has been very clear: bend or be bent. And I pray, God — like E. M. Bounds once said that most men need nothing — and that is an indictment from Revelation chapter 3 verse 17: "Because you say, 'I have need of nothing.'" I pray, God, that if one be here that is an atheist, an agnostic, one who is aloof from You, one who is unbelieving — I pray, God, that if there be one here who has continued to be faithful to Your church but is not a Christian, who has never been changed, whose heart's motives are still settled on the things of this world and on the flesh — I pray, God, that You grant them repentance and that they could articulate that by confessing You as Lord. I pray, God, that You would save souls and continue to utilize all of the preaching and the teaching of Your Word to help people to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord. God, I pray that people would be saved — not only saved but baptized, not only baptized but belonging to the local churches — and I pray, God, not only that they would learn how to study Your wonderful Bible but then go forth to make disciples. Thank You, dear Jesus, for the soberness of today's message, to leave us with a reverence unto You. I pray, God, that You would continue to help us to live with the reality that every knee will bow. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.