HOW DO PEOPLE RESPOND TO TEACHING ON SELF-CONTROL?
WELL, FELIX WAS ASKING PAUL, TO TEACH HIM SOME THINGS.
AND IN ACTS 24:25 IT SAYS, "AS PAUL BEGAN TO TALK
ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS, SELF-CONTROL AND THE JUDGMENT
THAT WAS TO COME, FELIX WAS AFRAID AND SAID,
'THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW!
YOU MAY LEAVE.
WHEN I FIND IT IS CONVENIENT, I WILL SEND FOR YOU.'"
I LOVE THAT SCRIPTURE.
I MEAN, IT SAYS IT SO PLAINLY.
FELIX WANTED TO HEAR PAUL TALK ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE,
HOW GOD WOULD BLESS HIM, AND THE FAVOR
GOD WOULD GIVE HIM, AND HOW GOD WOULD PROSPER HIM,
AND HELP HIM SUCCEED.
BUT WHEN, PAUL STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WOULD
ACTUALLY, MAKE THAT HAPPEN, THEN FELIX BECAME AFRAID.
YOU KNOW WHY HE BECAME AFRAID?
HE WAS GONNA HAVE TO GIVE UP SOME THINGS THAT
HE DIDN'T WANNA GIVE UP.
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.
ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE NOW, IN ORDER TO HAVE
A BETTER LIFE LATER ON?
OR ARE YOU GONNA BE THE KIND OF PERSON THAT WANTS
EVERYTHING INSTANTANEOUSLY, AND NOT CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE SAYS IN ROMANS 14:12 THAT,
"WE'RE ALL GONNA STAND BEFORE GOD, AND GIVE
AN ACCOUNT OF OUR LIVES." AND YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET
TO THAT POINT, IT'S TOO LATE TO GO BACK AND START
CHANGING THINGS.
SO, I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO START CONTROLLING YOURSELF.
PRAY, ASK GOD TO HELP YOU.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU CAN DO ANY OF THIS JUST
BY SELF-WILL AND SELF-EFFORT.
BUT GOD'S NOT GONNA DO IT ALL FOR US, WITHOUT US
MAKING ANY EFFORT, ON OUR PART.
START DOING THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO DO, NOW.
AND LATER ON, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A GREAT REWARD FOR DOING THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A WONDERFUL MINISTRY.
BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU, HOW HARD
WE'VE WORKED, OVER THE LAST 45 YEARS, AND THE THINGS
THAT WE'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH AND STAND FIRM, AND BE DILIGENT.
AND I'M NOT SAYING IT, AS A MATTER OF,
TRYING TO GET SOMEBODY TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME.
I'M JUST SAYING THAT I KNOW WHAT WE HAVE NOW,
AND I KNOW WHAT WE'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH TO GET IT.
AND I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD THE SAME, OR SIMILAR,
OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THEY GAVE UP, SOMEWHERE, ALONG THE WAY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN LIFE GETS HARD, IT'S EASY TO THROW THE TOWEL IN,
BUT THAT'S THE TIME TO STAND FIRM.
THAT'S THE TIME TO BE STEADFAST, AND TO BE STRONG IN THE LORD
AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.
SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TEACHING ON SELF-CONTROL.
BUT PEOPLE WHO WANNA BE SPIRITUALLY MATURE,
THEY LOVE THIS KIND OF TEACHING.
THEY DON'T WANNA JUST HAVE DESSERT TEACHINGS, ALL THE TIME.
THEY WANT THE MEAT OF THE WORD.
THEY WANT THE STUFF THAT'S MAYBE, NOT GONNA
BE REAL EASY TO DO, BUT THEY KNOW IT'S GONNA
PRODUCE GREAT BENEFITS, LATER ON, IN LIFE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA CALL-- WE CALL JESUS, "LORD."
AND I HEARD THIS, RECENTLY, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS SO GOOD.
IF JESUS IS YOUR LORD, THERE'S TWO WORDS THAT
NEVER GO TOGETHER, AND THAT'S, "NO, LORD."
IF GOD PUTS SOMETHING ON YOUR HEART TO DO, OR NOT DO,
IF YOU SAY, "NO, LORD," THEN HE'S NOT YOUR LORD.
BECAUSE IF JESUS IS YOUR LORD, THEN THE ONLY THING YOU
CAN SAY IS, "YES, LORD, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT
ME TO DO, I WILL DO THAT." "IF THAT'S WHAT YOU DON'T WANT
ME TO DO, THEN I WON'T DO THAT." FELIX WANTED TO PUT THE TEACHING
OFF ON SELF-CONTROL, UNTIL LATER.
DON'T ALWAYS WAIT, UNTIL LATER, TO DO THE HARD STUFF.
DO THE HARD THINGS EARLY.
DO THE HARD THINGS-- THE JOBS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO,
DO THE HARD THINGS EARLY IN THE MORNING, GET 'EM DONE,
GET 'EM OVER WITH, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DREAD THEM ALL DAY.
YOU KNOW, DREAD IS A CLOSE RELATIVE OF FEAR, AND IT JUST
DRAINS YOUR ENERGY.
IT HELPS YOU--SELF-CONTROL IS A GIFT.
BECAUSE IT HELPS YOU TO DO, WHAT YOU DON'T WANNA DO.
SO, YOU CAN HAVE, WHAT YOU SAY, YOU WANT TO HAVE.
THAT'S A LIL' SOMETHIN' THAT GOD GAVE ME MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
AND I WANNA REPEAT IT AGAIN.
SELF-CONTROL HELPS YOU DO, WHAT YOU DON'T WANNA DO,
SO YOU CAN HAVE, WHAT YOU SAY, YOU WANNA HAVE, LATER ON.
HOW ABOUT ONE MORE TIME?
SELF-CONTROL HELPS YOU DO, WHAT YOU DON'T WANNA DO,
SO YOU CAN HAVE, WHAT YOU SAY, YOU WANNA HAVE, LATER ON."
YOU SAY, "WELL, I'D REALLY LIKE TO LOSE 50 POUNDS."
WELL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET IT, JUST BY PRAYING.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE SOME CONTROL, AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE
FOR A WHILE, AND BE HUNGRY.
AND IT'S GONNA BE CHALLENGING, WHEN YOU HAVE TO SAY, "NO,"
TO CERTAIN THINGS.
BUT LATER ON...
IF YOU'RE IN DEEP DEBT, AND YOU WANNA GET OUT OF DEBT,
THEN YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CUT UP YOUR CREDIT CARDS.
YOU MAY HAVE TO STAY OUT OF THE SHOPPING
MALLS FOR A WHILE.
IF YOU CAN'T RESIST BUYING THINGS, WHEN YOU GO TO THE MALL,
THEN DON'T GO TO THE MALL.
SOMETIMES, WE NEED TO GET A LITTLE BIT TOUGH WITH
OURSELVES, AND WE NEED TO SAY, "I'M GONNA TAKE CONTROL HERE,
AND DO THE THINGS THAT I KNOW, THAT GOD WANTS ME TO DO."
DON'T GROAN WHEN YOUR PASTOR, OR YOUR BIBLE TEACHER SAYS,
"I'M GONNA TEACH ON SELF-CONTROL, TODAY.
OR I'M GONNA TEACH ON DISCIPLINE."
OH, YOU SHOULD CLAP AND CHEER, AND SAY, "OH, I'M SO GLAD,
BECAUSE I NEED THAT KIND OF TEACHING."
SELF-CONTROL IS VERY VALUABLE.
WHAT DID PETER HAVE TO SAY ABOUT SELF-CONTROL?
2 PETER 1:3-7, ARE SOME VERY IMPORTANT SCRIPTURES,
IN THE WORD, OF GOD.
AND REALLY, TO DIGEST THEM PROPERLY, YOU HAVE
TO TAKE SOME TIME WITH 'EM.
SO, I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU, EVEN AFTER THIS PROGRAM'S OVER,
TO GET OUT YOUR BIBLE, IF YOU DON'T ALREADY
HAVE IT OUT, AND REALLY TAKE SOME TIME,
WITH 2 PETER 1:3-7, AND READ IT OVER, AND OVER,
AND STUDY IT, AND REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT IT'S SAYING.
"HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED
FOR A GODLY LIFE THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM."
WOW.
I WANT YOU TO SAY, RIGHT NOW, "I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED
TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE." BUT SEE, IT COMES THROUGH
THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOU HAVE IT, OR YOU WON'T ACT ON IT.
AND SO, HERE AGAIN, WE HAVE TO USE SOME SELF-CONTROL
AND DISCIPLINE, TO DILIGENTLY, AND REGULARLY STUDY
THE WORD OF GOD, SO WE CAN KNOW WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US.
YOU SEE, I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT
JESUS DIED, FOR THEM TO HAVE.
I DON'T WANNA SPEND MY LIFE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS
THAT JESUS DID FOR ME.
I WANNA, ACTUALLY, LIVE THEM OUT, IN MY LIFE.
"HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED
FOR A GODLY LIFE THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM
WHO CALLED US BY HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS.
THROUGH THESE HE HAS GIVEN US HIS VERY GREAT AND PRECIOUS
PROMISES, SO THAT THROUGH THEM YOU MAY PARTICIPATE
IN THE DIVINE NATURE, HAVING ESCAPED THE CORRUPTION
IN THE WORLD CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES."
NOW, LISTEN TO THIS, "FOR THIS REASON--"
BECAUSE GOD HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH, BECAUSE HE HAS
DONE SO MUCH FOR US, BECAUSE HE HAS PROVIDED
SUCH A GREAT LIFE.
NOW, LISTEN TO THIS, "FOR THIS REASON,
NOW YOU MAKE EVERY EFFORT." UH-OH.
EFFORT, I GOTTA DO SOMETHING.
"TO ADD TO YOUR FAITH GOODNESS--"
BE GOOD TO PEOPLE.
"AND KNOWLEDGE--" KEEP GROWING IN THE WORD,
KEEP STUDYING.
"AND SELF-CONTROL--" UH-OH, THERE IT IS, RIGHT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS SCRIPTURE.
"AND TO SELF-CONTROL, PERSEVERANCE."
SAY, "I'M NOT GONNA QUIT.
I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP.
I'M GONNA KEEP DOING WHAT'S RIGHT, UNTIL I GET
A RIGHT RESULT IN MY LIFE." "AND TO PERSEVERANCE,
GODLINESS; AND TO GODLINESS, MUTUAL AFFECTION;
AND TO MUTUAL AFFECTION, LOVE." YOU KNOW, THE MAIN THEME
IN THE BIBLE IS LOVE.
"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH.
AND YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR EVEN AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF."
SO, LOVE SHOULD BE THE END GOAL, OF WHERE WE WANNA COME TO,
IN OUR LIFE.
TO LOVE PEOPLE, TO LOVE OURSELVES,
BECAUSE GOD LOVES US.
AND WHEN I SAY, "LOVE YOURSELF." I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT
RECEIVING THE LOVE OF GOD.
"AND TO LOVE GOD, WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL,
MIND AND STRENGTH." TO LOVE HIM.
NOT JUST USE GOD TO TRY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.
NOT JUST GO TO GOD WHEN YOU'RE DESPERATE,
AND YOU HAVE A DESPERATE PRAYER, YOU'RE IN TROUBLE,
AND YOU NEED HELP.
BUT TO LOVE GOD AND TO WALK WITH GOD,
AND TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM, ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND TO ALWAYS HAVE, IN THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MIND,
WANTING TO DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO.