1 00:00:30,019 --> 00:00:37,699 Amen. Amen. Good stuff. Philippians Chapter three tonight. 2 00:00:37,779 --> 00:01:00,909 Philippians Chapter three. Is this a tired bunch tonight? I sense 3 00:01:00,909 --> 00:01:09,629 it. Long as I don't hear it, we'll be all right. See, because 4 00:01:09,629 --> 00:01:12,629 if I hear it, then I'll think that I'm the one who put you to sleep. 5 00:01:12,629 --> 00:01:18,509 And so then I'll have to wake you up. I used to do that a lot. 6 00:01:19,309 --> 00:01:26,709 I have since stopped doing that. What are you talking about, 7 00:01:26,869 --> 00:01:32,349 wake up? That's what I used to do. I don't do that anymore. But 8 00:01:32,349 --> 00:01:37,029 it wakes them up, doesn't it? Wakes everybody up. When babies started 9 00:01:37,029 --> 00:01:41,789 crying in the nursery, I figured I'd better quit that. Philippians, 10 00:01:41,789 --> 00:01:45,949 Chapter three. If you're there, say amen. I'm just going to 11 00:01:45,949 --> 00:01:50,999 read a couple of verses. Verse 12 through 14. The word of God says, 12 00:01:50,999 --> 00:01:54,559 Not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect. 13 00:01:55,039 --> 00:02:00,319 But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also 14 00:02:00,319 --> 00:02:04,959 I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself 15 00:02:04,959 --> 00:02:08,799 to have apprehended. But this one thing I do, forgetting those 16 00:02:08,799 --> 00:02:11,479 things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things 17 00:02:11,479 --> 00:02:15,399 which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of 18 00:02:15,399 --> 00:02:20,649 the high calling of God, Christ Jesus. One of the most inspiring 19 00:02:20,729 --> 00:02:28,089 things to watch is someone who refuses to give up, someone who just 20 00:02:28,489 --> 00:02:33,009 won't quit. Now, you've all seen him. We've all seen the runner, 21 00:02:33,009 --> 00:02:39,929 the marathon runner on wobbly rubber band like legs. We've all 22 00:02:39,929 --> 00:02:45,089 seen those. And they're, you know, as they're nearing the end 23 00:02:45,089 --> 00:02:51,809 of the race, the finish line is in sight, but their entire body 24 00:02:51,809 --> 00:02:58,529 is screaming at them, stop. Just rest for a minute. Walk. No 25 00:02:58,529 --> 00:03:03,489 more running. Just give me a minute. But they know that if they 26 00:03:03,489 --> 00:03:11,689 stop, it'll all be over. And so they persevere. They press on. 27 00:03:12,419 --> 00:03:16,899 Sometimes they do fall, but I've seen them continue to crawl. 28 00:03:16,899 --> 00:03:19,139 Now, we've seen when people come behind them and pick them up 29 00:03:19,139 --> 00:03:21,699 and carry them, that's not near as good as when they're crawling, 30 00:03:22,499 --> 00:03:29,699 knees bleeding, across the finish line. It's inspiring. It's 31 00:03:29,699 --> 00:03:32,379 not near as inspiring. When somebody picks them up, then you 32 00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:34,619 want to cheer the people who picked them up for being so nice, 33 00:03:34,619 --> 00:03:38,419 right? But I'd rather see somebody crawl across that finish 34 00:03:38,419 --> 00:03:42,649 line determined not to quit, not to give up. That's inspiring. 35 00:03:47,209 --> 00:03:51,489 But what about Paul? What about the apostle Paul? Philippians, 36 00:03:51,489 --> 00:03:54,889 chapter three. This is an amazing book. I know. Pastor said 37 00:03:54,889 --> 00:03:58,609 many times it's his favorite book. And there's a lot of reasons 38 00:03:58,609 --> 00:04:02,809 Why, I can see why that's. So Paul, obviously you've heard this. 39 00:04:02,809 --> 00:04:06,979 He wrote it while he was in Rome, in prison. He wasn't near the 40 00:04:06,979 --> 00:04:10,099 end of his life yet he still had. This book was written about 41 00:04:10,099 --> 00:04:14,859 60, between 62, I think between 62, 63, 64 A.D. somewhere 42 00:04:14,859 --> 00:04:20,499 in there. And I believe Paul was. I believe Paul. Well, second 43 00:04:20,499 --> 00:04:25,139 Timothy was written about 67, 68. So that was pretty close to the 44 00:04:25,139 --> 00:04:29,579 end of his life. So he had several years in prison. So at this 45 00:04:29,579 --> 00:04:33,519 point in, in his prison sentence, he probably thought that 46 00:04:33,519 --> 00:04:38,759 he was actually going to have his cause heard, his sentence heard. 47 00:04:38,999 --> 00:04:42,159 He probably felt he was going to be able to go before the tribunal, 48 00:04:42,159 --> 00:04:45,919 the Roman tribunal, but he never did. You know, he was beheaded 49 00:04:45,919 --> 00:04:50,399 before he was ever. Before his trial ever came, before his trial 50 00:04:50,399 --> 00:04:56,439 was ever tried. But at this point in the letter, the whole letter 51 00:04:56,439 --> 00:05:00,409 just speaks of joy. I mean, a Roman prison at first, you know, 52 00:05:00,409 --> 00:05:05,329 in the other times, you could almost envision, okay, well, it's 53 00:05:05,329 --> 00:05:09,689 not that bad. He was under house arrest. He was able to have 54 00:05:09,689 --> 00:05:13,529 friends come and go, and he had liberty at times. You know, it 55 00:05:13,529 --> 00:05:16,809 wasn't. But when he got to Rome, they weren't playing around. 56 00:05:18,089 --> 00:05:22,089 He got put in prison. And I've never been to a Roman prison. I don't 57 00:05:22,089 --> 00:05:25,619 guess I've ever. I mean, just what I've seen, you've seen on television, 58 00:05:25,619 --> 00:05:29,779 and it's not a pretty sight. But it was more severe at this point. 59 00:05:29,779 --> 00:05:33,779 But Paul, look at chapter two. I'm sorry, look at chapter one. I'm 60 00:05:33,779 --> 00:05:36,859 not gonna dwell on this. My message is not. It's not on the book 61 00:05:36,859 --> 00:05:42,059 of Philippians. But I just want us to get an idea of the circumstances 62 00:05:42,059 --> 00:05:44,659 that Paul was going through and the things that he was having 63 00:05:44,739 --> 00:05:48,459 endure. And yet he had a spirit that was just unquenchable, 64 00:05:48,459 --> 00:05:55,659 just would not quit. He just wasn't going to stop. But he said 65 00:05:55,659 --> 00:05:59,939 in verse 12 of chapter one, I would. You should understand, brethren, 66 00:06:00,019 --> 00:06:03,939 the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather under 67 00:06:03,939 --> 00:06:08,659 the furtherance of the Gospel. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest 68 00:06:08,659 --> 00:06:13,699 in all the palace and in all other places. Paul looked at his 69 00:06:13,699 --> 00:06:17,429 circumstances through Christ instead of looking at Christ through 70 00:06:17,429 --> 00:06:22,229 his circumstances. What an amazing thing. This book is an amazing 71 00:06:22,229 --> 00:06:33,829 book because he was telling them to rejoice. We've read where 72 00:06:33,829 --> 00:06:39,069 he said, you think you got something to. I have been beaten 73 00:06:39,069 --> 00:06:43,139 this many times, shipwreck in the deep and, you know, under persecution 74 00:06:43,139 --> 00:06:47,419 by those without and by my own countrymen. We got that whole List 75 00:06:47,419 --> 00:06:50,459 of things that he went over and over and over. And yet we see 76 00:06:50,459 --> 00:06:53,339 him write a book where he says, rejoice. I mean, here's a man 77 00:06:53,339 --> 00:06:56,499 who's just not going to let anything stop him from serving God. 78 00:06:57,459 --> 00:07:01,059 There's nothing that's going to stop him from giving God his best. 79 00:07:01,219 --> 00:07:08,269 Even prison. Not just prison, but Roman prison. Here's a man who 80 00:07:08,269 --> 00:07:13,109 probably. I mean, he's not eradicated to the human nature. So 81 00:07:13,109 --> 00:07:18,429 inside, there's that fleshly Paul, there's that fleshly Saul, 82 00:07:18,589 --> 00:07:23,069 there's that carnal man still in there saying, paul, just give 83 00:07:23,069 --> 00:07:27,909 up. Paul, just quit. Look at this. It's a hopeless case. Look 84 00:07:27,909 --> 00:07:31,629 at all that you've done. And this is where it got you. Why do 85 00:07:31,629 --> 00:07:39,759 you keep on? But yet he does. You ever felt like just giving up 86 00:07:39,759 --> 00:07:47,599 on anything? You ever want to just throw in the towel maybe on 87 00:07:47,599 --> 00:07:51,359 a relationship? You ever want to just throw in the towel on your 88 00:07:51,359 --> 00:07:54,319 job? You ever just want to walk out? You ever just want to give 89 00:07:54,319 --> 00:07:59,159 your boss a few choice words? That's the flesh. I've been there. 90 00:08:02,269 --> 00:08:06,869 You ever want to quit Christianity? You ever want to just 91 00:08:06,869 --> 00:08:13,789 turn your back on God and walk away from it all? Oh, Pastor, Brother 92 00:08:13,789 --> 00:08:18,549 Stone, that doesn't happen to Christians every day. Only every 93 00:08:18,549 --> 00:08:25,479 day. There's a lot of reasons for it, too. A lot of reasons. A 94 00:08:25,479 --> 00:08:27,679 lot of times. And I was talking to somebody about this just 95 00:08:27,679 --> 00:08:30,879 the other day. I see people come to church week after week after 96 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:36,799 week after week after week, solo. A spouse who has to leave their 97 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:41,118 spouse at home. They don't have to, but their spouse won't come 98 00:08:41,118 --> 00:08:43,959 to church with them. And yet they keep coming and they keep coming 99 00:08:43,959 --> 00:08:46,919 and they keep coming and they keep coming and they keep coming 100 00:08:46,919 --> 00:08:53,639 and they keep coming and they keep coming. And at some point they're 101 00:08:53,639 --> 00:09:00,759 like, what's the point? I give up. Think that doesn't happen. It 102 00:09:00,759 --> 00:09:06,839 does happen. I will say this before I get any further. That is 103 00:09:06,839 --> 00:09:09,839 very discouraging. And I've seen it on both sides, husband and 104 00:09:09,839 --> 00:09:14,759 wife. I've seen it in my own church. I saw a lady come in and 105 00:09:14,759 --> 00:09:17,859 she showed up every Sunday morning for Sunday school, dragging 106 00:09:17,859 --> 00:09:23,699 her. I can't remember. Three or four kids now with it. Four. Four 107 00:09:23,699 --> 00:09:26,419 kids. Three girls and a boy. Dragging them with her, bringing 108 00:09:26,419 --> 00:09:28,739 them with her every single time. Sunday morning for Sunday school, 109 00:09:29,219 --> 00:09:32,979 Sunday morning service, Sunday night service, Wednesday night service, 110 00:09:33,459 --> 00:09:37,379 Saturday, soul winning. And anytime the doors were open, revival, 111 00:09:37,379 --> 00:09:40,899 mission, conference, anything, she brought those kids with her by 112 00:09:40,979 --> 00:09:49,189 herself for years. Years. And one day I got a phone call, and I 113 00:09:49,189 --> 00:09:53,149 said, hello, Miss Kenny? She said, yeah, Pastor, my husband wants 114 00:09:53,149 --> 00:10:01,029 to talk to you. Okay. Yeah. Patrick, Can I help you? Yeah, I 115 00:10:01,029 --> 00:10:04,269 want to get saved. This was like three and a half, four years 116 00:10:04,429 --> 00:10:08,669 down the road, five years maybe. He said, I want to get saved. 117 00:10:09,499 --> 00:10:13,339 I said, all right, I'm on my way to the house. Meet me at my house. 118 00:10:14,219 --> 00:10:19,219 Sweetest thing you've ever seen. Came in, bowed his head and 119 00:10:19,219 --> 00:10:22,739 trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior at my kitchen table, and then 120 00:10:22,739 --> 00:10:27,459 just got faithful and then just started coming to church. It's 121 00:10:27,459 --> 00:10:31,259 amazing. It's amazing what happens when you just don't quit, 122 00:10:31,659 --> 00:10:35,859 when you just keep on keeping on. But I understand. I've seen it. 123 00:10:35,859 --> 00:10:42,379 I've seen people quit because there's a conflict of spirit. There's 124 00:10:42,379 --> 00:10:45,939 a conflict in their spirit because what they're having to go 125 00:10:45,939 --> 00:10:50,699 through and live and endure all day long. And then they only 126 00:10:50,699 --> 00:10:53,298 get respite a couple times a week when they come to church on 127 00:10:53,298 --> 00:10:55,739 Sunday, and maybe if they can make it on Wednesday, a little bit 128 00:10:55,739 --> 00:10:58,539 of a respite, a little bit of a shot in the arm, a little bit of 129 00:10:58,539 --> 00:11:02,139 a spiritual encouragement. And then the rest of the week, it's just 130 00:11:02,139 --> 00:11:10,529 barrage. Just. Just constantly barraged with the worldliness. Sometimes 131 00:11:10,529 --> 00:11:18,249 it's teenagers who, you know, they. It's a battle at school and 132 00:11:18,249 --> 00:11:23,249 peer pressure, and they're trying to do right, and it's just 133 00:11:23,249 --> 00:11:28,569 tough. Do you ever become so burdened and encumbered with the 134 00:11:28,569 --> 00:11:32,909 cares of this life that you just want to quit? Just quit. Just 135 00:11:32,909 --> 00:11:38,429 quit going to church, Quit serving God altogether? I want you 136 00:11:38,429 --> 00:11:41,589 to look with me. We're going to. This isn't the message either, 137 00:11:41,589 --> 00:11:45,629 but I want you to look over with me@psalm73. This is such a good 138 00:11:45,629 --> 00:11:49,949 psalm. I go to it many times. I should have it memorized by now. 139 00:11:50,029 --> 00:11:52,829 As often as I've read it. As many times. And here's the thing. 140 00:11:52,829 --> 00:11:57,879 As many times as I've had to read it, I have to read it. I need 141 00:11:57,879 --> 00:12:08,159 this for myself. Psalm 73, are you there? Okay, I still hear a few 142 00:12:08,159 --> 00:12:15,679 pages. I'll wait. Psalm 73. All right, I'll read a few verses. 143 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:20,279 Look at verse three. Actually, let's begin at verse one. Truly God 144 00:12:20,279 --> 00:12:23,769 is good to Israel, even to such as of a clean heart. But as 145 00:12:23,769 --> 00:12:30,489 for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped. 146 00:12:31,449 --> 00:12:35,409 For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity 147 00:12:35,409 --> 00:12:39,929 of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death, but their 148 00:12:39,929 --> 00:12:44,649 strength. Is firm. They're not in trouble as other men, neither 149 00:12:44,649 --> 00:12:49,009 are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them 150 00:12:49,009 --> 00:12:54,129 about as a chain. Violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes 151 00:12:54,129 --> 00:12:57,329 stand out with fatness. They have more than heart could wish. 152 00:12:57,489 --> 00:13:00,769 They're corrupt, and they speak wickedly concerning oppression. 153 00:13:00,849 --> 00:13:03,849 They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens and 154 00:13:03,849 --> 00:13:07,729 their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return 155 00:13:07,729 --> 00:13:11,569 hither, and waters of a full cup are rung out to them. And they 156 00:13:11,569 --> 00:13:15,329 say, how doth God know? Is there any knowledge in the most High? 157 00:13:16,929 --> 00:13:20,769 Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They increase 158 00:13:20,849 --> 00:13:25,449 in riches. And then look what he says. Verily, I've cleansed my 159 00:13:25,449 --> 00:13:31,249 heart in vain. I washed my hands in innocency. All the day long 160 00:13:31,249 --> 00:13:35,129 have I been plagued and chastened. Every morning he goes, 161 00:13:35,129 --> 00:13:38,529 man, I'm trying to do right. I'm the one doing right. I'm following 162 00:13:38,529 --> 00:13:42,489 the word of God. I'm trying to do right. And nothing seems to be 163 00:13:42,489 --> 00:13:45,049 coming together for me. And I look at everybody else, and they 164 00:13:45,049 --> 00:13:47,209 don't care about God. They don't go to church. They don't read 165 00:13:47,209 --> 00:13:50,229 the Bible. They're wicked. They're partying. They're living 166 00:13:50,229 --> 00:13:53,909 it up. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. That's 167 00:13:53,909 --> 00:13:56,429 their motto. And look at them, man. They seem to be prospering. 168 00:13:57,229 --> 00:14:01,549 It's killing me. Sometimes I ask myself, is it even worth it? 169 00:14:05,309 --> 00:14:08,989 He says in verse 13, verily, I've cleansed my hands, my heart 170 00:14:08,989 --> 00:14:12,269 in vain, and I wash my hands in innocency. For all the day long 171 00:14:12,269 --> 00:14:16,329 have I been plagued and chastened every morning. If I say 172 00:14:16,329 --> 00:14:19,209 I'm going to speak thus, behold, I should offend against the 173 00:14:19,209 --> 00:14:23,889 generation of thy children. Now look at verse 16. When I thought 174 00:14:23,889 --> 00:14:28,849 to know this, it was too painful for me until I went into 175 00:14:28,849 --> 00:14:38,609 the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end. Boy, that's 176 00:14:38,609 --> 00:14:44,939 enough to keep you right. When you understand the end of the wicked, 177 00:14:45,419 --> 00:14:49,659 the end of the ungodly, the end of the unrighteous, that's enough 178 00:14:49,659 --> 00:14:55,739 to keep you straight if you'll hang in there. But in our passage 179 00:14:55,739 --> 00:14:59,739 in Philippians, the apostle Paul gives us four biblical principles 180 00:14:59,739 --> 00:15:03,379 to apply to our lives that will give us the incentives that 181 00:15:03,379 --> 00:15:08,799 we need to keep running until our race is over. And it is a race. 182 00:15:08,799 --> 00:15:11,639 I mean, you know, the Bible likens this Christian life to many 183 00:15:11,639 --> 00:15:17,839 things, and a race is one of them. We're like an athlete. And 184 00:15:17,999 --> 00:15:21,239 so what Paul says, and I got to get to the message, all this introduction. 185 00:15:21,239 --> 00:15:24,399 I got to get to the message here. To keep running until our race 186 00:15:24,399 --> 00:15:28,279 is over, we must possess four things. Number one, a discontentment 187 00:15:28,279 --> 00:15:33,439 with our present level of spiritual maturity. A discontentment. 188 00:15:33,439 --> 00:15:37,189 Look at verse 12 back in our text. He said, not as though I had 189 00:15:37,189 --> 00:15:41,509 already attained either. Were already perfect. But I follow after, 190 00:15:41,589 --> 00:15:45,149 if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of 191 00:15:45,149 --> 00:15:47,349 Christ Jesus. That's a mouthful, I know, and I'm going to 192 00:15:47,349 --> 00:15:51,589 try to break it down. There are a few things that the Bible tells 193 00:15:51,589 --> 00:15:54,789 us that we are to be content with, but our spirituality isn't 194 00:15:54,789 --> 00:15:59,829 one of them. We should never be content with our level of spiritual 195 00:15:59,829 --> 00:16:03,109 maturity. We should never be content with our spiritual development. 196 00:16:03,269 --> 00:16:07,029 Paul is saying, I want to fulfill God's purpose for my life. 197 00:16:07,489 --> 00:16:10,129 He basically said in this verse right here that I just read. 198 00:16:10,609 --> 00:16:14,529 Not as though, let's see, brethren, verse 13. I'll count. Not 199 00:16:14,529 --> 00:16:17,769 myself to have apprehended. I'm sorry, back up. 12. Not as though 200 00:16:17,769 --> 00:16:21,729 I had already attained either. Were already perfect. I follow after, 201 00:16:22,129 --> 00:16:26,049 if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended. 202 00:16:26,209 --> 00:16:29,529 So basically, what he's saying is God saved me. When God saved me, 203 00:16:29,529 --> 00:16:33,369 he gave me a purpose, and I want to fulfill that purpose for 204 00:16:33,369 --> 00:16:40,979 which he saved me. He apprehended me for a reason. I want 205 00:16:40,979 --> 00:16:45,219 to apprehend that reason that he saved me for, and I haven't done 206 00:16:45,219 --> 00:16:48,299 it yet. That's exactly what Paul is saying. I want to fulfill 207 00:16:48,299 --> 00:16:52,299 God's purpose for my life. He wasn't striving in this verse to 208 00:16:52,299 --> 00:16:56,779 get to heaven. Instead, he was striving to become like Christ. Striving 209 00:16:56,779 --> 00:17:00,779 to become like Christ. He was trying to keep his focus on the purpose 210 00:17:00,779 --> 00:17:05,099 that God gave him in this life. Being in ministry and counseling 211 00:17:05,099 --> 00:17:07,889 and for years. There's a couple of things that I've realized. 212 00:17:08,049 --> 00:17:10,409 Well, I've realized that there's a couple of things. Three 213 00:17:10,409 --> 00:17:14,169 things particularly, that people need. They need to know they're 214 00:17:14,169 --> 00:17:19,529 loved and to love and to be loved. They need to have. They need 215 00:17:19,529 --> 00:17:23,649 to have significance, to know that they make a difference in the 216 00:17:23,649 --> 00:17:28,369 world. And then thirdly, to have a purpose. I want to know that 217 00:17:28,369 --> 00:17:32,089 my life means something, to have purpose. And that's exactly. 218 00:17:32,089 --> 00:17:35,609 Paul didn't. He thought he had purpose. You read his bio. You read 219 00:17:35,609 --> 00:17:38,129 his bio. He said, man, I have all these degrees. I got all these 220 00:17:38,129 --> 00:17:41,969 accolades, but they were nothing. Once I got saved, I realized 221 00:17:41,969 --> 00:17:44,849 they were nothing. I was just going to go to hell with a bunch 222 00:17:44,849 --> 00:17:50,489 of accolades. But when Jesus Christ saved me, I all of a sudden 223 00:17:50,489 --> 00:17:53,249 realized those were meaningless. And Christ is everything. 224 00:17:53,329 --> 00:17:56,849 And he gave me a purpose for living and my purpose for living. 225 00:17:56,849 --> 00:18:00,569 And your purpose for living is to live this life in such a way that 226 00:18:00,569 --> 00:18:06,109 people can see Jesus Christ in us. To be Christlike, to be conformed 227 00:18:06,109 --> 00:18:08,829 to the image of Christ in everything that we do, everything 228 00:18:08,829 --> 00:18:11,549 that we say, the clothes that we wear. I've got a book that says 229 00:18:11,549 --> 00:18:14,069 your clothes say it for you. And it does. And I'm not preaching 230 00:18:14,069 --> 00:18:19,949 about clothes. I'm just saying everything about us speaks. It speaks 231 00:18:19,949 --> 00:18:27,709 something to everybody. If we would be honest with ourselves, we 232 00:18:27,709 --> 00:18:30,909 would readily admit that we have a long way to go in the area 233 00:18:30,909 --> 00:18:34,229 of our spiritual growth and Christlikeness. If you're married, 234 00:18:34,229 --> 00:18:36,549 all you have to do is just look over at your spouse and say, 235 00:18:36,549 --> 00:18:40,549 have I arrived yet? And they'll be real honest with you and 236 00:18:40,549 --> 00:18:46,109 say, no. And so we've got plenty of room for growth in our 237 00:18:46,109 --> 00:18:50,229 spiritual maturity. Notice the phrase, what he says here, But I 238 00:18:50,229 --> 00:18:54,749 follow after. I follow after. You see what he said there? I follow 239 00:18:54,989 --> 00:19:06,679 after. That's in verse 12. You know what that says to me? Intentionality. 240 00:19:07,239 --> 00:19:11,119 How do we become. If you're in my Sunday school class or if you're 241 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:16,479 in bridge recovery, go ahead and help me finish this. To become 242 00:19:16,479 --> 00:19:24,119 a good Christian, we must do it now. You make me feel like I'm 243 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:28,569 a really bad teacher. If my wife was sitting there, she just 244 00:19:28,569 --> 00:19:34,249 shouted it on purpose. On purpose. Nobody becomes a mature 245 00:19:34,249 --> 00:19:38,329 Christian on accident. You don't just. We don't drift into spiritual 246 00:19:38,329 --> 00:19:41,129 maturity. We don't wake up 10 years down the road and all of a 247 00:19:41,129 --> 00:19:44,889 sudden we're a mature spiritual Christian. It is intentional. 248 00:19:45,609 --> 00:19:49,929 Intentional. We must do it. He said, I follow after. I follow after. 249 00:19:51,139 --> 00:19:54,939 Paul said, he's constantly chasing that goal. It is ever out 250 00:19:54,939 --> 00:19:59,219 of reach and we'll always be behind in the area of Christlikeness. 251 00:19:59,219 --> 00:20:03,219 It's like that carrot on the stick. Amen. It's got to be. It needs 252 00:20:03,219 --> 00:20:06,379 to be. That's something we need to always be chasing is Christ 253 00:20:06,379 --> 00:20:13,059 likeness. And we'll never reach where we can be. But really 254 00:20:13,059 --> 00:20:17,219 where I want to be, I'll never really reach that this side of eternity. 255 00:20:18,889 --> 00:20:22,769 So Paul said, he's constantly chasing that goal. So don't ever 256 00:20:22,769 --> 00:20:25,649 get to the place where you think to yourself regarding your 257 00:20:25,649 --> 00:20:30,889 spiritual growth, I'm good. I'm good. Don't ever get to the place. 258 00:20:30,969 --> 00:20:35,689 Look, I had somebody who Came to this church for a little while. 259 00:20:35,689 --> 00:20:40,449 They didn't come very long, but they came to me and literally 260 00:20:40,449 --> 00:20:44,769 said these words to me. And I still love the. I still love the 261 00:20:44,769 --> 00:20:53,519 brother. I. I do. But this just spoke of pride. This brother 262 00:20:53,519 --> 00:21:03,439 said to me, I don't need Wednesday night service. I mean, 263 00:21:03,439 --> 00:21:09,359 come on. I mean, can we. To say it is one. I mean, to say it. 264 00:21:09,599 --> 00:21:14,249 To say it. How much pride did it take to say that? I don't need. 265 00:21:14,249 --> 00:21:18,809 Win. I don't need. I'm. I'm far enough along in my Christianity, 266 00:21:19,129 --> 00:21:23,209 in my spiritual maturity. I don't need this midweek service. 267 00:21:23,609 --> 00:21:30,049 I'm good. Please, folks, I'm talking to the. I'm talking to the 268 00:21:30,049 --> 00:21:34,049 cream of the crop. Let us please don't ever. You're here because 269 00:21:34,049 --> 00:21:39,379 you said I need to go to Wednesday night service. Let's don't 270 00:21:39,379 --> 00:21:43,059 ever forget that. We need the midweek service. I need that shot 271 00:21:43,059 --> 00:21:46,419 in the arm. I need to be surrounded by my brothers and sisters. 272 00:21:46,419 --> 00:21:50,099 We've been out in the world all week, and I'm fortunate I get 273 00:21:50,099 --> 00:21:54,579 to work here. But some of these folks, I'm telling you. No, 274 00:21:54,579 --> 00:21:58,019 I'm just kidding. But you guys have to work out in the world all 275 00:21:58,019 --> 00:22:02,219 week. And I know when I was, you know, pastoring, I was bi vocational. 276 00:22:02,299 --> 00:22:07,979 And I remember I'm not lost to. Makes for a rough week when you 277 00:22:07,979 --> 00:22:12,659 don't get to do this at some point during the week, sing the songs 278 00:22:12,659 --> 00:22:16,459 of Zion and get happy and be on fire and worship God together 279 00:22:16,459 --> 00:22:19,659 with your brothers and sisters. And let the screen go blank 280 00:22:19,659 --> 00:22:24,499 and everybody go, Esme. Wave, Esme. With victory. There he comes, 281 00:22:24,579 --> 00:22:27,459 Right? It's fun. It's great. You can't do that sitting at home. 282 00:22:32,029 --> 00:22:34,509 This is why I think it's important that the child of God should 283 00:22:34,509 --> 00:22:38,749 make every effort to come to church, every opportunity he gets. 284 00:22:38,749 --> 00:22:41,669 Now, granted, life happens. I understand that life happens. We 285 00:22:41,669 --> 00:22:44,468 have to work and things come up that are beyond our control. But 286 00:22:44,468 --> 00:22:49,709 don't be guilty of choosing to neglect your spiritual growth. Thank 287 00:22:49,709 --> 00:22:52,589 God for the Internet and live streaming, and I'm glad it's there 288 00:22:52,589 --> 00:22:56,749 for folks who cannot get to church. But I can say with a conviction 289 00:22:57,309 --> 00:23:01,549 that it is not God's will, that it be a substitute for assembling 290 00:23:01,549 --> 00:23:05,149 ourselves together with other believers to hear and study the word 291 00:23:05,149 --> 00:23:08,149 of God. It is not. It is a poor substitute. It's not a substitute 292 00:23:08,149 --> 00:23:11,749 at all. It's not the Lord's will. If we can be here, we ought 293 00:23:11,749 --> 00:23:19,509 to be here at least one amen somewhere. Thank you. Amen. Psalm 294 00:23:19,509 --> 00:23:22,629 122. What did the psalmist say? I was glad when they said unto 295 00:23:22,629 --> 00:23:25,069 me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Do you know that little 296 00:23:25,069 --> 00:23:30,409 song? And I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the 297 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:33,409 house of the Lord. Amen. That's a good little tune. It's just 298 00:23:33,409 --> 00:23:37,169 a verse, but it's catchy. I was glad when they said unto me, 299 00:23:37,169 --> 00:23:40,609 Let us go into the house of the Lord. Proverbs 27:17. I said 300 00:23:40,609 --> 00:23:45,129 it earlier. Iron sharpeneth iron. So a man sharpens the countenance 301 00:23:45,129 --> 00:23:48,929 of his friend. Do you ever come to church and see somebody who 302 00:23:48,929 --> 00:23:54,719 looks down and dragging and just been beat up and take the opportunity 303 00:23:54,719 --> 00:23:57,559 to go over there and say, hey, brother, punch him in the arm. How's 304 00:23:57,559 --> 00:24:00,439 it going? Good to see you, man. I'm glad you're here. Give him 305 00:24:00,439 --> 00:24:05,239 a big old hug. Hey, you encouraged me. I'm glad to see you 306 00:24:05,239 --> 00:24:10,959 here. It's a good thing to do. Good idea being encouragement to 307 00:24:10,959 --> 00:24:15,639 somebody. Never be content where you are spiritually. If we 308 00:24:15,639 --> 00:24:18,479 grow content, we stop growing. And if we stop growing, we've stopped 309 00:24:18,479 --> 00:24:22,449 running. And the race isn't over until we get to heaven. Maintain 310 00:24:22,449 --> 00:24:25,129 a holy discontent until we get there. Let me give you the second 311 00:24:25,129 --> 00:24:28,089 thing. To keep running until our race is over, we must possess 312 00:24:28,249 --> 00:24:31,849 not only a discontentment with our present level of spiritual maturity, 313 00:24:31,849 --> 00:24:37,249 but a determination to win. A determination to win. He said in 314 00:24:37,249 --> 00:24:40,249 verse 13. Again, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, 315 00:24:40,329 --> 00:24:45,569 but this one thing I do. You know what? There are a few athletes 316 00:24:45,569 --> 00:24:48,809 who excel and succeed in many sports. But most succeed because 317 00:24:48,809 --> 00:24:52,689 they specialize in or one thing. And they give their life to 318 00:24:52,689 --> 00:24:58,609 that one thing. And they hone those skills of that one thing. And 319 00:24:58,609 --> 00:25:02,209 it's. They sleep it, they eat it, they drink it, they work it, 320 00:25:02,209 --> 00:25:05,329 they practice it, they read about it, they dream about it. That 321 00:25:05,329 --> 00:25:10,609 one thing, specialization, they focus. That's the key to their 322 00:25:10,609 --> 00:25:15,129 success. And when you have that one thing clearly in focus, 323 00:25:15,129 --> 00:25:18,529 it gives you the ability to say no to other things. I said this 324 00:25:18,529 --> 00:25:22,409 the other day. When you say yes to something, you say no to something 325 00:25:22,409 --> 00:25:26,849 else. And when you say no to something, you say yes to something 326 00:25:26,849 --> 00:25:31,009 else. And we just have to choose what we say yes and no to. 327 00:25:33,009 --> 00:25:36,849 And it's easy to say too many yeses, right? Sometimes people don't 328 00:25:36,849 --> 00:25:41,289 know how to say no. My wife has that trouble sometimes. I'll 329 00:25:41,289 --> 00:25:46,859 say that for her. Sometimes my wife has problems saying no there's 330 00:25:46,859 --> 00:25:50,379 some other folks I know who are like that. You just take it on 331 00:25:50,379 --> 00:25:54,299 and take it on and take it on and take it on and God bless you. 332 00:25:59,099 --> 00:26:02,618 That can work for you or against you. For Paul, the one thing 333 00:26:02,618 --> 00:26:06,059 in life was to become like Christ in his affections, in his 334 00:26:06,059 --> 00:26:09,459 actions and in his attitude. That's what he strove for, that's 335 00:26:09,459 --> 00:26:12,379 what he lived for, that's what he spent his time and his energy 336 00:26:12,379 --> 00:26:17,259 on. Now he made tents when it was necessary. And God doesn't call 337 00:26:17,259 --> 00:26:21,139 everybody into full time paid ministry. But we are all called to 338 00:26:21,139 --> 00:26:26,979 be holy. We are all called to be holy. We're all called to live 339 00:26:26,979 --> 00:26:30,299 a life that is becoming of the gospel. It doesn't matter what you 340 00:26:30,299 --> 00:26:33,579 do, it doesn't matter if you manage a Walmart, it doesn't matter 341 00:26:34,139 --> 00:26:36,499 if you take pictures for a living. It doesn't matter if you're 342 00:26:36,499 --> 00:26:40,139 a construction crew, it doesn't matter if you work at Lockheed. 343 00:26:40,139 --> 00:26:44,139 It doesn't matter what you do in life if you, you can be holy while 344 00:26:44,139 --> 00:26:48,659 you do it. And that's what God expects. And let's don't ever get 345 00:26:48,659 --> 00:26:55,819 tired of trying our best to be Jesus Christ on the job. Ephesians 346 00:26:55,819 --> 00:26:59,179 4:1. Paul said, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech 347 00:26:59,179 --> 00:27:03,579 you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. 348 00:27:04,379 --> 00:27:07,819 Now that can work both ways. The vocation he's talking about is 349 00:27:07,899 --> 00:27:11,539 the Christ location life. But that also means that we should be 350 00:27:11,539 --> 00:27:18,859 Christlike in the vocation that you've chosen. We only get one 351 00:27:18,859 --> 00:27:24,978 opportunity at life to prepare for eternity. That's why Paul said 352 00:27:24,978 --> 00:27:28,299 in Colossians chapter three, verse one, if you then be risen with 353 00:27:28,299 --> 00:27:31,459 Christ. Are you risen with Christ? You are if you've entered 354 00:27:31,459 --> 00:27:34,539 into his death and resurrection through salvation through 355 00:27:34,539 --> 00:27:38,519 faith. He says if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things 356 00:27:38,519 --> 00:27:41,639 which are above where Christ sitteth. On the right hand, set your 357 00:27:41,639 --> 00:27:44,919 affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Let us focus 358 00:27:44,919 --> 00:27:49,719 on the right thing. Be determined to win. Be determined 359 00:27:49,719 --> 00:27:54,119 to be the best Christian that I can be. You ought to be the best 360 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:58,279 Christian that your family or your people around you have ever 361 00:27:58,279 --> 00:28:03,649 known. At least try to be the best Christian at home that your 362 00:28:03,649 --> 00:28:10,769 family's ever known. Be the best Christian. So if God hasn't 363 00:28:10,769 --> 00:28:13,689 called you to a life of full time ministry within the church, 364 00:28:13,689 --> 00:28:16,929 then train for a career or just do what you like for a living, 365 00:28:16,929 --> 00:28:19,809 but use it as a means to glorify God and pray for your co 366 00:28:19,809 --> 00:28:24,569 workers Pray for your partners or your employees. Look for opportunities 367 00:28:24,969 --> 00:28:28,729 in their lives to offer prayer many things. If you're a business 368 00:28:28,729 --> 00:28:32,089 owner with employees, begin the day with a brief devotion and 369 00:28:32,669 --> 00:28:36,749 pray with them. Glorify God with your income. Determined to win 370 00:28:37,149 --> 00:28:41,349 at all things in Christlikeness, to keep running our 371 00:28:41,349 --> 00:28:44,469 race until it's over, we must possess a discontentment with our 372 00:28:44,469 --> 00:28:48,989 present level of spiritual maturity, a determination to win. 373 00:28:49,069 --> 00:28:54,069 But then we also must possess a disregard for the past. A disregard 374 00:28:54,069 --> 00:28:57,629 for the past. Again in 13 in B, he said, this one thing I do, 375 00:28:57,629 --> 00:29:01,499 forgetting those things which are behind. A disregard for the things 376 00:29:01,499 --> 00:29:06,739 of the past, Our past failures. Our past failures. He says, 377 00:29:06,739 --> 00:29:09,379 brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one 378 00:29:09,379 --> 00:29:14,099 thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. You know, 379 00:29:14,099 --> 00:29:19,179 Paul had to continually battle with guilt over the past sins, including 380 00:29:19,419 --> 00:29:22,779 Think about his sins. I mean, I don't know what your sins are. 381 00:29:22,779 --> 00:29:26,379 I know what mine are. I have to deal with my own. I got my own 382 00:29:26,379 --> 00:29:31,279 head that I can't get out of sometimes. Sometimes I spend way 383 00:29:31,279 --> 00:29:34,879 too much time there. Can I get an amen there? Are y' all there too? 384 00:29:34,879 --> 00:29:37,559 Do y' all end up. Do you get in your head sometimes and you just 385 00:29:37,559 --> 00:29:40,519 can't get out? Do you ever find yourself staying in there so 386 00:29:40,519 --> 00:29:46,879 long you end up depressed and discouraged and in despondency? That'll 387 00:29:46,879 --> 00:29:50,399 happen when you stay in your own head too long, dealing with things 388 00:29:50,399 --> 00:29:55,409 you've done in the past and things you can't change. And Paul 389 00:29:55,409 --> 00:30:00,809 had to deal with his sins, including persecuting and murdering 390 00:30:00,809 --> 00:30:04,569 Christians. By all standards. If you look at Paul's life before 391 00:30:04,569 --> 00:30:09,169 he got saved, he was a religious zealot who murdered Christians. 392 00:30:09,169 --> 00:30:16,329 He was a terrorist. By all standards of today. He was a terrorist. 393 00:30:16,329 --> 00:30:22,739 Those Christians called him a terrorist. He had to deal with that 394 00:30:23,539 --> 00:30:28,139 after he got saved. He had to live with that. And don't think just 395 00:30:28,139 --> 00:30:31,019 because he's the great Apostle Paul, that didn't come to his heart 396 00:30:31,019 --> 00:30:34,859 and mind every now and then, he had to deal with that. All of 397 00:30:34,859 --> 00:30:38,619 us have failures that continue to haunt us, but we should not become 398 00:30:38,619 --> 00:30:41,819 distracted by the past. There are some people, maybe even some 399 00:30:41,819 --> 00:30:45,059 of you in this room. You won't go forward in the Christian life 400 00:30:45,059 --> 00:30:47,419 because you're thinking to yourself, man, I ain't worthy to 401 00:30:47,419 --> 00:30:50,779 do that. I could never. Man, there's no way I could teach a class. 402 00:30:50,779 --> 00:30:53,839 Not because you don't have the ability to do it, or the. Not because 403 00:30:53,839 --> 00:30:56,879 you're too. You're not intelligent enough to do it. You're 404 00:30:56,879 --> 00:30:59,319 letting the past hold you back. Oh, if they only knew what 405 00:30:59,319 --> 00:31:02,039 I've done. They only knew what I've been through. If they could 406 00:31:02,039 --> 00:31:05,439 only see my real. The real me. Well, you don't want to see the real 407 00:31:05,439 --> 00:31:08,839 me either. Look outside of the Holy Spirit of God, you wouldn't 408 00:31:08,839 --> 00:31:14,239 even want to hang out with me. I'm abs. None of you. As sweet as 409 00:31:14,239 --> 00:31:17,399 you look on the outside. Without Jesus Christ, you're a miserable 410 00:31:17,399 --> 00:31:21,919 wretch. No one would be on want to be. There's not a Christian 411 00:31:21,919 --> 00:31:24,199 in this room would want to be around any other Christian if you 412 00:31:24,199 --> 00:31:26,639 weren't saved and you just gave yourself over to the flesh. 413 00:31:28,719 --> 00:31:35,279 Because we can be plumb wicked without Jesus Christ. But to forget 414 00:31:35,279 --> 00:31:38,839 our past failures means to deal with them decisively by receiving 415 00:31:38,839 --> 00:31:42,559 God's grace and forgiveness so that we are free to move forward 416 00:31:42,959 --> 00:31:48,119 in our lives for Jesus Christ. Our core principle in Bridge to Recovery, 417 00:31:48,119 --> 00:31:52,019 Core principle number nine says, my past does not need to determine 418 00:31:52,019 --> 00:31:56,699 my future. It's based on Philippians 3, 13, and 14. My past 419 00:31:56,699 --> 00:31:59,859 does not. How do you think people get past the life that they 420 00:31:59,859 --> 00:32:04,219 were living? By one. We have 12 core principles. They're all strongly 421 00:32:04,219 --> 00:32:07,139 rooted in the word of God. And this number nine is this one. It's 422 00:32:07,139 --> 00:32:12,019 a strong one. My past does not need to determine my future. We can't 423 00:32:12,019 --> 00:32:15,139 let our past determine our future. We have to forget what happened 424 00:32:15,139 --> 00:32:21,029 in the past. Forget it. Somebody came up to me the other 425 00:32:21,029 --> 00:32:27,629 day. I can't remember if it was here, if it was at the conference. 426 00:32:27,629 --> 00:32:30,429 I don't remember where it was. It might have been here. But somebody 427 00:32:30,429 --> 00:32:34,269 came up to me and said, what do you think about pastors who have 428 00:32:34,269 --> 00:32:38,549 been divorced and remarried and they're pastoring? Well, I'll 429 00:32:38,549 --> 00:32:45,619 tell you what I think about that. I don't. Because it's none 430 00:32:45,619 --> 00:32:50,499 of my business, because that's between them and God. Do I want to. 431 00:32:50,499 --> 00:32:53,139 Do you want to hear me say what the Bible says about it? And 432 00:32:53,139 --> 00:32:58,139 I told them what I think the Bible says that God says if you're 433 00:32:58,139 --> 00:33:00,539 married more than once, you're disqualified from being a pastor. 434 00:33:00,539 --> 00:33:04,939 And I don't see a statute of limitations on that. But at the same 435 00:33:04,939 --> 00:33:12,659 time, I know pastors right now who are amazing men, and God is using 436 00:33:12,659 --> 00:33:18,379 them, at least it seems to be so in an amazing way. And they're 437 00:33:18,379 --> 00:33:21,179 married and they're remarried, they've been divorced and they're 438 00:33:21,179 --> 00:33:25,819 remarried. And that's not for me to say. So I'm not Talking about 439 00:33:25,819 --> 00:33:28,939 stuff like that. I'm not. That's. If it's in the Bible, it's 440 00:33:28,939 --> 00:33:31,859 in the Bible. But what I am saying is, don't let things that 441 00:33:31,859 --> 00:33:35,579 you've done in the past hold you back. You know, there's so much 442 00:33:35,579 --> 00:33:41,099 more that could be done through this church. If some of us 443 00:33:41,099 --> 00:33:47,979 in this church would just quit saying if they only knew, Forget 444 00:33:47,979 --> 00:33:50,579 about it. God's the only one who knows. He's the only one needs 445 00:33:50,579 --> 00:33:56,739 to know. Not only our past failures, but our past accomplishments. 446 00:33:57,699 --> 00:34:01,459 Our past accomplishments. We can't ride our lees. Amen. We have 447 00:34:01,459 --> 00:34:05,219 to get off of our lees and move forward. We can't ride victories 448 00:34:05,219 --> 00:34:09,679 of yesterday. No athlete wins a game by reliving last week's victory. 449 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:12,759 He said this. Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching 450 00:34:12,759 --> 00:34:17,479 forth unto those things which are before looking back. While running 451 00:34:17,479 --> 00:34:24,119 ahead is potentially dangerous and positively unproductive. So to 452 00:34:24,119 --> 00:34:27,559 keep running the race until it's over, we must possess a discontentment, 453 00:34:27,559 --> 00:34:31,439 a determination, a disregard. And then finally, number four. A 454 00:34:31,439 --> 00:34:36,759 discipline to begin and the perseverance to finish strong. My 455 00:34:36,759 --> 00:34:46,439 soul. My soul. All you got to do is walk down the hallways. Caleb's 456 00:34:46,439 --> 00:34:49,799 been here, obviously grew up here. But there are some of you who've 457 00:34:49,799 --> 00:34:54,759 been here a long time, and they change out the pictures pretty 458 00:34:54,759 --> 00:34:58,039 good. But before, you know, all it takes is to look at some of 459 00:34:58,039 --> 00:35:01,279 those pictures and you can think about somebody who. Oh, man, 460 00:35:01,279 --> 00:35:06,439 where'd they go? Oh, they're not here anymore. They started good, 461 00:35:06,439 --> 00:35:11,839 but they didn't finish well. It breaks my heart. I went to Bible 462 00:35:11,839 --> 00:35:14,239 college with some amazing guys, man. We had some wonderful 463 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:18,238 times together. And we could shout amen with the best of them. 464 00:35:18,238 --> 00:35:23,759 We'd have Baptistal chapel services, man, it was great. But, 465 00:35:23,759 --> 00:35:26,079 you know, some of those guys found themselves on the wrong end 466 00:35:26,079 --> 00:35:29,969 of a knife in a bar fight after we graduated Bible College. 467 00:35:31,089 --> 00:35:37,169 They're in the cemetery today. Some of those guys just. It's just. 468 00:35:37,169 --> 00:35:40,049 It just blows me away. How many of them you can just pick. I've 469 00:35:40,049 --> 00:35:43,089 got pictures in my phone that guys have sent me over the years 470 00:35:43,249 --> 00:35:46,249 of the whole graduating class. Actually, the whole class. It wasn't 471 00:35:46,249 --> 00:35:49,769 that big at the time. And I could pick out no longer in ministry. 472 00:35:49,769 --> 00:35:52,489 No longer in ministry. No longer. They started out great, but 473 00:35:52,489 --> 00:35:56,839 they didn't finish strong. And it's not just ministers, it's church 474 00:35:56,839 --> 00:36:02,599 members. But you're here today, but can I give you a warning? 475 00:36:02,679 --> 00:36:06,879 You might get sideways with somebody in the church. Maybe you 476 00:36:06,879 --> 00:36:09,558 think they're Funny looking. I don't know, maybe they said something 477 00:36:09,558 --> 00:36:13,999 that you took it out of context and you got super mad over 478 00:36:13,999 --> 00:36:20,809 it and you just left without even talking about it. And you let 479 00:36:20,809 --> 00:36:22,969 that bitterness eat you up from the inside out. You know, that 480 00:36:22,969 --> 00:36:26,089 can happen. I've seen it happen. It almost happened to me. 481 00:36:26,089 --> 00:36:29,649 It did happen to me. It happened to me and it cost me three 482 00:36:29,649 --> 00:36:34,129 years of backslidden life that I'll have to answer for it one day. 483 00:36:38,209 --> 00:36:41,649 Picture a runner straining every nerve and muscle as he keeps 484 00:36:41,649 --> 00:36:45,009 on running with all of his might towards the goal, hands stretched 485 00:36:45,009 --> 00:36:53,859 out as if to grasp it. Picture that. Ah, you've seen those ones. 486 00:36:53,859 --> 00:36:58,419 I think it's funny, those ones who celebrate too soon. I laugh at 487 00:36:58,419 --> 00:37:01,698 them. I'm like, ah, that's what you get. Somebody passes them 488 00:37:01,698 --> 00:37:04,659 up and they come in second place when they had a clear shot 489 00:37:04,659 --> 00:37:07,379 at winning and then they celebrated too soon. Or how about 490 00:37:07,379 --> 00:37:09,659 those guys that spike the ball before they ever get in the end zone? 491 00:37:12,099 --> 00:37:15,659 I say, ah, you deserve that. But you know, nobody deserves to 492 00:37:15,659 --> 00:37:22,539 live a life for Jesus Christ and then blow it at the end. Discipline 493 00:37:22,539 --> 00:37:25,579 to begin and the perseverance to finish strong. Whatever's in your 494 00:37:25,579 --> 00:37:29,899 past, it's not too late to begin running the race. It's not 495 00:37:29,899 --> 00:37:33,219 too late to get in there. Courage is the desire to begin, but 496 00:37:33,219 --> 00:37:37,139 perseverance and discipline is the determination to continue. Regardless 497 00:37:37,139 --> 00:37:39,899 of the adversity, the criticism, the personal failures 498 00:37:39,899 --> 00:37:44,159 that Paul experienced. He could not be distracted nor deterred 499 00:37:44,159 --> 00:37:48,359 from his goal of following Jesus Christ. Let me finish up by 500 00:37:48,359 --> 00:37:56,159 saying this. If you're saved tonight, you are in the race. You're 501 00:37:56,159 --> 00:37:59,079 in the race if you're saved. If you're not saved, you're not even. 502 00:37:59,079 --> 00:38:04,959 You're not even on the track. You're not in the race. You're not 503 00:38:04,959 --> 00:38:08,959 even going to cross the finish line. And so you need to make sure 504 00:38:08,959 --> 00:38:11,639 you're at least on the track. You need to get in the race. Get 505 00:38:11,639 --> 00:38:18,079 in the race by becoming a child of God today. But perhaps you're 506 00:38:18,079 --> 00:38:22,199 in the race and you've stopped on the track. But if you're living 507 00:38:22,199 --> 00:38:27,279 and saved, you're still in the race. And you're letting your past 508 00:38:27,439 --> 00:38:31,439 keep you from moving forward. Do you keep dwelling on the past 509 00:38:31,519 --> 00:38:35,049 failures or the past successes? Is there anyone in this 510 00:38:35,049 --> 00:38:42,009 room who hasn't experienced personal failure? That's like saying, 511 00:38:42,009 --> 00:38:46,169 let him who's without sin cast the first stone. Okay? Let him who 512 00:38:46,169 --> 00:38:49,129 has not failed in some area of life stand up here and point fingers 513 00:38:49,129 --> 00:38:57,009 at Everybody else can't do it. The measure of a person isn't whether 514 00:38:57,009 --> 00:38:59,529 or not he's failed, but whether or not he gets up, learns 515 00:38:59,529 --> 00:39:03,029 from the failure and tries again. Amen. You know what we tell 516 00:39:03,029 --> 00:39:05,669 a guy? You know what I say? And it's true for everybody. And 517 00:39:05,669 --> 00:39:07,749 I've said this to our guys, and I think. I don't know if I've 518 00:39:07,749 --> 00:39:10,749 said it here. You want to know why? The reason. If there's anybody 519 00:39:10,749 --> 00:39:14,509 in here who's got a measure of success. Success. If there's anybody 520 00:39:14,509 --> 00:39:18,189 in here with a measure of spiritual maturity, we'll say even 521 00:39:18,189 --> 00:39:22,309 Brother Hale. I think Brother Hale, to me, I'm seeing Brother Hale 522 00:39:22,309 --> 00:39:26,709 is a man of God. He's a godly man. I admire him so much wisdom. 523 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,959 And he doesn't talk a lot, and that means he's twice as wise. But 524 00:39:33,279 --> 00:39:35,799 when you look at Brother Hale, you want to know why he's sitting 525 00:39:35,799 --> 00:39:42,039 in here this evening? Because he got up a lot. What do you mean? 526 00:39:42,039 --> 00:39:47,879 I mean he fell a lot and he got up a lot. He didn't just fall 527 00:39:47,879 --> 00:39:50,319 one time. Learn everything there is to learn and then never 528 00:39:50,319 --> 00:39:53,769 fall down again. It doesn't work that way. The reason we're here, 529 00:39:55,049 --> 00:39:58,209 if we've experienced any measure of success, any measure of 530 00:39:58,209 --> 00:40:00,849 maturity in our life, it's because we got back up. And we keep 531 00:40:00,849 --> 00:40:06,529 getting up. And we got up a lot. I don't know about you, I lost 532 00:40:06,529 --> 00:40:09,209 count. I'm not even. I'm too embarrassed to even keep count how 533 00:40:09,209 --> 00:40:13,369 many times I've had to get up. But just keep getting up. Just keep 534 00:40:13,369 --> 00:40:19,249 getting up. Paul and Barnabas got into a heated argument over Barnabas 535 00:40:19,249 --> 00:40:24,339 nephew John Mark. Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to bring him along 536 00:40:24,339 --> 00:40:27,699 on the second missionary journey, but Paul strongly disagreed 537 00:40:27,699 --> 00:40:31,739 because John Mark had left them during the first mission journey. 538 00:40:32,219 --> 00:40:36,379 And the disagreement was so heated that Paul and Barnabas, they 539 00:40:36,379 --> 00:40:41,299 split ways. And Paul took Silas with him and Barnabas went 540 00:40:41,299 --> 00:40:46,019 ahead and took John Mark. But later in Paul's life, we read in 541 00:40:46,019 --> 00:40:49,259 2nd Timothy 4:11 that Paul asked for John Mark, saying that 542 00:40:49,259 --> 00:40:52,369 he was profitable for him in the ministry. So whatever happened 543 00:40:52,679 --> 00:40:57,559 to John Mark that made him fall or leave the ministry? He got 544 00:40:57,559 --> 00:41:00,839 back up and he kept serving Jesus. And he ended up being very 545 00:41:00,839 --> 00:41:06,559 profitable to the Apostle Paul. Even if we experience momentary 546 00:41:06,559 --> 00:41:09,759 defeat, as long as we're still struggling and straining and reaching 547 00:41:09,759 --> 00:41:12,759 for the goal, we're still in the race. Paul asked those Galatians 548 00:41:12,759 --> 00:41:19,179 in chapter five. He says, you did run well. What hinders you? Actually, 549 00:41:19,179 --> 00:41:22,379 he Says who hindered you? But I want to say, what hindered you? 550 00:41:22,939 --> 00:41:26,339 What hindered you? That you should not obey the truth. And then 551 00:41:26,339 --> 00:41:29,899 of course, in Galatians 6, 9, let us not be weary in well doing, 552 00:41:29,899 --> 00:41:35,339 for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Keep running 553 00:41:35,659 --> 00:41:39,859 until the race is finished. Keep running till the race is finished. 554 00:41:39,859 --> 00:41:43,139 Paul said in second Timothy four, seven, I have fought a good 555 00:41:43,139 --> 00:41:49,309 fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. During 556 00:41:49,309 --> 00:41:56,029 World War II, Desmond Doss, a young American soldier, he refused 557 00:41:56,029 --> 00:42:00,269 to carry a weapon because of his Christian convictions. And many 558 00:42:00,269 --> 00:42:04,429 mocked him and called him a coward. But Doss would not quit on 559 00:42:04,429 --> 00:42:09,829 his faith or on his duty. When his battalion was attacked on Hacksaw 560 00:42:09,829 --> 00:42:15,359 Ridge, hundreds of men fell under heavy fire. And while others 561 00:42:15,359 --> 00:42:18,719 retreated, Doss, he kept running back into the battle again 562 00:42:18,719 --> 00:42:23,479 and again, unarmed to rescue the wounded. And all through the 563 00:42:23,479 --> 00:42:28,879 night he prayed. Lord, please help me get just one more. By morning 564 00:42:28,879 --> 00:42:35,639 he had single handedly rescued 75 men. He was later awarded the 565 00:42:35,639 --> 00:42:40,379 Medal of Honor. He was the first conscientious objector ever 566 00:42:40,379 --> 00:42:46,179 to receive it. Don't quit. Just keep on running until the race 567 00:42:46,179 --> 00:42:49,499 is over. It's not over till we get to heaven. A lot of reasons to 568 00:42:49,499 --> 00:42:51,699 quit. The devil will give you a lot of reasons. Life will give 569 00:42:51,699 --> 00:42:54,619 you a lot of reasons. Your flesh will make up a lot of reasons. 570 00:42:55,339 --> 00:42:58,779 But just keep on keeping on. Don't quit. Just don't quit. This 571 00:42:58,779 --> 00:43:01,059 is my last opportunity to preach to you on a Wednesday night 572 00:43:01,059 --> 00:43:04,839 and I wanted to leave you with that. Don't quit. I see too many 573 00:43:04,839 --> 00:43:08,879 just quitting. I want to quit sometimes, but I'm glad the Holy 574 00:43:08,879 --> 00:43:14,759 Spirit won't let me. My wife won't let me. Praise the Lord. Alright, 575 00:43:14,759 --> 00:43:18,319 let's stand together. I went over time, but it's not 8 o' clock 576 00:43:18,319 --> 00:43:20,479 yet. Y'. All, let's stand together and we'll have a verse of 577 00:43:20,479 --> 00:43:23,199 invitation and then we'll receive the offering and have some 578 00:43:23,199 --> 00:43:25,599 prayer. Let's pray. Father, we love youe and we thank youk again 579 00:43:25,599 --> 00:43:31,989 for your Word. And Lord, I know this wasn't a shouting type 580 00:43:31,989 --> 00:43:38,869 sermon tonight, not animated, but Lord, I pray that you would take 581 00:43:38,869 --> 00:43:43,109 the truths that were spoken. And I pray that you would help us 582 00:43:43,109 --> 00:43:47,069 to apply them to our heart. And Holy Spirit, do please what only 583 00:43:47,069 --> 00:43:52,949 you can do in our hearts through your word. Help us to stay 584 00:43:52,949 --> 00:43:57,479 by the stuff. Help us to stay on the track, to keep on running 585 00:43:57,479 --> 00:44:02,199 till the race is over. I pray it in Jesus name just for a moment. 586 00:44:02,199 --> 00:44:08,119 Or two heads bowed as the music plays. Brother Caleb's going 587 00:44:08,119 --> 00:44:11,079 to sing through a verse or two of invitation. If the Holy Spirit 588 00:44:11,079 --> 00:44:13,319 is speaking to you tonight, if you want to take a moment to pray, 589 00:44:13,319 --> 00:44:14,439 please do it right now.